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| Dr. Noel K. Frizzell, M.D. |
Just this week a couple of high-profile politicians were
weighing in with their thoughts on vaccination.
While they both say they are pro-vaccination, they are also supporting
the parents’ right to refuse vaccine.
These opinions have prompted a huge media discussion of vaccine and
public safety.
I thought this would be a good time to share the thoughts of
the physicians at Pediatric Consultants.
Simply put, we strongly believe that vaccines are safe and necessary. The physicians in our group feel so strongly
on this subject that we have decided that we are unwilling to have patients in
our practice who choose not to vaccinate.
Not vaccinating a child carries significant risks that we are just not
willing to accept.
The recent outbreak of measles shows what can happen if
people make a choice not to vaccinate. Measles
is a serious and preventable disease.
This kind of outbreak does not happen if everyone is properly
vaccinated. It is hard for me to
understand the fears that lead some parents to make a choice and accept these
risks. Here is an interesting and related discussion (five-minute audio) from this morning’s NPR
Morning Edition (follow this link below and then click on play/"Listen to the Story"):
Lastly, we believe parents who choose not to vaccinate can
put other children at risk. Infants,
young children, and immunosuppressed children are at increased risk during an outbreak of preventable infections.
Sincerely,
Noel K. Frizzell, M.D.
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