Should you vaccinate your children?
A resounding yes from our providers
Endeavor Health Medical Group's Pediatrics and Family Medicine Departments supports the use of vaccinations in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC)
U.S. childhood immunization schedule. Here’s why.
1. Vaccines do not cause autism.
A now-retracted British study that linked autism to childhood vaccines was an "elaborate fraud" that has done long-lasting damage to public health according to the British Journal of Medicine. Dr. Andrew Wakefield, misrepresented or altered the medical histories of all 12 of the patients whose cases formed the basis of the 1998 study.
2. When it comes to prevention, time is everything.
Those most vulnerable to potentially life-threatening diseases include the elderly, those with weakened immune systems and infants and young children.
“We understand that some parents may want to wait, but vaccinating on time, according to the
CDC guidelines is the safest approach to prevention,” said Andrea Ryan, CPNP, a certified pediatric nurse practitioner with Endeavor Health Medical Group.
3. Vaccinations don’t give you the virus.
Some vaccines contain live viruses, but they are so weak that they do not typically cause an illness. Per the CDC, the general rule is the more similar a vaccine is to the disease-causing form of the organism, the better the immune response to the vaccine. Some vaccines contain an inactive or “dead” version of the virus, and those with live cultures have been scientifically modified to avoid contraction while helping your child fight off these diseases in the future.
4. Time has proven that vaccinations work.
All vaccinations have a different level of success, but they are by and large effective. To see studies proving this, you can visit the
Centers of Disease Control and Prevention or the
American Academy of Pediatrics.
5. Vaccinating your children is a social responsibility.
There are some people who cannot receive certain vaccinations, such as certain cancer patients and newborn babies. Vaccinating your child can help prevent the likelihood of unvaccinated individual’s contracting these dangerous viruses.
“The reason that some diseases are no longer a common occurrence is because the vaccine is doing its job,” said Andrea Ryan, CPNP.
Andrea Ryan, CPNP, is a certified pediatric nurse practitioner with Endeavor Health Medical Group. Her clinical interests include asthma and developmental milestones.
To schedule an appointment with a Endeavor Health Medical Group pediatrician or family medicine provider, please call
773-878-3627.
By David Modica | Published August 30, 2017
