Vaccine combination leads to fevers, more ER visits for babies

From the University of Florida research shows that babies who received a new shot that mixes five vaccines into one at the same time they were given two other standard shots visited the emergency room, underwent blood tests and were treated with antibiotics more often than other babies, the researchers write in the current issue of The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. “Reducing the number of shots is wonderful, but it just happens that when you combine it with two other shots also routinely given, there is an increased risk of fever,� said Dr. Lindsay A. Thompson, a UF assistant professor of pediatrics and the study’s lead author. “This study shows that beyond the important safety and efficacy studies the FDA requires there are often unintended consequences when you apply any new technology to the real-life Petri dish.�