Here’s the thing. The feelings and worries invoked by my non-existent peanut allergy are not so different from the fears and worries that vaccine-hesitant parents face. What if my child has a vaccine allergy? What if she develops autism because of that MMR shot? What if she develops a neurological disorder because I chose to give her that pertussis shot? The “what-ifs” go on and on. Celebrities like Jenny McCarthy tell you that her only son went from normally-developing to having autism, seemingly overnight, after receiving his vaccines. Other parents – even some physicians — tell you that vaccines are laden with mercury and other toxins and that your baby’s body cannot handle all those shots. What if you poison your child? When the apparent risks of vaccines are so public, and the diseases they protect against are often distant memories, it’s understandable why some parents hesitate. The fear of “what if” is just so powerful. But like my peanut allergy, the fears of the vaccine-hesitant parent are misplaced. Science simply does not back up the most common fears vaccine-hesitant parents have. MMR does not cause autism. It is safe, and sound medicine, to give your baby all the recommended shots at the recommended time. The diseases your child is being vaccinated against can be terrible. This is accurate. It is scientific. It is based in reality. thevaccineadvocate/2014/07/08/peanut-allergy-empathy-for-the-vaccine-hesitant/
Posted on: Mon, 14 Jul 2014 06:26:39 +0000
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