Vaccinations for infants and children always inspire debate. Sometimes, fierce debate. Today I’m going to look at a study that examined whether it’s safe for pregnant women to get the tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccination or if it increases the risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in their babies.

Researchers examined the records of over 81,000 mothers and offspring who were continuously in the care of the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Hospitals. They determined which pregnant women were vaccinated with Tdap. Those women and their children along with the women who were not vaccinated with Tdap and their children were monitored for four to seven years.

The rate of ASD diagnosis was 1.4% of the total subjects. The rate for the children was 3.78 out 1,000 per year for those who were exposed to the vaccination and 4.05 per 1,000 per year for those who were not. In other words, there was no impact on the children of the Tdap vaccination during pregnancy. The researchers concluded that the use of Tdap vaccinations was supported during pregnancy.

But my focus isn’t really on the use of vaccinations; you can look at the data and decide for yourself. It’s on the controversy around vaccinations.

Debate is good, especially as it relates to health, and nothing inspires more debate than vaccinations. But are all debates a real discussion of the issues or are they an attempt to create discord? A recent study may give us some insight. More on that Thursday.

What are you prepared to do today?

Dr. Chet

Reference: PEDIATRICS 14(3) September 2018:e20180120