Infant mortality rates regressed against number of vaccine doses routinely given: Is there a biochemical or synergistic toxicity?

Neil Z Miller and Gary S Goldman

Human and Experimental Toxicology
000(00) 1–9
ª The Author(s) 2011
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DOI: 10.1177/0960327111407644
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The infant mortality rate (IMR) is one of the most important indicators of the socio-economic well-being and
public health conditions of a country. The US childhood immunization schedule specifies 26 vaccine doses for
infants aged less than 1 year—the most in the world—yet 33 nations have lower IMRs. Using linear regression,
the immunization schedules of these 34 nations were examined and a correlation coefficient of r ¼ 0.70
(p < 0.0001) was found between IMRs and the number of vaccine doses routinely given to infants. Nations were
also grouped into five different vaccine dose ranges: 12–14, 15–17, 18–20, 21–23, and 24–26. The mean IMRs of
all nations within each group were then calculated. Linear regression analysis of unweighted mean IMRs
showed a high statistically significant correlation between increasing number of vaccine doses and increasing
infant mortality rates, with r ¼ 0.992 (p ¼ 0.0009). Using the Tukey-Kramer test, statistically significant differ-
ences in mean IMRs were found between nations giving 12–14 vaccine doses and those giving 21–23, and 24–26
doses. A closer inspection of correlations between vaccine doses, biochemical or synergistic toxicity, and IMRs
is essential.

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Original version at: http://het.sagepub.com/content/early/2011/05/04/0960327111407644.full.pdf+html