Multiple vaccinations and the risk of medically attended fever

Abstract

Recent increases in the number of vaccinations recommended for infants have triggered concerns about the safety of multiple vaccinations. This study evaluated rates of medically attended fever after infant vaccination using computerized data from 1991 to 2000 from two large U.S. provider groups. The rate of medically attended fever within 7 days after vaccination was low (6.4 per 1000 vaccination visits) and did not increase during the decade. Higher rates of fever occurred during periods when a third dose of oral polio vaccine was used (1994–1995) and when a now-discontinued oral rotavirus vaccine was used (1998–1999). These findings offer reassurance that the multiple vaccinations introduced during the decade studied were not associated with increases in medically attended fever.