When it comes to questions about vaccinations, Dr. Ira LaVoe has a simple message for parents. “I tell them I’m giving them the same shots I’ve given my own children,’” says the Broomall-based pediatrician, who has three daughters ages 19, 22 and 24. “I wouldn’t give anything to their children that I wouldn’t give to mine.”
Over the past decade or so, vaccine skepticism has ramped up considerably thanks, in large part, to social media. There’s the assertion that vaccines can cause autism, a claim that’s been debunked multiple times—and that Covid shots may be detrimental. Most recently, the rise in measles cases among unvaccinated patients in the Southwest has healthcare providers on alert nationwide. It’s led LaVoe to be more blunt than ever at his practice.
“There’s been an alarming uptick in vaccine hesitancy,” he says. “I do my best to partner with children’s families to explain why they need vaccines. Most of our patients are in the demographic that chooses to vaccinate. Our policy is not to judge or criticize, but if they’re not interested, I tell them, we’re likely not the [pediatric] group for them.”
For decades, parents wouldn’t hesitate to inoculate their kids against serious, sometimes deadly diseases like polio, rubella, mumps and measles. These days, physicians are finding themselves on the defensive. “Since the pandemic, we’ve seen an increase in parents with skepticism and worries about vaccines,” says Dr. Katie Lockwood, a pediatrician with Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Some of that reluctance emerged from the pushback on Covid vaccination mandates and current populist theories that people can fight historically dangerous diseases without being inoculated. “There’s a combination of things at work, but the main driving factor is social media.” says Dr. John Pappas of Nemours Children’s Health. “There’s a lot of fear-mongering and fake information being spread.”
The trend hasn’t been limited to infants and small children. Some parents of adolescents have been wary of the HPV vaccine, a two-dose series first administered before age 15 that protects against cervical and other cancers in women. Some parents worry that vaccinating preteens will encourage sexual activity. As it turns out, the HPV vaccine is most effective when administered early. “Research shows that the earlier you get it, the more immunity it provides,” Pappas says.
Another vaccine for older kids fights bacterial meningitis—and many area schools and colleges are requiring it for students. “For some, HPV seems to be less of a threat to children, but HPV is a quite common disease,” Lockwood says. “You’re more likely to get HPV than meningitis.”
Lockwood isn’t interested in spreading rumors and disinformation about vaccines, so she won’t get into the specific arguments she hears from parents. Instead, she relies on evidence and the historical effectiveness of vaccinations. “We’re educating people based on science,” she says.
But even parents who vaccinate their children don’t always follow established protocols. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend several vaccines at various stages of a child’s life. From birth to 15 months, that means shots for rotavirus, hepatitis B, measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis and polio, among others.
From 18 months to 18 years, kids should get second, third and fourth doses of the aforementioned vaccines (and others), along with HPV and meningitis. Parents who take a pick-and-choose approach or create their own schedules can hurt the efficacy of the immunizations. “Something like rotavirus is the most dangerous and deadly disease in the first stages of life,” says Dr. Joseph Gwiszcz, chief of pediatrics at Lankenau Medical Center. “You can’t play catch-up on that vaccine.”
Though he knows disinformation will continue to spread, Gwiszcz remains focused and optimistic. “The hospital systems are making sure the correct information is available,” he says. “It gives me hope that we’ll get through, as long as we keep up the fight to get the correct information out there and keep the safety of children in our sights.”
