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While infection is rarely on anyone’s mind now that we have passed through cold and flu season, recent outbreaks of preventable illnesses across the country have continued to highlight the importance of timely and thorough administration of vaccines to both children and adults. Hanover Pediatrics strives to provide the best possible care for your children, and a critical component of this is immunization. While we recognize the natural feelings of concern regarding this practice, it remains the single best tool in the medical arsenal to help prevent infectious diseases.
Controversy surrounding immunization is not new. Reports of complications linked to vaccines have been a part of immunization discussions since before the beginning of large-scale inoculation in this country and abroad. While these stories can be both frightening and suspicious, the truth remains that vaccines are safe and effective. They are clearly superior to natural infection in multiple ways and protective to others in addition to the individual receiving them.
It is useful in any debate to familiarize yourself with both sides of an argument. We have attempted, in this practice, to read as much as we are able regarding anti-vaccination theory, informed often by parental and patient concerns. If you are worried about vaccines, or even adamantly opposed to them, we would encourage you to spend some time studying the rationales for a pro-vaccine stance; even if it does not change your overall opinion.
Vaccination is a social contract. It is an agreement that we have an obligation to protect our fellow citizens and to provide a safe space in which we can co-exist. This freedom tempers the ability to choose what interventions we do or do not choose to have in our children—hence general statutes requiring compulsory immunization. While pediatric offices do not enforce the general statute, it is our responsibility as medical professionals and citizens in a broader community to make sure that patients and families are presented with correct information regarding immunization.
We at Hanover Pediatrics remain committed to an open and honest discussion of all issues facing child health. Given the explosion of access to information over the past two decades, it is critical for patients and their families to have a source of information they can trust. We will continue to attempt to be equal to that task, so that our patients may live their lives fully and safely.
Dr. Hoke Pollock received his medical degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine and has practiced pediatric medicine in Wilmington, NC for over 15 years.
