Immunization Policy
January 29, 2024
Vaccinating children is absolutely the right thing to do!
To Our Patients,
In August of 2008, I implemented a vaccine policy in order to 1) clarify my stance on their benefits and 2) protect my current patient population from unvaccinated or under vaccinated individuals who would create an exposure risk to others within our office. The response was tremendous! Most of our new parents back then clearly “got it.” I have cultivated and vetted a bevy of relevant vaccine websites for our patients. They are in the Immunization Section of our Recommended Links page in the “RESOURCES” tab (to be found on the bocachild.com homepage.) I am happy to discuss vaccines with any of our established patients should there be any questions after reading our Policy Statement below.
Sincerely,
Paul Christakis, MD, FAAP
Christakis Pediatrics’ Vaccine Policy Statement
Vaccines prevent serious illness and save lives.
Vaccines are safe.
Vaccines should be administered to all children and young adults according to the schedule published by the Centers for Disease Control, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Committee on Immunization Practices, except for those with a true medical contraindication or exemption.
Vaccines do not cause autism or other developmental disabilities.
Vaccinating children and young adults may be the single most important health-promoting intervention that we as pediatricians and you as parents can provide to your children.
The recommended vaccines and their schedule are the results of scientific study and data gathering on millions of children by thousands of our brightest scientists and physicians.That being said, I recognize that there has always been and always will be controversy surrounding vaccination. Indeed, Benjamin Franklin, persuaded by his brother, was opposed to the smallpox vaccine until scientific data convinced him otherwise. Tragically, he had delayed inoculating his favorite son Franky, who contracted smallpox and died at the age of 4, leaving Ben with a lifetime of guilt and remorse. Quoting Mr. Franklin’s autobiography:
“In 1736, I lost one of my sons, a fine boy of four years old, by the smallpox…I long regretted bitterly, and still regret that I had not given it to him by inoculation. This I mention for the sake of parents who omit that operation, on the supposition that they should never forgive themselves if a child died under it, my example showing that the regret may be the same either way, and that, therefore, the safer should be chosen.”
The vaccine campaign is truly a victim of its own success. It is precisely because vaccines are so effective at preventing illness that we are even discussing whether or not they should be given. Because of vaccines, many of us parents, doctors and the medical students that we teach, have never seen a child with measles, polio, tetanus, whooping cough, bacterial meningitis or even chickenpox. This kind of success can make us complacent. But such an attitude, if it becomes widespread, can only lead to (and has already led to) tragic results. As a result of under-immunization, there have been outbreaks of diseases like measles and whooping cough, resulting in severe illness and death.
In my view, by not vaccinating a child, parents are taking unfair advantage of thousands of others who do vaccinate their children. This is because of the herd immunity phenomenon. I am making you aware of these facts not to scare you or coerce you. I do however want to emphasize how important it is to me that your child is vaccinated. Certainly there are, in rare circumstances, a true medical contraindication to a specific vaccine. I recognize that the choice may be a very difficult one for some parents. Vaccinating according to the correct schedule is the right thing to do. As far as the COVID-19 vaccine is concerned, it appears to be safe so far, and the benefit to risk ratio is good. Although we do not provide it directly at our office, should you decide to have your child vaccinated, we can help you find a venue to do it.
As a medical professional, I know that vaccinating children with currently available vaccines is absolutely the right thing to do. Thank you for your time in reading this policy, and please feel free to discuss any questions or concerns you may have about vaccines with me.
Sincerely,
Dr. Paul