Vaccines are becoming controversial, but we shouldn't get to the point where healthcare providers are not 'promoting' health. It's one thing to tell a patient about a vaccine that could be helpful, while explaining the side effects, and it's another thing to totally be silent about health promotion. Vaccines still have more benefits than side effects, and it's important to explain everything involved, and then allow the patient to choose whether to accept it or not. Not everybody is enlightened about the shots and I think we shouldn't keep shut on it.
Yes, medical practices should keep promoting vaccination. Vaccines still prevent severe illness, hospital stays, and death. That is true no matter how loud the debate gets. The risk of skipping shots is highest in early life. Infants have mature immune defenses. When coverage drops, measles comes back with pneumonia and brain swelling, pertussis causes apnea, Hib and pneumococcus can lead to meningitis and sepsis, polio can paralyze, and so on. These aren't mild childhood illnesses. They hit hardest in the first years, and the damage can be lifelong. How to talk about it in the clinic, easy, simple, and human. Give the why in one line, the when in another, and what side effects to expect without minimizing concerns. If a family declines, don't shame; document, offer printed info, and revisit at the next visit. Very important to catch up whenever you can. Recommending vaccines is part of good primary care. It protects the youngest when they're most vulnerable. Julio Baute, MD Clinical Content & Evidence-Based Medicine Consultant invigormedical.com