We at Westwood-Mansfield Pediatrics firmly believe that immunizations are one of the most important medical breakthroughs of the last century. Vaccines are important for your child. Vaccines save lives.
We are a Pro-Vaccine Practice. We expect parents to immunize their children according to the schedule recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Parents who refuse to vaccinate their children according to the Massachusetts School Immunization Requirements are not a good fit for our practice and will be asked to leave.
The AAP and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) both recommend administering multiple immunizations at each visit and not “splitting” vaccines. Multiple shots and combination vaccines are utilized for three main reasons:
- to provide broad immunologic protection to children when they are young and most vulnerable
- to minimize the absolute number of shots needed
- to minimize the number of office visits, and thus the likelihood of medical error and the cost to the health care system
Administration of simultaneous immunizations has been extensively studied and determined to be safe and efficacious. There is no negative effect on the normal childhood immune system. There is no medical benefit to splitting shots (and there is increased potential for harm by doing so).
We at Westwood-Mansfield Pediatrics strongly support these recommendations. Splitting vaccines leads to medical errors and increases risk to the under-vaccinated child, In addition, it poses a risk to other children in our practice who may come into contact with your child.
Parents who insist on diverging from the recommended vaccine schedule will be asked to sign a waiver stating that they are aware of the potential risks inherent in doing so (including, but not limited to, decreased immunity to potential life-threatening infections), as well as the lack of medical benefit from splitting shots. In addition, the parents will be asked provide (in writing) their proposed vaccine schedule for provider approval. Families who fail to adhere to this alternate schedule (once agreed upon) or parents unwilling to sign the waiver will be asked to leave the practice.
We are happy to provide you with literature and websites on vaccines, as well as to answer any and all questions you may have.
Thank you for entrusting us with the care of your children.
- Westwood-Mansfield Pediatrics
Proactive in Your Child’s Care!
(for more information: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines)
