Should I Have My Child Immunized?
If you’re asking this question, you care about your child’s health — and that’s the right starting point. Vaccines are one of the most studied, most monitored, and most effective medical interventions in the history of medicine. Here’s what the evidence shows.
What Vaccines Do
Vaccines train the immune system to recognize and fight specific pathogens without the harm of the actual disease. They work through two mechanisms: direct protection of the vaccinated individual, and community (herd) immunity — the protective effect that occurs when enough of a population is immunized that a pathogen can’t spread easily, protecting those who can’t be vaccinated (newborns, immunocompromised individuals).
The Safety Record
Vaccines approved for use in the U.S. have undergone rigorous clinical trials involving tens of thousands of participants before approval. After approval, they are monitored continuously through multiple safety surveillance systems (VAERS, VSD, PRISM). The adverse events that are real and documented are well-understood and far less harmful than the diseases they prevent.
The claim linking the MMR vaccine to autism has been thoroughly and repeatedly investigated by independent researchers worldwide, and has been definitively disproven. The original study was retracted and its author lost his medical license.
What Happens When Vaccination Rates Drop
The consequences of declining vaccination rates are measurable. Measles — eliminated in the U.S. in 2000 — has returned in communities with low vaccination rates. Whooping cough (pertussis) outbreaks now occur regularly and are most dangerous for unvaccinated infants too young for the full schedule.
We Welcome Your Questions
Nevada Pediatric Specialists follows the CDC and AAP recommended vaccine schedule. We believe in informed decision-making and are happy to discuss any specific concerns you have about individual vaccines. Our providers are glad to take the time to walk through the evidence with you.Questions about vaccines? Call (702) 457-5437 to speak with our team, or visit our vaccines and immunizations page.
