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Ironically, the success of vaccination has led to a decreased perception of disease risk. Many parents and even providers have not personally seen the devastating effects of communicable diseases that childhood vaccines pre- vent. In January 2015, a large, multistate outbreak of measles was linked to Disneyland in California. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) believes the outbreak started with an overseas traveler who visited the park while contagious. That one case led to more than 180 new cases, with most new cases occurring in unvaccinated indi- viduals, some living in communities with a vaccination rate lower than 50 percent. Many parents last year were alarmed about the risk of contracting Ebola. In re- ality, the greatest concern was flu, which causes anywhere from 3,000 to 49,000 deaths per year, according to the CDC. Many parents have the following ques- tions and concerns about vaccinations.
Is it dangerous to have so many shots on the schedule? The CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommend vaccina- tion for 16 diseases during childhood. Providers use combination vaccines
as much as possible to reduce the num- ber of needle sticks, but your child may get as many as six vaccines in a single visit. Many long-term studies show this is a safe practice.
Aren’t dangerous chemicals and preservatives in some vaccines? Thimerosal is a mercury preservative that was used in very small amounts in some vaccines. Although there were
Ready, Set, Grow
The CDC and
AAP recommend vaccination for 16 diseases during childhood
never any proven adverse effects, in 1999 the AAP recommended its removal as a precaution. By 2001, it had been removed from almost all vaccinations. Some people believe thimerosal use contributed to developing autism, but since its removal autism rates have not decreased.
Hasn’t the MMR vaccine been linked to autism? Dozens of international studies have disproved this theory. The AAP and the Institute of Medicine have formed panels of independent scientists to investigate, and all concluded there is no causal link. The physician who initially hypothesized this link in 1998 was convicted by the British General Medical Council on more than three dozen charges, including four counts of dishonesty. The British Medical Journal has since noted that elements of the study were blatantly falsified. Experts believe autism is a genetic disorder that occurs before birth, but research is ongoing.
Is a flu shot really necessary? Many parents believe flu is a common, harmless illness. In reality, influenza is a serious, deadly disease, causing an aver- age of 36,000 deaths and 200,000 hospi- talizations each year in the U.S. Children
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