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.
For the parent that wants all the answers in one place. My favourite stop is CHOP: https://www.chop.edu/centers-programs/vaccine-education-center
Is vaccine hesitancy new?
No, as long as there have been vaccines, there has been fear of them, dating all the way back to the first smallpox vaccine which came from cowpox (cow in latin is vaccus, which is where “vaccine” comes from!) Dr. Edward Jenner developed the first vaccine in the 18th century, and faced fear even in those days. He ran the world’s first free vaccination clinic in his garden until the end of his life which he dubbed “Temple of Vaccinia” that can still be visited to this day in Berkely, England.
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 Since I added it to my list, it’s gone behind a paywall. Literally, anything by Dr. Hotez is well worth a read. You can also follow him on social media. You can also try: https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/scientist-stop-measles-texas/ or a bit drier: https://www.csis.org/analysis/preventing-next-pandemic-conversation-peter-j-hotez. If you are science-minded, a quick search in PubMed; he’s a prolific contributor.
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? We discussed this in yesterday’s Blog post 23/5/2019!
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
More details and click to order on Amazon: https://amzn.to/31t7mQK
Bad Advice (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 Grimes)
If you follow me, 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
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