Dr. Tiffany Kimbrough sheds light on what she shares about vaccines with the families in her care.
Vaccines are critical for keeping kids – and entire communities – healthy.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a routine childhood vaccination schedule to safely protect children from potentially life-threatening conditions and help them grow into healthy adults, but parents sometimes have questions before their infants (or children of any age) are immunized. That’s okay! Pediatricians are prepared to address questions and concerns, whether it’s something you’ve just seen online or that’s been on your mind for quite some time.
Here are the vaccine questions Dr. Kimbrough hears most often.
Do vaccines cause autism?
This has been the most well-studied question, and we can confidently say that there is no link between vaccines and autism. While we have seen the rates of autism increase over the last few decades, this is because the way we diagnose autism has expanded to include more people and ensure that services are available to them. Autism is a highly heritable condition, meaning that it can pass down in families. There likely are other contributing factors we haven’t yet identified but we can rest assured that vaccines are not one of them.
Are the ingredients in vaccines safe? I’ve read about heavy metals like mercury and other additives.
I always like to ask parents if there’s a specific ingredient they’re worried about, and then we can talk in depth about that ingredient and which vaccine may contain it. If there are any health concerns, we discuss those too.
The only vaccine that contains any form of mercury currently is the multi-dose influenza vials. The chemical thimerosal is a preservative used in vials with more than one dose of a vaccine to help keep them stable. Thimerosal contains ethylmercury in a form that has been studied to ensure the dosing is safe for use and readily removed from our bodies.
Does the recommended schedule call for too many vaccines at once?
Parents sometimes worry their children are getting too many vaccines at one time and that our vaccine schedule includes more vaccines today than it did when we were kids. Science has come a long way and our vaccines today are a lot "cleaner" than they used to be.
Antigens are the parts of the vaccines used to help our immune systems form long-lasting memories and build defenses against specific diseases. Even though we’re vaccinating against more diseases today, our immune system is actually being shown fewer antigens than when we were kids because of this improvement in immune science. The recommended vaccine schedule has been developed based on the timing that works best to help build children’s immune systems. These vaccines have all been carefully tested and we know they can be given together safely and effectively.
Our immune system is constantly multitasking. I often share with parents that when our kids lick the floor or put something in their mouths, they’re challenged with many more antigens than those found in vaccines.
Do we really need these vaccines anymore?
Because we have gotten so good at preventing disease through vaccines, it may seem like they aren’t necessary anymore. These diseases still exist in the world and children need vaccines to build and maintain their immunity. With vaccines, we’re trying to prevent illnesses from occurring, the same way we use a car seat to prevent a major injury. Chances are, we won't get into a crash when we drive, but the car seat is our layer of protection against the unpredictability of the world.
If you have vaccine questions specific to your child and family, talk with your pediatrician. They’ll be happy to answer with evidence-based explanations.
Dr. Sean McKenna provides additional vaccine insight, along with a look at some vaccine-preventable conditions.