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High-Risk Subgroups for Vaccine-Injury PDF Print E-mail


There are many subgroups that are at greater risk of vaccine-injury than the general population, such as:

  • Premature birth or low birth-weight
  • Sibling or parent with Type 1 diabetes
  • Family History of Certain Autoimmune disorders
  • Vitamin D Deficiency
  • Sibling or parent with Asthma
  • Poor immune function
  • Moderate or severe illness
  • Mitochondrial Disease

For details about each of these risks, and ways to reduce the risk see the following chart:

Theoretical High Risk Subgroups: Basis for this theory: Hypothetical ways to reduce the risk for these subgroups:
Premature birth or low birth-weight This primate study found that, “vaccinating premature and/or low birth weight infants may create especially high risk [of developmental delays ].”
Premature birth is associated with many risk factors including a higher risk of autism .
Aluminum causes developmental delays in premature babies , and some vaccines contain aluminum; including the vaccine that is given to all newborns to prevent the sexually transmitted disease Hepatitis B.
Delay vaccines by how many weeks the baby was early, and stop routine universal Hep B vaccination of newborns. Most babies do not need this high risk vaccine. The exception here is babies whose mothers who are Hepatitis B positive. Those babies should be given this vaccine as soon as possible due to the severity of the disease and their high risk of catching it during the delivery process.
Sibling or parent with Type 1 diabetes Dr. Classen’s study found a high risk in this genetically susceptible subgroup for vaccine induced diabetes following Hib, Whole Cell Pertussis, MMR, and OPV vaccination.
Another study also found that the Hepatitis B vaccine appears to be linked to type 1 diabetes.
Perhaps only get the IPV and DtaP vaccines. Polio and Pertussis are worth preventing and Dr. Classen’s study did not show that these 2 vaccines increased the risk of diabetes.
Family History of Certain Autoimmune disorders Several autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes have been associated with the HLA-DR4 serotype.
HLA-DR4 has also been linked to a higher rate of vaccine injury and autism.
Animal studies have shown that autoimmune diseases can be triggered by viruses, aluminum hydroxide, and thimerosal in groups that are genetically susceptible for developing autoimmune diseases. Vaccines contain all three of those potential triggers, and there is evidence that autism might also be an autoimmune disease of some type.  Moreover, studies have also shown that this same subgroup tends to be a non-responder to certain vaccines.

For more information, see:

* Auto-immune diseases: vaccines as a possible trigger

* Potential genetic marker for susceptibility to vaccine-injury

* Could Autism be an auto-immune disease?

Several studies have confirmed an association between a family history of certain autoimmune diseases and autism.
Research needs to be done to see if this subgroup is more susceptible to vaccine injury than the general population. Moreover, studies have also shown that this same subgroup tends to be a nonresponder to certain vaccines and aren’t gaining the intended benefit of immunity. So a vaccine exemption for this group may be warranted since they have a high risk of injury and a low potential for receiving any benefit from vaccination.
Thankfully, this subgroup of the population is small enough that not vaccinating them will not hurt herd immunity. Autoimmune diseases affect 5-8% of the population, and herd immunity for most diseases only requires a 90% vaccination rate. And if this group isn’t developing immunity from the vaccines they do get, then not vaccinating them would have zero effect on the status quo of herd immunity.
Vitamin D Deficiency Vitamin D deficiency “is present in up to 50% of young adults and apparently healthy children.
Rickets has been on the rise in infants.
A vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of certain autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis.
Additionally, an association of thin bones (which can be caused by a vitamin D deficiency) has been observed in children with autism.
Delay vaccinations until the vitamin D deficiency has been corrected.
Sibling or parent with Asthma The CDC found that the Hepatitis B vaccine is associated with a 20% increased risk of developing asthma.
And another large study found that earlier vaccination causes asthma.
However, delaying vaccination by just a few months appears to significantly reduce the risk of vaccine-induced asthma.
If possible, avoid the Hep B vaccine, and delay the child’s first vaccine until 5 months old.
More information about vaccine-induced asthma can be read here:
Poor immune function The NY Bureau of Immunization warns that “Virus replication after administration of live, attenuated-virus vaccines can be enhanced in severely immunocompromised persons. In general, these patients should not be administered live vaccines
A perfect example of this risk is that the Rotavirus vaccine (which is intended to prevent a virus that causes diarrhea) is actually causing chronic diarrhea and failure to thrive in some children: “Rotavirus Vaccine Induced Diarrhea In Child With Severe Combined Immune Deficiency
The NY Bureau of Immunization also states that although “Killed or inactivated vaccines do not represent a danger to immunocompromised” people, their antibody production is “suboptimal ”.
Children with a history of chronic infections should be evaluated for an immune deficiency.If a deficiency is found, it should be corrected prior to vaccination — both to prevent vaccine injury AND to improve the odds of the patient producing good antibodies in response to the vaccines.



Moderate or severe illness According to the CDC:
“ Children with minor illnesses, such as a cold, may be vaccinated. But children who are moderately or severely ill should usually wait until they recover before getting DTaP vaccine.” And they include this warning for all vaccines.
Children who are moderately to severely ill should wait to be vaccinated.
Mitochondrial Defects
Hannah Poling, who had an underlying mitochondrial disorder, regressed into autism after receiving 9 vaccines in one day.
On March 29, Gerberding told CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta that, “If a child was immunized, got a fever, had other complications from the vaccines, and (is) pre-disposed with the mitochondrial disorder, it can certainly set off some damage…. Some of these symptoms can be symptoms that have characteristics of autism. I think we have to have an open mind about this.”
Don’t give so many vaccines at one time. This can be accomplished by spacing out the important vaccines and eliminating those of lesser importance.