This post is an archived compilation of a series of posts from that have discussed parental questions regarding vaccines.  In the wake of the pandemic, medical misinformation has increased.  We have seen the rise of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles and whooping cough, and it is important to remember that these are not harmless childhood diseases.  Vaccines are victims of their own success – we have forgotten polio lockdowns of the 1950’s or children who lost hearing or vision as a complication from these viruses. 

Recommended reading for the Vaccine Hesitant Parent

It’s okay if you are vaccine hesistant.  But just don’t hesitate.  Get correct information from trusted resources and make an informed decision with your GP or PHN.   I have a very strong opinion on vaccines, as do all competent health care professionals and savvy parents: Get them.

I welcome any and all discussions with vaccine-hesitant parents on the social media platform. You have the right to make an informed decision, based on real information. Your children and our communities deserve nothing less.

If you want to do your own research, double-check your sources.  Talk to your GP, PHN, or midwife.  I’ve provided a starting list below of reputable sources you can trust below, written in every-day language.

Excellent writing by Dr. Hotez, author, vaccine expert, and father to Rachel, who has autism:  https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/09/opinion/vaccine-hesitancy.html

Get straight facts, separating fact from fiction, regarding vaccines and risks:   https://www.aafp.org/afp/2017/0615/p786.pdf

The dangers of the Anti-Vaccination movement:  https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/19/opinion/vaccines-public-health.html

Understanding “herd immunity”:  https://www.theguardian.com/society/ng-interactive/2015/feb/05/-sp-watch-how-measles-outbreak-spreads-when-kids-get-vaccinated

Wonderful writing on how vaccinations themselves have reduced fear of the diseases by creator of the rotavirus vaccine:  https://www.philly.com/health/measles-outbreak-washington-vaccine-20190211.html?__vfz=medium%3Dsharebar

Understanding more on the benefits of the MMR vaccine:  https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2015/05/07/404963436/scientists-crack-a-50-year-old-mystery-about-the-measles-vaccine

Why would you vaccinate a baby for Hepatitis B?  I don’t always agree with naturopathic doctors (don’t go to recognised medical school), but this one really nails it. Great writing!  https://ndsforvaccines.com/newborn-hepatitis-b-vaccine-baby-scandalous/

Perspective from Children of Anti-Vaxxers:  https://www.newsweek.com/measles-outbreak-children-anti-vaxxers-asking-how-get-vaccinated-without-1314428

Why that story shared on your mammy-group FB page might not be trust-worthy:  https://www.fastcompany.com/90301427/a-shockingly-large-majority-of-health-news-shared-on-facebook-is-fake

Why everyday smart people fall victim to online conspiracies.  Great writing and easy reading by a professor of psychiatry:  https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psych-unseen/201902/antivaxxers-and-the-plague-science-denial

Delayed or alternative vaccination schedules aren’t really recommended. What should you know or think about before discussing it with your GP?

Recommended Book Reading?  Start with your local library or you can order on Amazon.

Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel’s Autism: My Journey as a Vaccine Scientist, Pediatrician, and Autism Dad by Prof. Peter Hotez.  

More details and click to order on Amazon:   https://amzn.to/31t7mQK Honestly, I’d recommend reading anything by Prof. Hotez. Amazing scientist and human.

Bad Advice: Or Why Celebrities, Politicians, and Activists Aren’t Your Best Source of Health Information

(by creator of your baby’s rotavirus vaccine, Dr. Paul Offit)

More details and click to order on Amazon:   https://amzn.to/2YVH6gb

The Irrational Ape: Why Flawed Logic Puts us all at Risk and How Critical Thinking Can Save the World by Irish author Dr. David Robert Grime)

If you follow me from the beginning, you know I went to this book launch and have thoroughly enjoyed this book. I cannot recommend it enough. He takes on what you should now about critically thinking through misinformation, urban myth, and pseudoscience.  Wonderfully entertaining.      https://amzn.to/2H1VKfU