U.S. Officials Defend Safety of Childhood Vaccines

By Ramsay Crooks

Published on July 22, 2005

The officials are worried that some parents will stop vaccinating their children due to concerns about thimerosal, the mercury-containing preservative found in some vaccines. This could leave children susceptible to a number of deadly diseases.

Officials say there is no evidence that vaccines containing mercury are a direct cause of autism, though more research needs to be done. They argue that even if a link is found in the future, the benefits of vaccinating far outweighs the risks.

Researchers are not sure why the number of diagnosed autism cases has been on the rise over the past 20 years. Currently, between two and six per 1,000 children born in the U.S. are diagnosed with autism.

U.S. health officials went public with their arguments just a day before autism and antivaccine activists were scheduled to rally on Capitol Hill.

Comment on this article →