Parents Vaccine Concerns in Pediatrics report [Archive]

TanyaL

07-03-10, 11:50 AM

Interesting, and I bet there's a way to get emails when the Journal Pediatrics has a new edition available online. I should do that. They had an older prospective study on pertussis that I found very helpful.

Nothing seemed earth-shattering in it. I was surprised they just looked at MMR, chicken pox, meningococcal and HPV. I guess the newness of meningococcal and HPV (and HPV advertising/legislation went horribly awry in the US), and then chicken pox, which some people (almost wrote many, not sure that's really true anymore) feel is not significantly dangerous, and the controversial MMR.

I was surprised that 11% of parents have declined at least one vaccine for their children. Both mothers and fathers were included in the survey, their survey was 58% female, and many fathers haven't been responsible for taking their kids to a doctor appt where vaccines were discussed. So it may be quite a bit more than 11% of kids who've had their parents decline at least one vaccine. That doesn't bode well for the all-or-nothing, infallible, unchangeable Schedule.

They're going to have a hard time selling the MMR to the people who decline it if 40% of those personally know someone who's had a adverse reaction. And half the people who decline varicella just don't think the vaccine is effective enough. The lack of discussion on those two points was notable.