Karla Soares-Weiser

It is perhaps predictable that in an era characterized by a growing expectation that health decisions should be evidence-based, fake news is, as the Merriam Webster dictionary says, “having a bit of a moment”. At a time when clinicians, policy-makers and consumers are increasingly looking for evidence to support their decisions about health, this “false, often sensational, information” is all around us and it is becoming increasingly unclear what information can be trusted.

Conclusions  Evidence suggests that receipt of BCG and MCV reduce overall mortality by more than would be expected through their effects on the diseases they prevent, and receipt of DTP may be associated with an increase in all cause mortality. Although efforts should be made to ensure that all children are immunised on schedule with BCG, DTP, and MCV, randomised trials are needed to compare the effects of different sequences. Results  Results from 34 birth cohorts were identified.