Clinical Scenario
You are performing a postoperative check on a 1 year-old girl who required myringotomy and ventilating tubes for recurrent episodes of acute otitis media. After you apprise the parents that both tubes are in place and appear to be patent, they look at each other and then ask if you have time to speak with them about another health matter. You, of course, agree. The child’s mother begins to relate their long-time concerns about forthcoming decisions regarding childhood immunizations and the possible risks associated with these vaccines.
Explore this issue:
October 2017They have broached this topic with the child’s pediatrician on several occasions, but the pediatrician was adamant that if their daughter was to be his patient, she would have to be immunized according to the CDC-recommended immunization schedule. They are hopeful that you will be able to give them your viewpoint as a physician with a large number of pediatric patients. You take a moment to reflect on what you know about vaccines and the issue of vaccination hesitancy.
Until the last five years or so, you have taken for granted the fact that an appropriate number of children are being vaccinated according to the recommended vaccination schedule, and that the vaccination rate in your community has been sufficiently high. However, you have heard complaints recently from your pediatrician and family medicine colleagues regarding increasing hesitancy by young parents to allow their children to be vaccinated.