A: Dear Kelly,In my experience as a pediatrician, I have heard several lines of reasoning concerning the reluctance to vaccinate children. The most prevalent concern is the fear that vaccines can cause autism, neurodevelopment problems, allergies or other autoimmune problems. I have also heard from parents who are worried about “overwhelming” the baby’s immune system with too many vaccines at one time.
In this response, I will spend extra time explaining why I believe that vaccines are really important for children’s health, and that the vaccines are proven to be safe and effective in preventing serious diseases. As a pediatrician, I would never give a vaccine if I believed it would cause harm. As odd as it sounds, there is almost too much information available to parents these days, from thousands of internet sources to printed publications to word-of-mouth from other parents. With so much to digest, it can be hard for parents to understand the whole vaccine debate. Part of the confusion is caused because symptoms of, let’s say autism, begin to show – coincidentally – right around the same time that we normally vaccinate children.
Here is an excerpt from the vaccine policy we give to parents in our practice:
Vaccines are effective, prevent serious illness and save lives. Children and young adults should receive the recommended vaccines according to the schedule published by the Centers for Disease Control and the American Academy of Pediatrics. The recommended vaccines and schedule are the results of years of scientific study and health policy development.
We feel confident in the safety of our vaccines. We recognize there are known possible side effects from some of the vaccines and it is important to discuss these. However, the benefits of vaccinations far outweigh their risks. This is overwhelmingly supported by extensive research. We firmly believe, based on available medical literature and evidence, that vaccines do not cause autism or other developmental disabilities.
The vaccine campaign is truly a victim of its own success. It is precisely because vaccines are so effective at preventing illness that some are even discussing whether or not they should be given. Because of vaccines, many of you have never seen anyone with polio, tetanus, hepatitis, whooping cough, bacterial meningitis or measles. Such success can make us complacent about vaccinating and allows some to focus on the risks rather than the benefits. However, as a group of providers, we have unfortunately seen significant adverse outcomes from these illnesses.
Some parents have approached me with “alternative” vaccine schedules that claim to reduce various risks by “stretching out” the course of the vaccination process. This unfortunately increases the length of time the child is exposed to serious infections. All parents need to know the possible risks involved with vaccinations, most of which are minor, but they also need to realize the benefits that their child is getting. At our practice, we routinely provide parents with forms outlining what each vaccine is for and any possible side effects might occur. These forms can be obtained by going to the website www.cdc.gov.
Here is an interesting link to an article called “The Problem with Dr. Bob’s Alternative Vaccine Schedule,” which was recently printed in the journal “Pediatrics”: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/123/1/e164.
I personally do not recommend any of the alternate schedules being suggested to my parents; I prefer keeping with the schedule outlined by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). If parents hear my recommendation and still want to continue with an alternate schedule, I let them, once I have explained the risks involved and am certain that they understand those risks. I can readily admit that I had no apprehensions about my own daughter getting her vaccines according to the regular schedule.
Nevertheless, it is essential that when I discuss this important topic with my parents, they need to feel comfortable that what I am recommending is the best advice that I can give them. Here are a few more websites to go to for much detailed information:
American Academy of Pediatrics (www.aap.org/healthtopics/immunizations.cfm and www.cispimmunize.org)
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (www.vaccine.chop.edu)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (www.cdc.gov/nip)
Every Child By Two (www.vaccinateyourbaby.org)
Immunization Action Coalition (www.immunize.org)
I hope this has been helpful,
Dr. Bill
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