SIDS and vaccines...
SIDS scares me to death. I have a feeling most parents feel the same way. The idea that for no apparent reason, your wonderful little baby could just... stop breathing... is horrifying. Beyond horrifying. Honestly there are no words! (She says, looking down at her sleeping baby snug in her sling.)
So it really yanks my chain, personally, when I see people blaming this and that on SIDS and implying that those people who work to end SIDS are part of a conspiracy. Well, they may not *say* they are in a conspiracy but I'm not sure how else you could look at it. Much like my posts regarding mattress wrapping as a source of SIDS, there is absolutely no evidence whatsoever connecting SIDS and vaccines. So if you are going to say that anything causes SIDS, and reputable SIDS organizations do not address that cause, then there is a conspiracy at work by default, right?
Though I never do understand the motivation. Usually anti-vaxers try to bring it back to money. SIDS organizations must be taking donations from Big Pharma who are buying their cooperation to kill babies so they can profit from selling a $20 vaccine. (No, Big Pharma is busy profiting from cholesterol meds and viagara. Not from vaccines, people!)
I'm not a doctor, and I am not a medical researcher. I am really good at googling stuff! I try to read reputable sources and I am good at evaluating sources to determine if they are reputable and reliable. (It's my background in journalism which makes me a stickler for a reliable source!) I simply don't believe that every SIDS organization in the world is conspiring to keep information from parents which could save babies lives. Thus, by default, there is no connection between SIDS and vaccines.
But ok, that is just the logical part for me. Let's be more evidence-based.
"The studies showing no increased risk for SIDS with the DTP immunizations actually showed that fully immunized infants had a lower risk for SIDS. Although no study has yet explained this relationship, it is likely indirectly related to other risk factors like socioeconomic status (SES)-------babies fully immunized likely have good access to health care and higher SES than infants not up to date on immunizations, and may be more likely to be full term, etc." (In other words, healthy, well-cared for infants are less likely to die of SIDS.) ~ http://sids-network.org/experts/immunize.htm
"The study released in March 2003 confirmed that there is no evidence of a link between Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and multiple vaccines given in infancy. Many parents have been reluctant to give their children the most common vaccine against measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR). Most American children get several vaccines during their first year of life, including MMR; some of the first questions about vaccine safety came from all Australian researcher in the 1980s who argued that MMR may cause autism. (For more on vaccination scares see "Anti-Vaccination Fever," page 21.) Marie McCormick, head of the committee that wrote the March report, said that "although the timing of infant vaccinations coincides with the period when SIDS is most likely to occur, parents should rest assured that the number and variety of childhood vaccines do not cause SIDS." From Skeptical Inquirer.
"Although previous studies have shown either no association between immunisation and SIDS or even a decreased risk of SIDS, adverse effects, including death, from immunisations continue to cause concern, especially when a new vaccine is introduced. METHODS: A large case control study with immunisation data on 307 SIDS cases and 971 controls. RESULTS: SIDS cases were immunised less frequently and later than controls. Furthermore there was no increased risk of SIDS in the 14 days following immunisation. There was no evidence to suggest the recently introduced hexavalent vaccines were associated with an increased risk of SIDS. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides further support that immunisations may reduce the risk of SIDS." From PubMed.
I could go on, but I think that's enough. The only place on the 'net where you can find "proof" that vaccines cause SIDS is on anti-vaccination websites. If there were really a link, don't you think that SIDS researchers and organizations would be shouting it from the rooftops to save any other baby from dying?
OK, I can't talk about this anymore. But I really hate people who exploit our fear of SIDS.