Once-rare diseases such as measles and whooping cough are making a comeback, and the biggest culprit is the decreasing percentage of children who are vaccinated, says ER physician Dr. Travis Stork.
Dr. Freda Lewis-Hall, chief medical officer of Pfizer, joins The Doctors to help reassure a mother that vaccines are safe and will help protect her child.
Stephany’s 3-year-old daughter, Leah, is current on her vaccinations but will require booster shots when she turns 4. Stephany worries that the number of shots could be overwhelming for her daughter.
Dr. Lewis-Hall assures Stephany there’s ample evidence to support the current recommended vaccination schedule. She explains that the recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offer protections against 14 diseases in children in as few as seven visits to the doctor’s office before the age of 2.
“That’s a period that they are at such high risk, and they can kind of catch anything from anywhere,” Dr. Lewis-Hall says.
Dr. Lewis-Hall explains that the timing of immunizations is important because the schedule is designed to protect children when they are most vulnerable and to work with their developing immune systems.
See the CDC's recommended vaccination schedule for children up to 6 years old below. For more information on vaccines, visit cdc.gov and gethealthystayhealthy.com.
Sponsored in part by Pfizer.
