The authors had previously hypothesized that the whole cell DTP shot increased mortality in vaccinated girls but not in boys. The CDC had reviewed the studies and did not agree.
The authors again reviewed the studies specifically considering children given the DTP vaccine after the BCG shot and excluding those children who had received the shots at the same time, those with a frailty bias, and those who had received vitamin A at birth.
They concluded that their hypotheses were confirmed in the studies that fulfilled pre-specified criteria.
