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NEW YORK, Dec 15, 2003 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- Doctors say U.S. parents seem more concerned about vaccine safety than in the past, according to a new survey.
Four out of five doctors surveyed in 2000 reported at least one instance of parents refusing to have a child vaccinated during the previous year, the new study said. More than two-thirds of those doctors said parents showed more concern regarding vaccine safety than in earlier years.
Researchers Gary L. Freed of the University of Michigan and colleagues from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed data from a survey of 743 physicians. Their findings appear in the January issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Freed says parents' most common fears focused on short-term reactions to the shots and pain from multiple injections. The doctors surveyed said that parents were also concerned about immune system effects, long-term serious complications, and the overall need for vaccines.
Copyright 2003 by United Press International.
