Cambridge, MA 

Lexington, MA 

Hadley, MA 

Bethesda, MD 

Chicago, IL 

Abt Associates Inc. 

Suite 800 North 

4550 Montgomery Avenue 

Bethesda, MD 20814-3343 

The Study of 

Thimerosal and 

Autism 

Documentation and 

Codebook for the 

Child Vaccination 

Histories File: 

September 3, 2010 

Prepared for 

Frank DeStefano 

National Immunization 

Program 

Centers for Disease Control 

and Prevention 

Atlanta, GA 30329 

Prepared by 

Cristofer Price 

Yeqin He 
This documentation was prepared by Cristofer Price and Yeqin He of Abt Associates Inc. 

for the Immunization Safety Office (ISO) of the Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention (CDC) Atlanta, GA 30333. Questions about the documentation, substantive 

questions, or technical issues regarding the data file should be directed to the CDC ISO, 

MS D26, 1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, Georgia 30333 (404-639-8256). 

Suggested Citation for Study of Thimerosal and Autism Public Use Data Set: 

Price, C.S., He, Y. (2010) The Study of Thimerosal and Autism: Data Set 

Documentation. Bethesda MD: Abt Associates, Inc; Prepared for the National 

Immunization Program Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Atlanta, GA 

Abt Associates Inc. 1 
Documentation and Codebook
 

for the
 

Child Vaccination Histories File
 

1. Introduction to the Child Vaccination Histories File............................................... 2
 

2. File Formats and Variable Descriptions................................................................... 4
 

1. Introduction to the Child Vaccination Histories File 

The Child Vaccination Histories File contains the data that were used to construct the 

measures of early childhood (postnatal) exposure to ethylmercury from thimerosalcontaining vaccines and immune globulin preparations received by the study children 

during the age range spanning birth to 20 months. The Child Vaccination Histories File 

is provided with the public use data in order to make the calculation of exposure amounts 

transparent, and so that analysts have the potential to calculate alternative measures of 

exposure1. For a full description of the creation of the measures prenatal exposure to 

ethylmercury from thimerosal-containing vaccines and immune globulin preparations 

received children’s mothers during their pregnancies with the study children, see Section 

7.3 of the Technical Report (Volume 1). 

The Child Vaccination Histories File contains the vaccination histories of the n=1,095 

children in the analysis data set2

. Each row of the Child Vaccination Histories File 

represents a record of a vaccine received on a particular day. Thus, the file has many 

records per child. The file includes each child’s “resolved vaccine history”, and also 

includes the raw, original, non-cleaned vaccine data from each of two data sources. The 

resolved vaccine histories were obtained from cleaning the raw, original data and 

resolving any discrepancies among the two data sources and any discrepancies between 

the records and recommended childhood vaccination schedules. Data cleaning procedures 

are described in Section 7.3 of the Technical Report (Volume 1). 

All previous analyses were, and any future analyses should be based on resolved vaccine 

histories. The raw, non-cleaned records of vaccination receipts are known to contain 

errors. The primary rationale for providing the raw data along with the resolved histories 

is for documentation purposes and transparency. Data users can compare the raw data to 

the resolved vaccine histories to gain a better understanding of the data cleaning process 

1 For example, a future analyst might want to create a measure that cumulate exposure over some time 

period other than the ones used for the current study.

2 See Documentation and Codebook for Main Analysis File 

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that was used, and to make their own judgments as to the appropriateness of the 

techniques. 

The resolved vaccine histories include only vaccine receipts during the age range 

spanning from birth to two years. Although the raw, non-cleaned records include records 

of receipts at older ages, the data cleaning process focused exclusively on receipts that 

occurred between birth and age two-years. Therefore, if any analyses in the future were 

to be based on vaccines received by children older than two years, then the analysts 

would have to clean the raw data using procedures similar to those described Section 7.3 

of the Technical Report (Volume 1). 

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2. File Formats and Variable Descriptions 

The Childhood Vaccination Histories File is provided in three formats: 1) ASCII text format, 2) SAS transport file, and 3) Excel 

spreadsheet. For analysis purposes, the first two formats are recommended. The excel spreadsheet is provided because it is in a 

convenient format for visual inspection of the vaccine histories. There are multiple records per ID on this data set. There are 1,095 

unique ChildIDs in the data set. 

Exhibit 1. 

Variables Included in the Child Vaccination Histories File 

Variable Type Label 

Sourcea 

Med. 

Chrt. 

Comp. 

Aut. Notesb 

childID 

Res_Vacdays1 

Res_VacType 

Res_MFR 

res_year 

MercAmt 

RecptWtKG1 

Amt_wt1 

HepBPolio_R1 

HepBPolio_R2 

DTPHib_R1 

DTPHib_R2 

BadDate 

Lookup 

Ch_VacDays1 

Ch_Vactype 

Ch_VacText 

Ch_Mfr 

Ch_Lot 

Cmptr_VacDays1 

Cmptr_VacType 

Cmptr_VacCode 

Num 

Num 

Char 

Char 

Num 

Num 

Num 

Num 

Num 

Num 

Num 

Num 

Num 

Num 

Num 

Char 

Char 

Char 

Char 

Num 

Char 

Char 

ChildID for Merging Data Sets 

Resolved: Age in days at vac receipt 

Resolved: Type of vaccine received 

Resolved: Vaccine manufacturer 

Resolved: Year Vac Recieved 

Mercury amount (in vac receipt) 

Chld weight in KGs at time of vac receipt 

Merc amount / Weight in KGs at vac receipt 

Cleaning rule: HepB/Polio Rule 1 

Cleaning rule: HepB/Polio Rule 2 

Cleaning rule: DTP - HIB Rule 1 

Cleaning rule: DTP - HIB Rule 2 

Cleaning rule: Bad date 

Cleaning rule: Special case lookup 

Chart: Age in days at vac receipt 

Chart: Type of vaccine received 

Chart: Original text on vaccine type 

Chart: Manufacturer 

Chart: Lot number 

Computer-automated: Age in days at vac receipt 

Computer-automated: Type of vaccine received 

Computer-automated: Vaccine code 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

X 

See Vol 1 Section 7.3.1, Exhibit 7.3.1.1 

See Vol 1 Section 7.3.1, Exhibit 7.3.1.1 

See Vol 1 Section 7.3.1, Exhibit 7.3.1.1 

See Vol 1 Section 7.3.4, Exhibit 7.3.4.1 

See Vol 1 Section 7.3.4, Exhibit 7.3.4.1 

See Vol 1 Section 7.3.3, Exhibit 7.3.3.1 

See Vol 1 Section 7.3.3, Exhibit 7.3.3.1 

See Vol 1 Section 7.3.3, Exhibit 7.3.3.1 

See Vol 1 Section 7.3.3, Exhibit 7.3.3.1 

See Vol 1 Section 7.3.3, Exhibit 7.3.3.1 

See Vol 1 Section 7.3.3, Exhibit 7.3.3.1 

Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) codes for vaccines received. 

Abt Associates Inc. 4 
Exhibit 1.
 

Variables Included in the Child Vaccination Histories File
 

Sourcea 

a 

Variable Type Label Med. 

Chrt. 

Comp. 

Aut. Notesb 

See Exhibit 2, below. 

Cmptr_mfr Char Computer-automated: Manufacturer X 

Cmptr_lot Char Computer-automated: lot number X 

SortDays1 Num Age in days (used to sort file) X X Sort data set by ChildID then Sortdays1 to have most 

useful layout for viewing vaccine history 

Data Source: Medical chart abstraction, or computer automated data set (VSD data).
 b Vol I and section numbers correspond to Technical Report Volumes I (Price et al, 2009), which is included with this data set.
 

Abt Associates Inc. 5 
Exhibit 2 

Codes Used in Computer-automated Data Set to Indicate Vaccine Type 

Code Vaccine Type 

1 01=diphtheria tetanus toxoids and pertussis 

2 02=poliovirus , live, oral 

3 03=measles mumps and rubella virus 

4 04=measles and rubella virus 

5 05=measles virus 

6 06=rubella virus 

7 07=mumps virus 

8 08=hepatitis B , pediatric or pediatric/adolescent dosage 

9 09=tetanus and diphtheria toxoids, adsorbedfor adult use 

10 10=poliovirus , inactivated 

11 11=pertussis 

13 13=tetanus immune globulin 

14 14=immune globulin, NOS 

15 15=influenza virus , split virus (incl. purified surface antigen) 

16 16=influenza virus , whole virus 

17 17=Hib, conjugate NOS 

18 18=rabies , for intramuscular injection 

20 20=DTaP (diphth., tet. andacel. pert.) 

21 21=varicella virus 

22 22 = DTP-Hib 

23 23=plague 

25 25=typhoid , live, oral 

28 28 = DT (peds) (diphtheria and tetanus) 

30 30=hepatitis B immune globulin 

31 31=hepatitis A , pediatric dosage, NOS 

32 32=meningococcal polysaccharide (MPSV4) 

33 33=pneumococcal polysaccharide 

34 34=rabies immune globulin 

35 35=tetanus toxoid, adsorbed 

36 36=varicella zoster immune globulin 

37 37=yellow fever 

38 38=rubella and mumps virus 

39 39=Japanese encephalitis 

40 40=rabies , for intradermal injection 

41 41=typhoid , parenteral, other than acetone-killed, dried 

42 42=hepatitis B , adolescent/high riskinfant dosage 

43 43=hepatitis B , adult dosage 

44 44=hepatitis B , dialysis patient dosage 

45 45=hepatitis B , NOS 

46 46=Hib, PRP-D conjugate 

47 47=Hib, HbOC conjugate 

48 48=Hib, PRP-T conjugate 

49 49=Hib, PRP-OMP conjugate 

51 51=Hib, conjugate and Hepatitis B 

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Exhibit 2 

Codes Used in Computer-automated Data Set to Indicate Vaccine Type 

Code Vaccine Type 

52 52=hepatitis A , adult dosage 

53 53=typhoid , parenteral, acetone-killed,dried (U.S. military) 

57 57=hantavirus 

58 58=hepatitis C 

59 59=hepatitis E 

60 60=herpes simplex virus, type 2 

61 61=human immunodeficiency virus 

62 62=human papilloma virus , quadrivalent 

63 63=Junin virus 

64 64=leishmaniasis 

65 65=leprosy 

66 66=Lyme disease 

67 67=malaria 

68 68=melanoma 

69 69=parainfluenza-3 virus 

70 70=Q fever 

71 71=respiratory syncytial virus immune globulin, intravenous 

72 72=rheumatic fever 

73 73=Rift Valley fever 

74 74=rotavirus, live, tetravalent 

75 75=vaccinia (smallpox) 

76 76=Staphylococcus bacteriophage lysate 

77 77=tick-borne encephalitis 

78 78=tularemia 

79 79=vaccinia immune globulin 

80 80=Venezuelan equine encephalitis,live, attenuated 

81 81=Venezuelan equine encephalitis, inactivated 

83 83=hepatitis A , pediatric/adolescent dosage,2 dose schedule 

83R 83R = HepA 

84 84=hepatitis A , pediatric/adolescent dosage,3 dose schedule 

85 85=hepatitis A , NOS 

86 86=immune globulin, intramuscular 

87 87=immune globulin, intravenous 

88 88=influenza virus , NOS 

89 89=poliovirus , NOS 

90 90=rabies , NOS 

91 91=typhoid , NOS 

92 92=Venezuelan equine encephalitis , NOS 

93 93=respiratory syncytial virus monoclonal antibody (palivizumab), intramuscular 

94 94=measles, mumps, rubella, andvaricella virus 

99 99=RESERVED - do not use 

100 100=pneumococcal conjugate , polyvalent 

101 101=typhoid Vi capsular polysaccharide 

102 102=DTP- Haemophilus influenzaetype b conjugate and hepatitis b 

103 103=meningococcal C conjugate 

104 104=hepatitis A and hepatitis B 

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Exhibit 2 

Codes Used in Computer-automated Data Set to Indicate Vaccine Type 

Code Vaccine Type 

105 105=vaccinia (smallpox) , diluted 

108 108=meningococcal , NOS 

109 109=pneumococcal , NOS 

110 110 = DTaP-Hep B-IPV (DTaP hep poliov) 

111 111=influenza virus , live, attenuated,for intranasal use 

112 112=tetanus toxoid, NOS 

113 113=tetanus and diphtheria toxoids,adsorbed, preservative free, for adult use 

114 114=meningococcal polysaccharide (groupsA, C, Y and W-135) diphtheria toxoidconjugate (MCV4) 

115 115=tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis , adsorbed 

116 116=rotavirus, live, pentavalent 

117 117=varicella zoster immune globulin (Investigational New Drug) 

118 118=human papilloma virus , bivalent 

119 119=rotavirus, live, monovalent 

121 121=zoster vaccine, live 

122 122=rotavirus, NOS 

998 998=no administered 

999 999=unknown or immune globulin 

HBP HBP = Hib polysaccharide 

MM MM = Measles/Mumps 

DHB DHB = DTaP-HepB 

X02 X02 = Experimental DTaP (Acelimune) (ug=25) 

X03 X03 = Experimental EXPHDTP (hemoB,DTP) (ug=25) 

X10 X10 = Experimental Meningicoccal (ug=0) 

Codes obtained from: VSD Dynamic Data File (DDF) Dictionary Vaccine Safety Data Link Project (Revision date: 8-3-2006) 

Abt Associates Inc. 8