IMMUNIZATIONS

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 you have never seen a child with polio, tetanus, whooping cough, bacterial meningitis, or even chickenpox, or have known a friend or family member whose child died of one of these diseases. Such success can make us complacent or even lazy about vaccinating.

But such an attitude, if it becomes widespread, can only lead to tragic results. After the publication of an unfounded accusation (later retracted) that MMR vaccine caused autism in 1998, many Europeans chose not to vaccinate their children. As a result of under-immunization, Europe experienced large outbreaks of measles, with several deaths from disease complications. In 2012, there were more than 48,000 cases of pertussis (whooping cough) in the United States, resulting in 22 deaths. Most victims were infants younger than six months of age. Many children who contracted the illness had parents who made a conscious decision not to vaccinate. In 2015, there was a measles outbreak in Disneyland, California (probably started by an infected park visitor who had traveled from the Philippines). The outbreak eventually spread to 147 people and, again, many were too young to have been vaccinated. When you don’t vaccinate, you take a significant risk with your child’s health and the health of others around them.

We are making you aware of these facts not to scare you or coerce you, but to emphasize the importance of vaccinating your child. We recognize that the choice may be a very emotional one for some parents. We will do everything we can to partner with you and inform you that vaccinating according to the schedule is the right thing to do. However, should you have doubts, please discuss these with your healthcare provider in advance of your visit. In some cases, we may alter the schedule to accommodate parental concerns or reservations. Please be advised, however, that delaying or “breaking up the vaccines” to give one or two at a time over two or more visits goes against expert recommendations and can put your child at risk for serious illness (or even death) and may result in additional visits. Such additional visits will require additional co-pays on your part. Please realize that you will also be required to sign a “Refusal to Vaccinate” acknowledgment in the event of a refusal of any recommended vaccine(s).

Because we are committed to protecting the health of your children through vaccination, we highly encourage all our patients to be vaccinated. However, if parents wish to modify the schedule, it is recommended that all eligible infants have vaccines initiated by their 4-month well-child appointment with additional routine vaccines as well as booster doses by two years of age. Children should receive additional recommended booster doses by the time they are seven years old and should be given recommended 11–12-year preteen vaccinations by the time they are 13 years old. We recommend completion of 16-year, teen, vaccinations before each child’s 17th birthday.

Parents and guardians who desire a modified vaccination schedule or who choose not to vaccinate will be required to complete a vaccine refusal form at each appointment where a vaccine is routinely recommended.

As medical professionals, we feel very strongly that vaccinating eligible children on schedule with currently available vaccines is the right thing to do to protect all children and young adults. Thank you for taking the time to read this policy. In fact, ALL Trifecta Medical Group providers and staff have fully vaccinated our own children. We believe that for our families, the risks of vaccine-preventable illnesses far outweigh the risks of vaccination. Please feel free to discuss any questions or concerns you may have about vaccines with any one of us.