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Science 31 July 1998:
Vol. 281. no. 5377, pp. 630 - 631
DOI: 10.1126/science.281.5377.630
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News Focus

IMMUNOLOGY:
A Shadow Falls on Hepatitis B Vaccination Effort

Eliot Marshall

In the 1980s, public health officials in Europe and the United States mandated hepatitis B immunization of adults in high-risk categories, such as health care workers, and, in 1991, all newborns. Critics are now blaming the widely used vaccine for many ills, including autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis. To back up their claims, they mainly cite anecdotes and a theory of molecular mimicry, similar to one proposed for Lyme disease arthritis (see pp. 631 and 703)--but scant data. Vaccine safety officials interviewed by Science say they've seen no evidence that autoimmune diseases are appearing at a higher rate among vaccinated people. Nevertheless, several groups are seeking compensation from governments and manufacturers or demanding an end to mandatory vaccination.

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Severe necrotizing pancreatitis following combined hepatitis A and B vaccination.
E. Shlomovitz, W. Davies, E. Cairns, W. C. Brintnell, M. Goldszmidt, and G. K. Dresser (2007)
Can. Med. Assoc. J. 176, 339-342
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Does the hepatitis B vaccine cause multiple sclerosis?.
R. T. Naismith and A. H. Cross (2004)
Neurology 63, 772-773
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No Evidence of Autoimmunity in 6-Year-Old Children Immunized at Birth With Recombinant Hepatitis B Vaccine.
C. Belloni, M. A. Avanzini, A. De Silvestri, M. Martinetti, A. Pasi, E. Coslovich, M. Autelli, M. L. Masanti, M. Cuccia, C. Tinelli, et al. (2002)
Pediatrics 110, e4-4
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Hepatitis B Vaccination and the Risk of Multiple Sclerosis.
A. Ascherio, S. M. Zhang, M. A. Hernan, M. J. Olek, P. M. Coplan, K. Brodovicz, and A. M. Walker (2001)
N. Engl. J. Med. 344, 327-332
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
The Risk of Vaccination -- The Importance of "Negative" Studies.
B. G. Gellin and W. Schaffner (2001)
N. Engl. J. Med. 344, 372-373
   Full Text »    PDF »


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