Early diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccination associated with higher female mortality and no difference in male mortality/ Arch Disease Childhood

Peter Aaby's group from Statens Serum Institute, Denmark, has been studying the effects of many vaccines in African children for many years.  The group has found some similar results in the past.  The fact that they continue to see the same effect (huge increases in death rates in young vaccinated female infants, increases not seen in unvaccinated females) is extremely troubling, and calls into question the rationale for early female DPT vaccinations in countries with already high mortality rates.

From the original article:  Early diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccination associated with higher female mortality and no difference in male mortality in a cohort of low birthweight children: an observational study within a randomised trial:

What is already known on this topic

• ▶ Live vaccines such as measles vaccine and Bacille Calmette-Guerin have non-specific beneficial effects in areas with high mortality.
• ▶ Previous studies from several low-income African countries have suggested that inactivated vaccines, including diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP), may have non-specific negative effects for survival of girls.
• ▶ WHO sponsored studies which have found a beneficial effect of DTP have major methodological problems.

What this study adds

• ▶ Adjusted for nutritional status, DTP vaccinated children, particularly girls, had threefold higher mortality between 2 and 6 months of age.

• ▶ Nutritional status was a strong predictor of mortality among boys but not girls.

• ▶ There is a continuing contradiction between studies of DTP from low-income countries and current policy.

  
  "Adjusting for mid upper arm circumference (a surrogate measure of nutritional status), the overall effect for DTP vaccinated children was 2.62 (95% CI 1.34 to 5.09); the death rate ratio was 5.68 (95% CI 1.83 to 17.7) for girls and 1.29 (95% CI 0.56 to 2.97) for boys (p=0.023, homogeneity test). While anthropometric indices were a strong predictor of mortality among boys, there was little or no association for girls."
  
  [If these adjustments are accurate, it seems both girls and boys died at higher than expected rates.--Nass]