Do vaccines cause harm? The need for open-minded analysis based on science and reason.

Public concern about the safety of vaccines began when vaccination began, in the 18th century. Major resistance to vaccinations in the 1980s threatened to shut down vaccine manufacture and immunization programs. The US Congress responded with legislation in 1986-1987 that established a compensation program, communication strategies, and a process of objective, science-based analysis by the Institute of Medicine of whether childhood vaccines cause any of an array of possible adverse events. Since then, research, detection, communication, and education related to vaccine safety have improved but remain less than perfect. All of us who care about children, our own or in the abstract, will serve our children best if we remain vigilant and open-minded in considering issues of vaccine safety, and if we base our conclusions and actions on science, not emotion.