Kids' Health

Q: Are vaccines necessary? What about the controversy regarding mercury in vaccines and their link to autism?
Debbie, 40, of Tustin

A: Vaccines help protect children from many diseases that killed or severely disabled them a few generations ago. Through routine vaccinations, we’ve been able to almost eliminate or greatly reduce the incidence of many previously devastating diseases in infants and children around the world. Without the continued vaccination of children, we could very well see a resurgence of some of the life threatening diseases that were common just a few decades ago. 

    There’s been much debate over thimerosal (a preservative containing mercury) and its possible link to autism. At least 4 large studies have shown no difference in the incidence of autism in children who received vaccines with thimerosal and those who received vaccines without.

    As of 2001, most U.S. vaccines have only a trace amount or no thimerosal in them. Some flu vaccines still contain thimerosal. However, a recent study in the journal Pediatrics showed that the ethyl mercury, the type of mercury found in the flu vaccine, is metabolized by the body very quickly and very little remains, so the risk of any health-related problem is very low.

    As a pediatrician, I counsel parents to have their children routinely vaccinated. I believe the relatively small risks of the vaccines far outweigh the danger the diseases present. For more information, visit The Centers for Disease Control at cdc.gov.

Dr. Daphne Wong is on staff at Children’s Hospital of Orange County. She serves as CHOC’s assistant director of the Pediatric Residency Program and is medical director of the Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect (SCAN) Program.

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