No Evidence Vaccines Cause SIDS
The Claim
Vaccines, including the COVID-19 vaccine, cause sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
News posted on
Emerging story
Some social media users blame vaccines for SIDS, particularly following the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Misbar’s Analysis
SIDS is, by definition, enigmatic. Infants who die from SIDS are diagnosed based on a doctor’s inability to figure out why they died. SIDS most often occurs 2 to 4 months after an infant is born, roughly in the same range as first vaccinations.
However, there is no credible evidence to suggest that vaccines cause SIDS. While SIDS does occur during the same general period as vaccination, correlation is not causation. It’s worth noting that infants are inoculated two months after their birth because the antibodies they inherited from their mother start to decline.
There has been extensive research on the subject and nothing conclusive supports the claim that vaccines cause SIDS. While there are some ways to reduce the chance of SIDS (such as making infants sleep on their backs), there isn’t a clear way to determine how SIDS causes death. Research is ongoing, but following the advice of the CDC and other health organizations has been shown to help as shown by the “back to sleep” campaign.
