Vaccine Policy

Vaccine Policy

Reddy Pediatrics Vaccine Policy
We at Reddy Pediatrics want to provide the very best care to you and your family. Our recommendations are based on well-controlled scientific studies. We follow the guidelines of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).

We firmly believe the following:
  • Vaccines are effective in preventing serious illness.
  • Vaccines save lives.
  • Vaccines are safer today than ever before in history.
  • The benefits to vaccines far outweigh any risks.
  • Vaccinating children may be the single most important intervention we provide in promoting health.
What about the negative information you’ve heard?
  • Suspicion that the MMR vaccine is linked to autism arose from a 1998 paper written by Dr. Andrew Wakefield, who falsified data, failed to disclose receiving money from lawyers, exposed children to unnecessary invasive procedures and harm, and did not use proper scientific method. This paper was later discredited and retracted by The Lancet and all other authors, except Wakefield himself, who lost his license to practice in the United Kingdom.
  • Vaccines do not cause autism. The overwhelming body of medical and scientific evidence now strongly refutes the notion that autism is caused by vaccines. These studies included hundreds of thousands of children, occurred in multiple countries, were well controlled and conducted by multiple investigators.
  • Thimerosal, a preservative routinely used in vaccines before 2001, does not cause autism or other developmental problems.
  • Most current vaccines are in single-dose vials and do not contain any thimerosal or mercury.
  • Babies and children are capable of responding to millions of different viruses and bacteria because they have billions of immunologic cells in their bodies. Therefore, the “foreign” materials in vaccines are much less than what an infant’s immune system successfully encounters and manages every day.
  • The amount of aluminum in vaccines given in the first 6 months of life is less than the aluminum in either breastmilk or formula ingested during that time. Levels of aluminum in the blood of healthy people do not detectably change after vaccines.
  • Like any intervention, vaccines may have side effects. Possible side effects include fever, fussiness, soreness and swelling.
Why is it important to follow the recommended vaccine schedule, even starting at birth?
  • Not vaccinating children has lead to numerous outbreaks. The US declared measles eradicated in the year 2000. In 2013, the US had 11 outbreaks of measles. In 2015 through June 26, there have been 178 cases of measles which started at amusement parks in California.
  • Unfortunately, not all vaccine-preventable diseases have been eradicated. In 2010, there were more than 9000 cases of whooping cough in California alone with 10 deaths in children under 3 months old. In 2012, there were more than 48,000 reported cases of whooping cough in the US (the highest rate reported since 1955).
  • Herd or community immunity (the protection from contagious disease that unvaccinated or susceptible people receive because other people get vaccines) requires a high percentage of the population being vaccinated.
  • The longer your child waits to get the recommended vaccines, the longer he or she is unprotected or underprotected. Many of the vaccines protect against diseases that disproportionately affect children under 2 years old. Waiting could result in your child’s suffering permanent disability or death from a preventable disease.
  • There is NO scientific evidence that spreading out vaccines lowers risks of vaccines or offers any benefit, with one exception: fever after Prevnar 13 and Flu shot in 12 to 23-month-olds.
  • Spreading out vaccines results in more office visits, more days with potential side effects from vaccines, more days of painful shots, and more costly medical care.
What do you do if you still have concerns or questions?
  • Schedule a consultation with your provider to discuss vaccines.
  • We welcome people with questions, who will listen to and consider the information given by the pediatric healthcare provider.
  • Read more about vaccines from reputable, science-based resources:
  • If you choose to decline vaccines for your child or use an alternative schedule, you will need to find a provider who shares your views. Trust and respect of the pediatrician’s expertise is essential to being able to provide the best care for your child.
  • We consider unvaccinated children a danger to our other patients, our staff and the general public.
Thank you for taking the time to read our vaccine policy. We strive to care for your children like they are our own.
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