As a pediatrician, I feel a strong sense of responsibility to educate parents on the importance of vaccinations. Vaccines are one of the most effective tools we have to protect children from dangerous and potentially deadly diseases. Unfortunately, there is a growing movement of anti-vaxxers who are spreading false information and creating doubt in parents’ minds about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines.
It is my duty to speak out against these anti-vaxxers and raise awareness about the dangers they pose to public health. Vaccines have been proven time and again to be safe and effective in preventing disease, so it is important that we get as many people vaccinated as possible in order to protect our communities from preventable illnesses.
If you need another voice of reason download this pdf fro the CDC.
Be aware that if you choose to not vaccinate your kid:
- Any vaccine-preventable disease can strike at any time in the U.S. because all of these diseases still circulate either in the U.S. or elsewhere in the world.
- Sometimes vaccine-preventable diseases cause outbreaks, that is, clusters of cases in a given area.
- Some of the vaccine-preventable diseases that still circulate in the U.S. include whooping cough, chickenpox, Hib (a cause of meningitis), and influenza. These diseases, as well as the other vaccine-preventable diseases, can range from mild to severe and life-threatening. In most cases, there is no way to know beforehand if a child will get a mild or serious case.
- For some diseases, one case is enough to cause concern in a community. An example is measles, which is one of the most contagious diseases known. This disease spreads quickly among people who are not immune.
