Vaccine Policy
- We firmly believe in the effectiveness of vaccines to prevent serious illness and to save lives.
- We firmly believe in the safety of our vaccines.
- We firmly believe that all children and young adults should receive all of the recommended vaccines according to the schedule published by the Center of Disease Control 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 vaccinating children and young adults may be the single most important health promoting intervention we perform as health care providers, and that you can perform as parents/caregivers.
- The recommended vaccines and their schedule given are results of years and years of scientific study and data-gathering on millions of children by thousands of our brightest scientists and physicians.
These things being said, we recognize that there has always been and will likely always be controversy surrounding vaccination. Indeed, Benjamin Franklin, persuaded by his brother, was initially opposed to smallpox vaccine until scientific data convinced him otherwise. Tragically, he had delayed inoculating his son Frankie, who contracted smallpox and died at the age of 4, leaving Ben with a lifetime of guilt and remorse. Quoting Mr. Franklin’s autobiography:
In 1736, I lost one of my sons, a fine boy of four years old, by the smallpox…..long regretted bitterly, and still regret that I had not given it to him by inoculation. This I mention for the sake of parents who omit that operation, on the supposition that they should never forgive themselves if a child died under it, my example showing that the regret may be the same either way, and that, therefore, the safer should be chosen.
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 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.
Over the past several years, many people in Europe have chosen not to vaccinate their children with the MMR vaccines after publication of an unfounded suspicion (later retracted) that the vaccine caused autism. As a result of under-utilization of this immunization, there have been small outbreaks of measles and several deaths from complications of measles in Europe over the past several years.
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. However, should you have doubts please discuss these with your health care provider in advance of your visit.
Finally, if you should absolutely refuse to vaccinate your child despite all of our efforts, we will ask you to find another health care provider who shares your views. We do not keep a list of such providers, nor would we recommend any such physician. Please recognize that it is our unanimous belief as medical professionals that by choosing not to vaccinate your child, you may be putting your child at unnecessary risk for life-threatening illness and disability, and even death.
Thank you for your time in reading this policy, and please feel free to discuss any questions or concerns you may have about vaccines with any one of us.
Additional Information
We understand families may have questions or concerns regarding vaccines. We invite you to view the American Academy of Pediatrics and other websites listed below which provide additional information and clear, insightful discussion of many issues surrounding vaccination.
If after reading the publications available through these sites you have additional questions or concerns, please discuss this with your child’s provider. We share your goal to provide the best for your child and protect your child’s health.
- Visit American Academy of Pediatrics Website
- Visit Centers for Disease Control Website
- NH Simplified Immunization Schedule for Birth - 18 yrs