Infant Mortality Rates Linked to the Number of Vaccines Given

A shocking research study published on May 4, 2011, shows a link between the number of vaccinations given to infants and an increase in infant mortality rate, (IMR). The study, published in the peer reviewed international journal, Human & Experimental Toxicology, looked at the infant mortality rate (IMR) for 34 nations including the United States, and compared that to the number of vaccinations given in the first year of life.

In the study's introduction, the authors note that infant mortality rate (IMR) is one of the most important measures of children's health and overall development in countries. In developing nations, IMRs are higher because the basic necessities, such as clean water, good nutrition, good sanitation, and easy access to health care, are lacking or unevenly distributed. In developed nations, such as the US, these factors do not come into play and are not primarily responsible for IMR statistics.

The United States spends more than any other nation per capita on healthcare. In spite of this fact, of the 34 developed nations studies, the US ranks 34th in IMR. According to the study, the US infant mortality rate is 6.22 deaths per 1000 live births. In comparison, the study shows that some countries have IMRs that are less than half the US rate. Singapore, Sweden, and Japan have IMRs below 2.80, and Cuba which ranks just above the US, has an IMR of 5.82 deaths per 1000 live births. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), "The relative position of the United States in comparison to countries with the lowest infant mortality rates appears to be worsening".

In this study, a literature review was conducted to compare the immunization schedules for infants under the age of one in the United States with the other 33 nations with better IMRs. The study was conducted by separating the nations into one of five groups based on the number of vaccine doses they routinely give their infants in the first year of life. The groups were: 12–14, 15–17, 18–20, 21–23, and 24–26 vaccine doses. The US gives the highest number at 26 doses in the first year of life.

These groups were then compared for IMR in relationship to the number of vaccines given. The results of the study showed a direct linear correlation between the number of vaccines given to infants and the IMR. As the number of vaccines given to infants increases, so does the death rate among infants.

The study authors, in reviewing this data, note that many nations adhere to an agreed upon International Classification of Diseases (ICD) for grouping infant deaths into 130 categories. They also note that among the 34 nations analyzed, those that require the most vaccines tend to have the worst IMRs. Because of this, the authors then ask several important questions. "Is it possible that some nations are requiring too many vaccines for their infants and the additional vaccines are a toxic burden on their health? Are some deaths that are listed within the 130 infant mortality death categories really deaths that are associated with over-vaccination? Are some vaccine-related deaths hidden within the death tables?"

Barbara Loe Fisher founder of the National Vaccine Information Center, puts these statistics into human perspective in an article and a video posted on the NVIC website at www.nvic.org. She says, "According to the most recent National Vital Statistics Report, more than 26,000 American babies born alive in 2009 died before their first birthday, which gives the U.S. a very high infant mortality rate of 6 infant deaths per 1,000 live births. In 1960, America ranked 12th in infant mortality among all nations of the world. In 2005, we had fallen to number 30. Today in America, there are more premature babies than ever before and more full term babies die before their first birthday than in most European countries."

The Barbara Loe Fisher, NVIC article and video can be seen at: http://www.nvic.org/NVIC-Vaccine-News/May-2011/In-Memoriam--Infant-Deaths---Vaccination.aspx.

Video on Youtube at: http://youtu.be/UWe8_Gg8fjE.

The full Human & Experimental Toxicology research article is open access and can be seen at: http://het.sagepub.com/content/early/2011/05/04/0960327111407644.full.pdf+html.