18 assertions about vaccines: #14: Vaccines cause SIDS

Point #14

The following are NOT opinions, but actual verifiable facts. Research any of it if you have doubts or just want to expand your knowledge.

14) Prior to the introduction of vaccines, SIDS was so rare that it wasn't even mentioned in infant mortality statistics. (Meaning less than 1% of infant deaths were due to an unknown cause) Only after most infants in the US received several doses of DPT (diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus), polio, and measles vaccines, there was an alarming epidemic of unexplained infant death. SIDS is the number one cause of death in infants in the US ages 28 days to 1 year. Most cases of SIDS occurs within two weeks of vaccination, usually within just days or even hours. The USA has both the highest rate of infant mortality of any other industrialized country, and also the most vaccines given to children.

Again, nested claims.

1. Prior to the introduction of vaccines, SIDS was so rare that it wasn't even mentioned in infant mortality statistics.
2. All infant deaths were assigned a cause of death;  less than 1% of infant deaths were due to an unknown cause
3. DPT, polio, and measles vaccines contributed to the "alarming epidemic of unexplained infant death"  
4. SIDS is the number one cause of death in infants in the US ages 28 days to 1 year.
5. Most cases of SIDS occur within 14 days after vaccination
6. The USA has the highest rate of infant mortality of any other industrialized country,
7. The USA gives the most vaccines of any other industrialized country

The author doesn't give a date for "prior to the introduction of vaccines". There are various dates one could pick, such as 1948 (for the approval of the DTP vaccine) or 1955 (Salk vaccine polio licensed). In a somewhat arbitrary manner, I picked 1950.   Re the  claim that SIDS  was "so rare", and "Meaning less than 1% of infant deaths were due to an unknown cause)" -- it's a false claim.  "Sudden Infant Death Syndrome" (SIDS) is a relatively recent term (probably first used in 1960, or at the latest 1963) -- but that does not mean people have been noticing the deaths of otherwise-healthy infants, and thinking about the causes of such deaths.  

I went looking for historical accounts. In 1995,  D. L Russell-Jones published a literature review,  "Sudden infant death in history and literature" (Archives of Disease in Childhood, 1985, 60, 278-281).  Russell-Jones's article is very informative and I recommend it all to you.  In the article, Russell-Jones  placed the first historical report of an unexpected infant death to the Old Testament, and the story of "The Judgment of King Solomon" (1 Kings 3:16-28 New King James Version (NKJV)).   The idea of infant death not caused by illness (which was rampant) was blamed on the common practice of co-sleeping, or "overlayment".  Russell-Jones mentions a 1291 document forbidding co-sleeping with children younger than 3 years. As early as 1889,  Paultouf  surmised that an an enlarged thymus could account for unexplained infant deaths.   

In Achievements in Public Health, 1900-1999: Healthier Mothers and Babies, it was noted (emphasis added):

During the late 1960s, after Medicaid and other federal programs were implemented, infant mortality (primarily postneonatal [months 1-12] mortality) declined substantially (5). From 1970 to 1979, neonatal mortality plummeted 41% (Table 1) because of technologic advances in neonatal medicine and in the regionalization of perinatal services; postneonatal mortality declined 14%. During the early to mid-1980s, the downward trend in U.S. infant mortality slowed (6). However, during 1989-1991, infant mortality declined slightly faster, probably because of the use of artificial pulmonary surfactant to prevent and treat respiratory distress syndrome in premature infants (7). During 1991-1997, infant mortality continued to decline primarily because of decreases in sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and other causes.

Although improvements in medical care were the main force for declines in infant mortality during the second half of the century, public health actions played a role. During the 1990s, a greater than 50% decline in SIDS rates (attributed to the recommendation that infants be placed to sleep on their backs) has helped to reduce the overall infant mortality rate (8).

I could go farther into the history of unexplained infant death, but the author's claim that "SIDS was so rare that it wasn't even mentioned in infant mortality statistics" and "Meaning less than 1% of infant deaths were due to an unknown cause" is ... well, the author seems entirely ignorant of the history of childhood death, and how most deaths were not investigated, and the lack of expertise in pathology until the mid-20th century...I'll stop. The author is naïve. Claims #1 and 2 are footling, and let's move on.  THE AUTHOR'S OPINION

Claim #3: DPT, polio, and measles vaccines contributed to the "alarming epidemic of unexplained infant death". Here the author reveals her lack of understanding of epidemiology and statistics. Once fewer infants were dying of vaccine-preventable diseases, the percentage of infant deaths attributable to SIDS would of course go up. Furthermore, whether these vaccines contribute to infant deaths have been investigated.(Among others: 1985: Health impact of measles vaccination in the United States.; 1996: Update: vaccine side effects, adverse reactions, contraindications, and precautions. Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) 1999: The protective effect of immunisation against diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus (DPT) in relation to sudden infant death syndrome. 2003: Survival of previously measles-vaccinated and measles-unvaccinated children in an emergency situation: an unplanned study.). I conclude this claim is THE AUTHOR'S OPINION

Claim #4: SIDS is the number one cause of death in infants in the US ages 28 days to 1 year. This is factually correct, according to Overall Postneonatal Mortality and Rates of SIDS. The authors note SIDS risk factors:

Intrinsic risk presents as biological vulnerability caused by factors with a genetic, developmental, or environmental basis affecting susceptibility to SIDS, including African American race, male gender, preterm birth, and prenatal tobacco or alcohol use, in contrast to an extrinsic physical stressor around the time of death in the vulnerable infant.

Noticeably absent as a risk factor: history of vaccination. Nevertheless, the claim is OBJECTIVE FACT 

Claim #5: Most cases of SIDS occur within 14 days after vaccination.  I have been unable to find any evidence for this claim. However, I did find more than a dozen studies, conducted in many countries, that have failed to establish a causal connection between vaccination and SIDS or SUDC (Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood, covering children from 1 -5 years). Further, from CHOP:

However, since immunizations are given to about 90 percent of children less than 1 year of age, and about 1,600 cases of SIDS occur every year, it would be expected, statistically, that every year about 50 cases of SIDS will occur within 24 hours of receipt of a vaccine. However, because the incidence of SIDS is the same in children who do or do not receive vaccines, we know that SIDS is not caused by vaccines.

In sum, this claim is THE AUTHOR'S OPINION

Claim #6: The USA has the highest rate of infant mortality of any other industrialized country. This is OBJECTIVE FACT , but it doesn't cover much ground, or give much insight into why.

In the 2014 paper, Why Is Infant Mortality Higher In The Us Than In Europe?, the authors found

While the importance of birth weight varies across comparison countries, relative to all comparison countries the US has similar neonatal (<1 month) mortality but higher postneonatal (1-12 months) mortality. We document similar patterns across Census divisions within the US. The postneonatal mortality disadvantage is driven by poor birth outcomes among lower socioeconomic status individuals

The authors do not mention vaccines or immunization at all, let alone as a mortality factor, but do make one policy suggestion:

That said, one policy worth mentioning is home nurse visits. Both Finland and Austria, along with much of the rest of Europe, have policies which bring nurses or other health professionals to visit parents and infants at home. These visits combine well-baby checkups with caregiver advice and support. Notably, in light of our income results, these policies do not focus on alleviating resource constraints per se but rather on providing information and support targeted to mothers and infants. While such small scale programs exist in the US, they are far from universal, although provisions of the Affordable Care Act have expanded them to some extent. Randomized evaluations of such programs in the US have shown evidence of mortality reductions, notably from causes of death we identify as important such as SIDS and accidents (Olds et al. 2007). To the extent that programs of this type are among the few available policy levers that focus on providing support to mothers and infants in the period after they are out of the hospital system, our evidence suggests they may be a clear place for future research.

Claim #7 : The USA gives the most vaccines of any other industrialized country.  This is an easily disproved claim, but oft-repeated. 

 

If you want to see for yourself, there are a wealth of sources: The ECDC, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, publishes helpful comparative schedules at https://vaccine-schedule.ecdc.europa.eu/. The Vaccine Knowledge Project at the University of Oxford has a wealth of resources, including Vaccination schedules in other countries. Pediatrician Vince Ianelli has a very helpful article on national immunization program differences, at Immunization Schedules for Children. The Japanese pediatric schedule is available in English. . The Australian vaccination schedule is available (and recommended vaccines are free). In sum, this item is  THE AUTHOR'S OPINION. 

VERDICT: MIXED, A combination of OBJECTIVE FACT and THE AUTHOR'S OPINION.

Here is the list of claims, with links to the discussion of each claim:

• Bonus: Claim that "I'm doing the research that your pediatrician NEVER had to do."
• #1 Combined doses of Vaccines have NEVER been tested for safety. 
• #2 Vaccine manufacturers have been granted legal immunity from being sued when their products inflict damage. 
• #3 DNA from aborted fetuses is in vaccines.  
• #4 the CDC has been caught destroying and hiding evidence  
• #5 outbreaks occur in populations that are up to 90-99% vaccinated -- herd immunity a myth 
• #6 More people die from the MMR vaccine itself than die of the measles. 
• #7 Peanut allergies were almost unheard of prior to the use of peanut oil in vaccines. 
• #8 Multiple independent studies have shown vaccinated children are more likely to have asthma. 
• #9 Information on vaccines is hidden from parents.
• #10 Vaccine package inserts prove the dangers of vaccines.
• #11 Doctors are bribed to vaccinate
• #12 Vaccine manufacturers and the CDC are only self-regulated
• #13 Doctors are ill-informed about vaccines 
• #14 Vaccines cause SIDS&
• #15 Diseases have been renamed after the introduction of a vaccine. 
• #16 The anti-vaccine movement isn't new  
• #17 All live virus vaccines shed and cause diseases  
• #18 Combining acetaminophen and vaccines is dangerous. 
• Bonus: MTHFR gene variants and vaccination