My 5 year old son was diagnosed at age 22 months. I now have a 2 year old girl. My relatives from Wisconsin sent me an article from the Milwaukee newspaper a while back stating that they were finding evidence of childhood immunizations being a cause for the development of diabetes in children. My daughter still has not had her 12�month shots or any others because I am concerned about the risk. What are your thoughts?

The claim that routine childhood immunisation, more particularly the timing of routine immunisation, plays a role as one of the environmental triggers of Type�1A (autoimmune) diabetes stems primarily from one group in the U.S. It has been however an extraordinarily hard claim to substantiate because of the difficulty in disentangling the stress effect of a mild reaction in inducing the clinical phase from a true cause and effect situation. Some recent specific studies on BCG and H.�Influenza B have failed to establish a relationship and reviews of the possible role of mumps/measles/rubella have likewise failed to confirm an effect. Lastly current large scale surveys like DAISY (Diabetes and other AutoImmune Syndomes in Youth) have so far shown no link. In view of the great public health importance of the childhood immunisation program in the U.S., the CDC (Center for Disease Control) in Atlanta has taken the position that immunisation should not be deferred in the younger siblings of those with this form of diabetes. Some additional comment on this point can be found by searching under ‘immunization’ at this website.

DOB