Genomics and Vaccine Safety: Research for Future Practice Robert
L. Davis Need for Vaccine Safety Research Each year, more than
four million children are born in the United States. Parents
naturally want to protect their children as much as possible
from disease and illness. One of the most effective ways to
accomplish this goal is for children to receive immunizations
according to the recommended vaccination schedule (1). During
2001, almost 80% of children aged 19-35 months of age living in
the United States received vaccine coverage for DTP/DT/DtaP,
poliovirus, and measles. Throughout the United States and other
countries, however, vaccine safety concerns have increased.
Popular media, including parenting magazines, have discussed
purported associations of vaccines with negative health effects,
such as autism and inflammatory bowel disease, as well as the
potential negative health effects of vaccine preservatives
(e.g., thimerosal) on neurological development. These negative
reports are often widely believ