University of Louisville researchers have concluded that there is no benefit to delaying a child's immunizations during the first year of life.The U of L study focused on the effect of the vaccinations on brain development.Lead author and pediatric infectious disease specialist Dr. Michael Smith says it was prompted by parental concerns about vaccine safety in general."The latest concern was that children are receiving too many vaccines too soon," he said. "In fact, some parents were coming into the office with these so-called alternative immunization schedules that differ substantially from the recommended schedule. The pediatricians were asking us, 'what do we tell these people, is there any evidence behind this, are there talking points we can give such parents?'"Smith says while it's not intended to be the final word on vaccine safety, researchers found no evidence to suggest that multiple vaccines in the first year of of life affect cognitive abilities later.The study is published in the journal Pediatrics.
Rick Howlett was midday host and the host of LPM's weekly talk show, "In Conversation." He was with LPM from 2001-2023 and held many different titles, including Morning Edition host, Assignment Editor and Interim News Director. He died in August 2023. Read a remembrance of Rick here.
