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Vaccine Safety > Issues of Interest > Chronic Diseases
Vaccines and Chronic Disease
Q&A image

Do vaccines cause chronic diseases, such as autism, diabetes, Crohn's disease, and cancer?

After decades of vaccine use in the United States, current research shows no reliable evidence proving that vaccines cause chronic illness. Vaccine safety research--including, whenever possible, research into theories linking vaccines to chronic diseases--is being conducted on a regular basis in the United States and overseas to make sure the public is receiving the safest possible vaccines.

In some instances, researchers have published articles about their studies that support their theories about vaccine and chronic illness; however, when other researchers attempt to duplicate their results (the test of good research), they often can't. Medical conclusions about the safety of vaccines or the cause of a disease must be judged on the quality of the scientific research and the weight of scientific evidence.

Because no vaccine is without risk, when medical and public health professionals recommend vaccines for infants and children to protect children against serious infectious diseases, they must balance the scientific evidence of benefits, costs, and risks.

The balance of benefits and risks can change as diseases are controlled or eradicated. For example, smallpox has been eradicated worldwide. The risk of complications associated with smallpox vaccine now outweigh any theoretical risk of contracting smallpox or a related virus, for the general population. Therefore, smallpox vaccine is no longer recommended for use in the general population.

CDC believes that parents should be fully informed about the risks and benefits of vaccination and should talk to their child's trusted health care provider.

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This page last modified on September 28, 1997

   

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