The childhood vaccination program is considered the most important disease prevention strategy benefiting people of all ages. Over the past 100 years, the dramatic decrease in the incidence of each vaccine-preventable disease has been credited with the greatest impact on health and longevity throughout the world. Unfortunately, recent outbreaks of measles, mumps and whooping cough prove that complacency and misinformation leading to vaccine hesitancy or refusal stand in the way of control or elimination of these dreaded diseases.
Physicians and all others involved in healthcare must embrace our role as the expert in conveying compelling evidence-based information in support of childhood vaccinations. There are many great resources available to confirm the safety and effectiveness of vaccines; I like the CHOP Vaccine Education Center (https://www.chop.edu/centers-programs/vaccine-education-center) and the AAP 2018 Red Book section “Discussing Vaccines with Patients and Parents,” pages 7-11 (https://redbook.solutions.aap.org).
Every patient contact is an opportunity to discuss vaccination status and be sure that they are up to date. I encourage parents to ask questions, acknowledging that this is an important responsibility for all of us. If they are unsure, confused or have beliefs that are different from mine, I say “I have some thoughts about that. Is it OK if I share those with you?” I am confident that I am right, but giving parents space to voice their concerns and then provide the science behind childhood vaccination strategies can lead to a fun and fruitful discussion. It is important to point out that routine childhood vaccine products: contain no Mercury; incorporate less aluminum than breast milk; when given all together are less taxing to the immune system than strep throat; will never have safety or effectiveness studied on any alternative schedule; in regard to MMR, the purported connection to autism has been completely debunked. A strong and unwavering recommendation supporting vaccination from the physician is the most effective way to gain immunization acceptance. Following a thoughtful and respectful discussion, I actually have very few parents that will ultimately choose an alternative vaccination course.
Scot B. Moore, MD, FAAP
IU Health Riley Physicians
Chairman of Infection Control, IU Health Bloomington Hospital
Member of AAP Committee on Infectious Diseases (authoring group of the AAP Red Book) Member of AAP Committee on Practice and Ambulatory Medicine
