Daily HealthBeat Tip

Safe shots

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Giving kids vaccines to guard them against disease is one of the great medical miracles. Kids no longer get sick from diseases that once could have made them very sick or even killed them.

Of course, parents have the right to ask questions about their kids' medical care, and some ask whether the mercury-containing vaccine preservative thimerosol can be linked with autism. Experts who've looked into this say parents needn't worry.

Dr. Peter Hotez of the George Washington University has a daughter with autism:

"One thing that we are totally confident about is that Rachel's autism had absolutely nothing to do with the vaccines that she received. Even if we could turn back the clock and do it all over again, I can honestly say that we would still give Rachel her full complement of pediatric vaccines." (16 seconds)

Parents should be sure to protect their kids' health by getting them vaccinated.

Learn more at www.hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: September 1, 2005

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