Source: National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID) — Content from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (public domain).
Key points * SIDS is the sudden, unexpected death of a baby younger than 1 year of age that doesn’t have a known cause even after a complete investigation. * Multiple research studies and safety reviews have found that vaccines do not cause and are not linked to SIDS. Overview Babies receive multiple vaccines when they are between 2 to 4 months old. This age range is also the peak age for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). The timing of the 2 month and 4 month shots and SIDS has led some people to question whether they might be related. However, studies have found that vaccines do not cause and are not linked to SIDS. Multiple research studies and safety reviews have looked at possible links between vaccines and SIDS. The evidence accumulated over many years do not show any links between childhood immunization and SIDS. Steps you can take Fact Placing healthy babies on their backs to sleep reduces the risk of SIDS. In 1992, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that healthy babies be placed on their backs to sleep. That recommendation, along with the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development’s 1994 “Back-to-Sleep” campaign (now known as the Safe to Sleep® campaign), encouraged caregivers to place infants on their backs to sleep, and coincided with a dramatic reduction in the SIDS rate in the United States. See the latest recommendations on a safe infant sleep environment from the American Academy of Pediatrics. Also, research has found the rate of SIDS declined dramatically following the 1994 “Back-to-Sleep” campaign, and then stabilized in the 2000s at a time when the number of infant immunizations was increasing. The findings provide strong evidence that immunization is not linked to SIDS. See the published article on SIDS rates. Keep Reading: Parents and Caregivers What CDC is doing Fact CDC and FDA closely monitor the safety of all vaccines. CDC and FDA are committed to monitoring the safety of vaccines. Once vaccines are licensed or authorized by FDA for use in the United States, CDC, FDA, and other federal agencies work together to monitor them using several safety systems. Keep Reading: About CDC’s Vaccine Safety Monitoring Program