I’m an internist…not a pediatrician…but am very much pro vaccine. Because I’m pro-science. And I’m pro-people-not-dying-of-preventable-stuff. It’s kinda why I became a doctor, ya know?
Myths I would like to debunk: I do not get paid for vaccinating people. I do not get paid directly by any pharmaceutical company, period. PERIOD. When you hear that doctors get “paid” for vaccinations, what really happens is they may get value-based bonuses on whether or not they are able to vaccinate a certain percentage of their population. Because vaccinations save lives. And it’s a public health issue.
NEWS FLASH!! This does not come from the pharmaceutical company. It either comes from our EMPLOYER who ALREADY PAYS US, and who are actually paying FOR the vaccine or from your INSURANCE COMPANY, who AGAIN, is ALREADY PAYING US, and actually pays FOR the vaccine.
Second NEWS FLASH, very few offices make money on vaccines. Many offices actually LOSE money on providing the service of vaccinating their patients, but they still do so, because they find it so IMPORTANT.
My kids are being vaccinated on schedule. ON. SCHEDULE. Many of the things out against vaccines were debunked a while ago, but for some reason, continue to spread and cause fear in well-meaning parents. What we SHOULD be afraid of is the diseases that these vaccines protect against…most of which caused death and permanent harm to children when they were widespread.
So, how do they work? Why are we putting the illness, or something like the illness in you in order to prevent the illness? So glad you asked! This infographic explains it quite well, and you’ll find a link to the full blog post.
So basically, it’s like training for a marathon. The first time you do it, you don’t have the muscles and your body isn’t fast enough. But once your body’s been introduced to it, it’s faster, and ready to go.
So what about boosters? These are vaccines where your body doesn’t mount a complete response the first time. It needs more practice.
Well why do some people still catch, say, the flu, even though they get the flu shot? You guys ask great questions! Sometimes, the virus that causes the illness is faster than our bodies ability to fight it off, and we still get sick. This doesn’t mean the vaccines was useless. We still typically don’t get as sick as we would have if we were completely naïve to the virus.
And what do we mean when we say it’s a public health issue? Well, there’s the whole issue of herd immunity. There will always be people who can not be vaccinated for one reason or another, or simply won’t respond to the vaccine. Herd immunity, or the fact that most people are immune and won’t catch the illness, so won’t spread the illness, protects these people. See the image below.
The below article is long, but if you are seriously wondering about why physicians would recommend we inoculate our bodies with a form of the illness to prevent the illness, below is why, and why the schedule may seem intense. If you are as concerned about your health and your child’s health as I know you are, it’s totally worth the read.
Protect yourselves, your children, and our population, and get vaccinated!