Vaccine Times: Japan panel finds no link to vaccines, deaths

Vaccine Times found this, which seems to go along with everything that has been said.  Yet another study to add to the pile that already indicates that vaccines are much safer than the alternative.  It IS tragic that there were four (well seven when you add in the Netherlands cases) deaths that were in close proximity to receiving vaccines, and the age would make some sort of statistical anomaly flag go up.  However, as Lisa Simpson is fond of pointing out, correlation is not causation.  I sincerely hope that the anti-vax pro-disease nutters don't start to think this is some sort of conspiracy.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT MSNBC.COM

TOKYO — A panel of experts at Japan’s health ministry found no direct link between vaccines made by Pfizer Inc and Sanofi-Aventis SA and the deaths of children, but said further checks were needed, Kyodo news agency reported on Tuesday.

Japan will keep its suspension on the use of the vaccines that prevent meningitis and pneumonia, a health ministry official said after the safety panel’s meeting, but declined to comment further.

The ministry halted the use of Pfizer’s Prevenar and Sanofi’s ActHIB vaccines in response to the deaths of four children shortly after receiving the vaccines.

U.S. health officials have said they were aware of the deaths in Japan but have not seen any such safety concerns in the United States.

In February last year health authorities in the Netherlands said no relation was found between Prevenar and the deaths of three infants who had received the vaccine.

Three of the children that died in Japan were administered Prevenar together with ActHIB. In addition, three of the children also received a mixed vaccine against diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus on the same day they received the other vaccines.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT MSNBC.COM