Vaccine Policy
JMA Vaccine Policy
We firmly believe in the effectiveness of vaccines to prevent serious illness and to save lives.
We firmly believe in the safety of our vaccines.
We firmly believe that children and young adults should receive all of the recommended vaccines according to the schedule published by the AAP. These recommendations are based on decades of rigorous scientific research and ongoing data collection involving millions of children and the expertise of thousands of scientists and physicians. When recommendations differ between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the AAP, our practice follows the AAP schedule. We welcome open, respectful conversations during visits and are happy to answer questions so families can better understand how these recommendations support their child's health and well-being.
We firmly believe that vaccinating children and young adults may be the single most important health-promoting intervention we perform as health care providers.
The vaccine campaign is a victim of its own success. It is precisely because vaccines are so effective at preventing illness that we are even discussing whether or not they should be given.
Because of vaccines, many of you have never seen a child with polio, tetanus, whooping cough, bacterial meningitis, or even chicken pox, or known a friend or family member whose child died from one of these diseases. Such success can make us complacent or less concerned about vaccinating. But such an attitude, if it becomes widespread, can only lead to tragic results.
After publication of an unfounded accusation (later retracted) that MMR vaccine caused autism in 1998, many people in Europe chose not to vaccinate their children. As a result, there were large outbreaks of measles, with several deaths from complications from the disease. In 2010, there were more than 3,000 cases of whooping cough in California, with 9 deaths in children under 6 months of age. Many who contracted the illness (and passed it on to infants) had made a conscious decision not to vaccinate.
By not vaccinating your child, you are taking advantage of thousands of others who do vaccinate their children, which decreases the likelihood that your child will contract one of these diseases.
We are making you aware of these facts not to scare you or coerce you, but to emphasize the importance of vaccinating your child. We recognize that the decision regarding how to vaccinate may be a very emotional one for some parents. We will do everything we can to help you understand that vaccinating according to the schedule is the right thing to do. Should you have doubts, please discuss with your health care provider in advance of your visit. Delaying, or “breaking up the vaccines” to give 1 or 2 at a time over 2 or more visits, goes against expert recommendations and has not been studied to be safe or effective. By delaying, you put your child at risk for serious illness (or even death), and goes against what we believe is best practice as medical providers at JMA Pediatrics. In addition, it is against the law in the state of North Carolina not to vaccinate your child with the required vaccines for public school entry/attendance:
- Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus (DTP or DTaP)
- Polio (IPV)
- Hepatitis B
- Pneumococcal conjugate (PCV 15, PCV 20)
- Haemophilus Influenza B (HIB)
- Varicella (chickenpox)
- Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR)
- Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis (TDAP)
- Meningococcal conjugate (MenACWY)
Please see the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Website.
Finally, if you absolutely refuse to vaccinate your child despite all our efforts, we will ask you to find another practice who shares your philosophy. As medical professionals, we feel very strongly that vaccinating children on schedule with currently available vaccines is absolutely the right thing to do for all children and young adults. Again, please feel free to discuss any questions or concerns you may have about vaccines with any one of us.
