What has been done to examine the suggested association between hepatitis B vaccine and neurological disorders?
CDC and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) asked the National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine to establish an independent expert committee to review hypotheses about existing and emerging immunization safety concerns. The review will involve an assessment of factors such as the biologic mechanisms of the hypotheses, competing alternative hypotheses, as well as the available scientific evidence to date. In 2002, the IOM reviewed the evidence of a possible causal association between hepatitis B vaccine and demyelinating neurological disorders, including MS in adults. The committee found that the epidemiological evidence does not support a causal relationship between hepatitis B vaccine in adults and multiple sclerosis.
