Northpoint Pediatrics
Why We Vaccinate
- We firmly believe in the effectiveness of vaccines in preventing serious illness and saving lives.
- We firmly believe in the safety of our vaccines.
- We firmly believe that all children and young adults should receive all the recommended vaccines according to the schedule published by the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
- We firmly believe, based on all available literature, evidence, and current studies, that vaccines do not cause autism or other developmental disabilities. We firmly believe that thimerosal, a preservative that has been in vaccines for decades and remains in some vaccines, does not cause autism or other developmental disabilities.
- We firmly believe that vaccinating children and young adults may be the single most important health-promoting intervention we perform as healthcare providers and that you can perform as parents/caregivers. The recommended vaccines and their schedule to be given are the results of years of scientific study and data gathering on millions of children by thousands of our brightest scientists and physicians.
New patients aged newborn through - six months old must start the primary vaccine series no later than the six-month visit to remain as a patient at Northpoint Pediatrics.
We recognize that there is controversy surrounding vaccination. 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 if it becomes widespread, such an attitude can only lead to tragic results.
Over the past several years, many people have chosen not to vaccinate their children with the MMR vaccine after the publication of an unfounded suspicion (later retracted) that the vaccine caused autism. As a result of under-immunization, there have been outbreaks of measles and several deaths from complications of measles in the United States and Europe over the past several years.
We are making you aware of the facts not to scare or coerce you but to emphasize the importance of vaccinating your child. We recognize that the choice may be very emotional for some parents. We will do everything we can to convince you that vaccinating according to the schedule is the right thing to do. However, please discuss these with your primary physician if you have doubts.
Please be advised that delaying or “breaking up the vaccines” to give one or two at a time over two or more visits goes against expert recommendations. This practice can put your child at risk for serious illness (or even death) and goes against our medical advice as providers at Northpoint Pediatrics. We will ask you to complete a “Refusal to Vaccinate” acknowledgment in case of lengthy delays that will be kept in your child’s medical record. Please recognize that not vaccinating puts your child at unnecessary risk for life-threatening illness and disability, and even death.
As medical professionals, we feel very strongly that vaccinating children on schedule with currently available vaccines is the right thing to do for all children and young adults.
