October 14, 2025 • 12 mins
Vaccines play a critical role in protecting infants and young children from serious illnesses. Despite overwhelming scientific evidence supporting vaccine safety and effectiveness, some parents still have questions or concerns about vaccinating their infants and children. In today’s episode, Dr. Candis Platt-Houston, Pediatrician at MetroHealth, addresses common vaccine misconceptions, discusses the importance of childhood immunizations and explains how vaccines not only protect individual children but also help safeguard entire communities.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey everyone, it's real Welcome back to Mommy Virtue, brought
to you by Metro Health. So of course this is
your village moms and moms to be all the questions,
concerns and just the things that you think about pre
getting pregnant to pregnant to postpartums. So we're going to
address some things that we haven't talked about yet, but
this one's a good one today. It's a big discussion,
(00:22):
especially over the recent years, vaccines for infants and beyond.
Vaccines play a critical role in protecting infants and young
children from serious illnesses, and despite overwhelming scientific evidence supporting
vaccine safety and effectiveness, some parents still have questions and
concerns about vaccinating their infants and children. And in today's episode,
(00:43):
we have doctor Candice Platte, Houston pediatrician at Metro Health,
addressing some of the misconceptions, of course, the importance of
childhood immunizations and explaining how vaccines not only protect individual children,
but also help safeguard entire communities. So let's jump right in.
Thank you for joining us today.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Why are you for having me? I'm great, good, good.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Good, all right, So vaccines, yes, especially, I mean this
is completely separate. But the pandemic, Lord, you cannot say
that word, but we're gonna talk about it today. We're
gonna talk about vaccines and the misinformation in the recent years.
What are some of the biggest myths about childhood vaccines.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
I think one of the biggest myths is that vaccines
we don't need vaccines because we're not seeing those illnesses anymore,
which is true, and that's proof of why they do work.
So most parents and actually most physicians have not seen
some of the illnesses and diseases that the vaccines protect against. Yeah,
(01:45):
and that's because the vaccines actually work to eradicate disease. However,
we are starting to see some diseases re emerge, as
we're seeing the measle swamps, rebella that you've been seeing
in the news, and also protesses, which causes whooping cough.
And that's because other people are coming from other countries
(02:07):
that are not vaccinated, and then we have parents here
in the US that choose not to vaccinate, so those
children are at risk when they're not vaccinating. So the
vaccines work, they stop the disease. When you don't get vaccinated,
we start seeing these diseases re emerged.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Come back. Let's talk about the myth of autism. You
know a lot of parents and people seem to think
that these vaccines are causing autism and children, and that's unfortunate.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
I mean, that is a myth. There are multiple studies
out there that have shown that no vaccine causes autism.
One of the ones that was linked years ago was
the measles, MOUMPS, and rabella. It was shown that that
person who did that research article actually, let's say, fudge
(02:59):
the data, so it was not a true study. And
future studies have shown that no vaccine, including the musle
smile to rebel a vaccine, is linked to autism.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
And these are questions that parents can ask their doctors
if they feel uncomfortable or erect Yes, okay. Why is
it so important for vaccinations in early life?
Speaker 2 (03:22):
So one of the main reasons is that infants, they
don't really have an immune system, so we want to
protect them from some of those illnesses and diseases that
can be life threatening. So it's important to immunize them
early so that their immune system is shown sort of
like a memory of what we want their body to
(03:46):
fight off. So when we vaccinate them. We give them
parts of what we're trying to protect them from so
that their immune system recognizes it as foreign and recognizes
it as something to fight off.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
Gotcha. So that makes sense because some people will say like, oh,
the vaccines are just making you sick, but.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Essentially, right, it's boosting their immune system. So you can
get a fever sometimes some achiness could symptoms depending on
what vaccine you get from the vaccine, but that's just
the vaccine working to boost your immune system. Cool.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
So what is herd immunity and how does it work?
Speaker 2 (04:28):
So herd immunity is sort of the idea that when
we vaccinate enough people, enough people have the defense against
let's say a particular vaccine or a particular i'm sorry
virus or bacteria, so that when enough people in the
community are vaccinated, then that bacteria can't run rampant, let's say.
(04:54):
So it sort of, you know, puts up barriers for
its spreading as widely. It's important too for people who
are immuno compromised, who let's say can't get vaccinated or
young children who can't get vaccinated against certain things. When
we vaccinate enough, then we pet we provide protection for
(05:15):
everyone in the community, gotcha, even for those who may
not get vaccinated.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
Yeah, so it's kind of like a group effort. Absolutely, Yes,
what's the typical schedule? So if you're a new mom
or parent in general, and you're just thinking about like,
oh my gosh, cause okay, I have a friend, I'll
say a friend.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Okay that.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
When you when when they think about vaccinating their children,
they're like, I don't want to put all those shots
in my baby. And I mean, I guess in the
grand scheme of things, when you look at the life
course of a child into adulthood, there probably are a
plethora of vaccines that they should have. Can we talk
about the schedule of what that looks like.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
Absolutely. So typically at birth, when your baby is born,
they offer you the hepatitis B vaccine and that's the
first vaccine that they will get, and if it's RSV season,
they may also offer you the RSV vaccine at that
age group. And then you come to see your doctor
(06:15):
or your provider. At the two month visit, the four
month visit, and the six month visit, we give the
same vaccines and those would include another hepatitis B at
each of those visits, A DETAP, which stands for diptheria tetanus,
and protessis a hemophilous vaccine shortened is hib the new
(06:37):
mocaccle or prevnar vaccine which protects against ammonia in rotavirus,
which protects against a virus that causes diarrhea and can
lead to dehydration. I think I love that polio. So
those are the vaccines that we give at the two,
four and six month Typically at the nine month visit,
(07:00):
your baby has a break and we just make sure
they're healthy, check on their development, catch up any vaccines
that maybe they did not get previously, and then at
their twelve month visit once they turn one, we give
them their measles months rebella which is one injection, they're
vericella or chicken pox which is two injections, and then
(07:21):
their hepatitis A. And then at fifteen months they get
some more of those. So there their DETAP, their HIBS,
so they're basically finishing up their vaccines. We spread them
out a little bit more. By eighteen months you're getting
your second hepatitis A. So our goal was to have
(07:42):
kids vaccinated by the time they're.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
Twocha like fully vaccinated.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Fully vaccinated for that age group. They would then prior
to kindergarten, so somewhere between four and six, we would
give them their booster doses for their measlesumps, rebella, chicken pox,
Holly owned DTaP. So then they get a long break
until they're eleven or twelve, and then they come in
and we offer and recommend the meningitis t DApp and
(08:13):
then the HPB which protects against viruses that can cause
several cancer and then lastly at sixteen, we offer them
the booster to their meningitis.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
Gotcha, and you didn't say this one, but is is
it just because it's not a part of like the
the system of vaccines, but like the flu shot, Yeah,
or something like that.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
So of course we don't wanna forget about the flu shot,
so we're always offering that at ages six months up
through adults, so every flu season, so that one is yearly,
and that's because the flu strand can change every year,
so we do recommend that yearly. We also recommend the
COVID vaccine, which can also be given from ages six
(08:58):
months up through it donts So I just.
Speaker 1 (09:01):
Have a question completely off this card here, But for
everyone watching, and I guess for us too, so like
we I'm pretty sure I know I was vaccinated, when
as a child you might have been vaccinated. So it's like,
why is one of the myths or stigmas that kids
now are they just can't be vaccinated because it's like, oh,
(09:23):
God forbid, you put all these all of what you
said in our bodies, Like we didn't go through that.
So it's like, what is the what separates us from
the kids today? Is there a big difference about what's
being given to them vaccine wise versus what we maybe got.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
No. I think it's just social media and more fear,
more distrust, you know, especially since COVID, we've seen a
lot more people decline multiple vaccines or want an alternative
vaccine schedule. So I think once COVID vaccine, everybody thought, oh,
(10:02):
they're inventing this vaccine that they're injecting into us. So
I think there was a mistrust. I think, you know,
parents start to feel I have more of a choice
versus just feeling like, oh, get your vaccine and I'm
going to trust that. So I think it's just maybe
a trust with the medical community. But they are the
(10:23):
same vaccines. Vaccines have been around for decades and decades
and decades. I was vaccinated, you know. I even have
parents who have vaccinated their younger children and then all
of a sudden don't want to vaccinate their you know,
I'm sorry they're older children, they don't vaccinate the new babies.
But so, you know, I have this conversation a lot.
(10:46):
Sometimes I share a personal story. When I was growing up,
I had an aunt. She actually this was pre vaccine error,
and she got measles and turned into encephalitis, which is
inflammation of the brain. She was three. She never walked
or talked again after that. The measles vaccine, I believe,
(11:09):
came out within the next six months after she had
gotten disease. So I grew up watching my grandparents take
care of her. She's actually why I became a pediatrician.
I couldn't understand why the doctors could not, you know,
cure her. But had the vaccine been available, that wouldn't
happen to her. That's a devastating consequence of not getting vaccinated,
(11:33):
or in her case, the vaccine not being available. But
we don't see that anymore, and people forget about that.
But that's one of the reasons I'm passionate about vaccines
because I watched my grandparents take care of my aunt.
She eventually passed she was eighteen, I was in the
fourth grade, just because you know, she couldn't fight off
(11:55):
infections and things like that. But so sometimes I share
my story with patients just to get them to understand, you,
we don't see that now, but that's what we're trying
to protect your child from.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
Yeah, well, the truth that some people are seeing that
some people are seeing the impact of having an unvaccinated
child or person, you know, to whatever the degree is.
I mean, that is the reality of somebody's situation. So
I one want to thank you for sharing your story
because that's special, especially as to why you're sitting in
your seat that you are and helping people, helping families
(12:28):
keep their families safe, their baby safe.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
So thank you.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
If you have questions about childhood vaccines or you need
to get your child vaccinated and caught up on their immunization,
Metro Health is here to support you with trusted care
and up to date vaccine guidance, So visit metrohealth dot
org slash pediatrics for more information. Are called two one
six seven, seven, eight, twenty two, twenty two to schedule
a pediatrician appointment today. Thank you so much again, I
(12:51):
really appreciate it. Thank you.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
It's fun
Hey everyone, it's real Welcome back to Mommy Virtue, brought
to you by Metro Health. So of course this is
your village moms and moms to be all the questions,
concerns and just the things that you think about pre
getting pregnant to pregnant to postpartums. So we're going to
address some things that we haven't talked about yet, but
this one's a good one today. It's a big discussion,
(00:22):
especially over the recent years, vaccines for infants and beyond.
Vaccines play a critical role in protecting infants and young
children from serious illnesses, and despite overwhelming scientific evidence supporting
vaccine safety and effectiveness, some parents still have questions and
concerns about vaccinating their infants and children. And in today's episode,
(00:43):
we have doctor Candice Platte, Houston pediatrician at Metro Health,
addressing some of the misconceptions, of course, the importance of
childhood immunizations and explaining how vaccines not only protect individual children,
but also help safeguard entire communities. So let's jump right in.
Thank you for joining us today.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Why are you for having me? I'm great, good, good.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Good, all right, So vaccines, yes, especially, I mean this
is completely separate. But the pandemic, Lord, you cannot say
that word, but we're gonna talk about it today. We're
gonna talk about vaccines and the misinformation in the recent years.
What are some of the biggest myths about childhood vaccines.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
I think one of the biggest myths is that vaccines
we don't need vaccines because we're not seeing those illnesses anymore,
which is true, and that's proof of why they do work.
So most parents and actually most physicians have not seen
some of the illnesses and diseases that the vaccines protect against. Yeah,
(01:45):
and that's because the vaccines actually work to eradicate disease. However,
we are starting to see some diseases re emerge, as
we're seeing the measle swamps, rebella that you've been seeing
in the news, and also protesses, which causes whooping cough.
And that's because other people are coming from other countries
(02:07):
that are not vaccinated, and then we have parents here
in the US that choose not to vaccinate, so those
children are at risk when they're not vaccinating. So the
vaccines work, they stop the disease. When you don't get vaccinated,
we start seeing these diseases re emerged.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Come back. Let's talk about the myth of autism. You
know a lot of parents and people seem to think
that these vaccines are causing autism and children, and that's unfortunate.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
I mean, that is a myth. There are multiple studies
out there that have shown that no vaccine causes autism.
One of the ones that was linked years ago was
the measles, MOUMPS, and rabella. It was shown that that
person who did that research article actually, let's say, fudge
(02:59):
the data, so it was not a true study. And
future studies have shown that no vaccine, including the musle
smile to rebel a vaccine, is linked to autism.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
And these are questions that parents can ask their doctors
if they feel uncomfortable or erect Yes, okay. Why is
it so important for vaccinations in early life?
Speaker 2 (03:22):
So one of the main reasons is that infants, they
don't really have an immune system, so we want to
protect them from some of those illnesses and diseases that
can be life threatening. So it's important to immunize them
early so that their immune system is shown sort of
like a memory of what we want their body to
(03:46):
fight off. So when we vaccinate them. We give them
parts of what we're trying to protect them from so
that their immune system recognizes it as foreign and recognizes
it as something to fight off.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
Gotcha. So that makes sense because some people will say like, oh,
the vaccines are just making you sick, but.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Essentially, right, it's boosting their immune system. So you can
get a fever sometimes some achiness could symptoms depending on
what vaccine you get from the vaccine, but that's just
the vaccine working to boost your immune system. Cool.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
So what is herd immunity and how does it work?
Speaker 2 (04:28):
So herd immunity is sort of the idea that when
we vaccinate enough people, enough people have the defense against
let's say a particular vaccine or a particular i'm sorry
virus or bacteria, so that when enough people in the
community are vaccinated, then that bacteria can't run rampant, let's say.
(04:54):
So it sort of, you know, puts up barriers for
its spreading as widely. It's important too for people who
are immuno compromised, who let's say can't get vaccinated or
young children who can't get vaccinated against certain things. When
we vaccinate enough, then we pet we provide protection for
(05:15):
everyone in the community, gotcha, even for those who may
not get vaccinated.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
Yeah, so it's kind of like a group effort. Absolutely, Yes,
what's the typical schedule? So if you're a new mom
or parent in general, and you're just thinking about like,
oh my gosh, cause okay, I have a friend, I'll
say a friend.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Okay that.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
When you when when they think about vaccinating their children,
they're like, I don't want to put all those shots
in my baby. And I mean, I guess in the
grand scheme of things, when you look at the life
course of a child into adulthood, there probably are a
plethora of vaccines that they should have. Can we talk
about the schedule of what that looks like.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
Absolutely. So typically at birth, when your baby is born,
they offer you the hepatitis B vaccine and that's the
first vaccine that they will get, and if it's RSV season,
they may also offer you the RSV vaccine at that
age group. And then you come to see your doctor
(06:15):
or your provider. At the two month visit, the four
month visit, and the six month visit, we give the
same vaccines and those would include another hepatitis B at
each of those visits, A DETAP, which stands for diptheria tetanus,
and protessis a hemophilous vaccine shortened is hib the new
(06:37):
mocaccle or prevnar vaccine which protects against ammonia in rotavirus,
which protects against a virus that causes diarrhea and can
lead to dehydration. I think I love that polio. So
those are the vaccines that we give at the two,
four and six month Typically at the nine month visit,
(07:00):
your baby has a break and we just make sure
they're healthy, check on their development, catch up any vaccines
that maybe they did not get previously, and then at
their twelve month visit once they turn one, we give
them their measles months rebella which is one injection, they're
vericella or chicken pox which is two injections, and then
(07:21):
their hepatitis A. And then at fifteen months they get
some more of those. So there their DETAP, their HIBS,
so they're basically finishing up their vaccines. We spread them
out a little bit more. By eighteen months you're getting
your second hepatitis A. So our goal was to have
(07:42):
kids vaccinated by the time they're.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
Twocha like fully vaccinated.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Fully vaccinated for that age group. They would then prior
to kindergarten, so somewhere between four and six, we would
give them their booster doses for their measlesumps, rebella, chicken pox,
Holly owned DTaP. So then they get a long break
until they're eleven or twelve, and then they come in
and we offer and recommend the meningitis t DApp and
(08:13):
then the HPB which protects against viruses that can cause
several cancer and then lastly at sixteen, we offer them
the booster to their meningitis.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
Gotcha, and you didn't say this one, but is is
it just because it's not a part of like the
the system of vaccines, but like the flu shot, Yeah,
or something like that.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
So of course we don't wanna forget about the flu shot,
so we're always offering that at ages six months up
through adults, so every flu season, so that one is yearly,
and that's because the flu strand can change every year,
so we do recommend that yearly. We also recommend the
COVID vaccine, which can also be given from ages six
(08:58):
months up through it donts So I just.
Speaker 1 (09:01):
Have a question completely off this card here, But for
everyone watching, and I guess for us too, so like
we I'm pretty sure I know I was vaccinated, when
as a child you might have been vaccinated. So it's like,
why is one of the myths or stigmas that kids
now are they just can't be vaccinated because it's like, oh,
(09:23):
God forbid, you put all these all of what you
said in our bodies, Like we didn't go through that.
So it's like, what is the what separates us from
the kids today? Is there a big difference about what's
being given to them vaccine wise versus what we maybe got.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
No. I think it's just social media and more fear,
more distrust, you know, especially since COVID, we've seen a
lot more people decline multiple vaccines or want an alternative
vaccine schedule. So I think once COVID vaccine, everybody thought, oh,
(10:02):
they're inventing this vaccine that they're injecting into us. So
I think there was a mistrust. I think, you know,
parents start to feel I have more of a choice
versus just feeling like, oh, get your vaccine and I'm
going to trust that. So I think it's just maybe
a trust with the medical community. But they are the
(10:23):
same vaccines. Vaccines have been around for decades and decades
and decades. I was vaccinated, you know. I even have
parents who have vaccinated their younger children and then all
of a sudden don't want to vaccinate their you know,
I'm sorry they're older children, they don't vaccinate the new babies.
But so, you know, I have this conversation a lot.
(10:46):
Sometimes I share a personal story. When I was growing up,
I had an aunt. She actually this was pre vaccine error,
and she got measles and turned into encephalitis, which is
inflammation of the brain. She was three. She never walked
or talked again after that. The measles vaccine, I believe,
(11:09):
came out within the next six months after she had
gotten disease. So I grew up watching my grandparents take
care of her. She's actually why I became a pediatrician.
I couldn't understand why the doctors could not, you know,
cure her. But had the vaccine been available, that wouldn't
happen to her. That's a devastating consequence of not getting vaccinated,
(11:33):
or in her case, the vaccine not being available. But
we don't see that anymore, and people forget about that.
But that's one of the reasons I'm passionate about vaccines
because I watched my grandparents take care of my aunt.
She eventually passed she was eighteen, I was in the
fourth grade, just because you know, she couldn't fight off
(11:55):
infections and things like that. But so sometimes I share
my story with patients just to get them to understand, you,
we don't see that now, but that's what we're trying
to protect your child from.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
Yeah, well, the truth that some people are seeing that
some people are seeing the impact of having an unvaccinated
child or person, you know, to whatever the degree is.
I mean, that is the reality of somebody's situation. So
I one want to thank you for sharing your story
because that's special, especially as to why you're sitting in
your seat that you are and helping people, helping families
(12:28):
keep their families safe, their baby safe.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
So thank you.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
If you have questions about childhood vaccines or you need
to get your child vaccinated and caught up on their immunization,
Metro Health is here to support you with trusted care
and up to date vaccine guidance, So visit metrohealth dot
org slash pediatrics for more information. Are called two one
six seven, seven, eight, twenty two, twenty two to schedule
a pediatrician appointment today. Thank you so much again, I
(12:51):
really appreciate it. Thank you.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
It's fun
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