October 16, 2025 • 22 mins
Many parents have questions about childhood vaccines and how the recommended schedule helps protect their children’s health. In this episode, pediatric experts Jennifer Rubner and Dr. Elizabeth Reece discuss how vaccines work, why timing matters, and what parents can expect at each stage of the schedule.
They explain how vaccines help prevent illnesses such as pertussis, polio, pneumococcus, and rotavirus, and share insights about how preventive options for RSV are helping protect infants. The conversation also covers common parent questions about vaccine timing, side effects, and what to do if your child has missed a visit.
Our guests provide helpful, easy-to-understand information drawn from current pediatric guidelines and trusted resources such as the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics’ HealthyChildren.org.
Tune in to learn more about how vaccines fit into children’s overall wellness and how to make informed decisions that support your family’s health.
Thank you for listening to the MedLink Georgia Podcast. New episodes feature conversations with providers, leaders, and community partners who are working to improve access to quality, compassionate care.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:02):
Welcome back to the MedLink Health Connections
podcast.
I'm your host, Tangela, andtoday we're going to be
discussing a topic that manyparents have questions about
children's vaccines and how theyhelp protect kids from illness.
Vaccines play an important rolein children's health, and it's
natural for parents to want tounderstand more about them.
Joining me today are two of ourpediatric providers, Jennifer
(00:24):
Rubner and Dr.
Elizabeth Reese from our MedLinkBanks and MedLink Danielsville
offices.
They'll walk us through thebasics, answer some common
questions, and share helpfulinformation for parents making
decisions about their child'scare.
Thank you both so much forjoining me today.
Thanks for having us.
So let's kind of start off withsome of the basics.
Why are vaccines such animportant part of children's
(00:45):
health?
SPEAKER_02 (00:47):
Well, vaccinations protect our children against
serious diseases like measles,whooping cough, polio, tetanus,
hepatitis, chickenpox,influenza, and more.
They won't protect kids from allminor illnesses, but they can
prevent many serious diseases.
SPEAKER_00 (01:10):
Okay.
Can you kind of explain howvaccines work in simple terms
for parents who may beunfamiliar?
SPEAKER_02 (01:19):
Sure.
By presenting through thevaccine parts of the protein
that our bodies can recognize ofthese serious illnesses, that's
through an injection that thechild gets.
SPEAKER_00 (02:17):
Okay.
And you kind of covered some ofthem before, but what are some
of the most important vaccineschildren should receive in their
early years?
SPEAKER_02 (02:27):
So when they come in for their two, four, and six
month checkups, routinelythey're getting one is called a
DTAP that protects againstdiphtheria.
It's something we really don'tsee much anymore, but our
concern is we might start to seeit if we aren't immunizing.
If it looks like a horrible sorethroat, but also produces a
(02:49):
mucus that can actually blockthe child's airway and can be a
cause of them almost suffocatingon the um secretions that their
body is producing.
And then there's tetanus.
(03:16):
That in adults can cause a coughthat lasts over a hundred days,
is kind of the way they used todescribe it.
But in a baby, can cause suchrespiratory distress that often
they have to be hospitalized forsupportive care.
And these also, there's notreally any real treatment for a
lot of what we give.
Many of these are viralinfections, and that's another
(03:37):
reason why we recommend gettingvaccinated.
We protect against polio.
Um, we Jen and I were justtalking about that.
There's the last person that wason an iron lung for supportive
care for polio just recentlypassed away.
And we really don't want to eversee that come back again as we
go through.
That was considered gone in theUnited States, but we hope that
(04:00):
it stays that way.
Um, and then um also protectagainst um um a bacteria that
can cause meningitis in babies,and then a different kind of
bacteria called pneumococcusthat can cause pneumonia in
meningitis in babies.
So all not super commoninfections, but again, things
that can be devastating, causingchildren to be either
(04:22):
hospitalized and in some caseseven passed away because of
these illnesses.
SPEAKER_01 (04:26):
And also the um rotavirus is given at two and
four months.
And that vaccine, that virusused to cause such um horrible
diarrhea in infants that theywould be hospitalized for
dehydration.
And if the parents didn'trecognize the symptoms, they
could also pass away.
SPEAKER_02 (04:43):
Wow.
And the nice things is thatthese have been so successful in
abolishing a lot of thesediseases that I think a lot of
times we don't really even thinkabout them because we haven't
seen them in so long.
Um, you know, I very rarely seenatural chickenpox, which is a
good thing.
Um, and we sometimes think, whyprotect against chickenpox?
(05:04):
But uh we always kind of say Jenand I on this side of the fence
um have unfortunately seen kidsin the hospital that have had
meningitis or um serioussecondary skin infections after
chicken pox.
So a lot of these are toprevent, again, you know, these
more serious uh complicationsthat can occur.
SPEAKER_00 (05:24):
Okay, and how do vaccines kind of help protect
not only the child but also thecommunity?
SPEAKER_02 (05:31):
So that's um a term called herd immunity, which is
if your baby, say, is a monthold and they aren't old enough
to get these vaccinations, um,and you've got older kids, two
months and above, and they'regetting vaccinated for these,
the idea is that if they're notcarrying those germs, then they
(05:51):
won't pass it to a child who'snot able to be vaccinated, be it
because of their age thatthey're just not due for that
vaccine vaccine yet, or becauseum maybe they have an immune
complication where they cannotget those vaccinations.
Um, kids who are undergoing likecancer chemotherapy, certain
vaccines they're not allowed tohave until they're done with
that treatment.
(06:11):
So you're trying to protecteverybody else by getting your
kids protected because there'sless of that illness going
around.
unknown (06:17):
Okay.
SPEAKER_01 (06:18):
You're also protecting some of the older
adults who they're no longerhave the immunity has waned over
time.
Um, so if they're a high-riskadult with a low immune system,
same type of issue with cancerpatients or just an older adult,
um, they're they may not beimmune to these uh vaccines
anymore.
So you're also protecting them.
SPEAKER_00 (06:38):
Okay.
So I'm sure that you have youguys have many questions asked
daily.
Um so many parents do havequestions when it comes to
vaccines.
What are some of the most commonconcerns you hear in your
everyday life?
SPEAKER_01 (06:54):
Um, I think some of the most common is they just
feel that the infants are tooyoung to receive that many, um,
that they don't um, like Dr.
Reese was saying, we don't seethese illnesses, so they don't
see the need for the vaccinebecause they don't see the
prevalence of the illnessongoing now.
Um they're not thinking that ifwe stop doing these and have
(07:16):
very low vaccine rates, thatthese illnesses will return
quite quickly.
Um that that hesitancy is just,I think, a generalized
misunderstanding of thevaccines.
Um, the misunderstanding theythink that these are new and and
that we're we're doing newthings for their children or
(07:37):
giving them too too many.
Um, but really these the onesthat are tried and true and on
the CDC schedule have beenaround for a very long time.
Um, they've gone throughmultiple peer review processes,
they've gone through changes.
Um, you know, one of the bestexamples I can give you for even
the measles vaccine, um, whichis a two-part vaccine, you get
(07:59):
one, um, your first one at one,and you get your second one on
the schedule now at four as abooster.
And it's a very good vaccine.
It gives you about a 98%protective against measles.
Well, they found out, and I'mgonna age myself here, they
found out about 30 years agowhen they were only giving the
one that their the teenagegroup's immunity waned, and so
(08:19):
they started to add in thatsecond one.
Um, so I got my second measleswhen I was 15.
That was 30 years ago.
So people aren't thinking like,oh, the this is you know, this
is new, it's only been aroundfor so no, no, no, they just
added a second one to theschedule 30 years ago.
That's not even talking abouthow old the vaccine itself is.
So these these tried and true,they're not old and new and and
(08:42):
and they're you know monitoredfor safety and really they
they're they're important and wewant to see the kids healthy, is
why we do them.
SPEAKER_02 (08:51):
The other thing that I think a lot of parents will
say, well, that one wasn'taround, and like rotavirus
wasn't around.
I mean, it's now it's been 20plus years, but um we actually
give less um when you'rethinking about what we present
to the immune system, there'sactually less now because they
we used to give what were calledwhole cell vaccines.
(09:11):
So that you gave more to theimmune system, there was more
chance of getting a fever ormore of a reaction to it, you
know, as you go through.
Now they can take the tiny partfrom the germ that we want to
present to the immune system,and because the science is so
good to be able to do that, wecan actually cover for more
diseases and give lessimmunogenic compounds to the
(09:32):
immune system.
So they we actually see lessside effects, I would tell you,
more than more.
Um, it's very rare to even see achild get a fever.
We instruct the parents to giveTylenol just for comfort because
they had to get you knowinjections into their legs,
arms, but um, but typically itit you're not even seeing them
get a fever.
That's not as common.
About 95% of kids don't even getthat.
SPEAKER_01 (09:56):
And really, and that's the most common side
effects.
People are very worried aboutside effects of vaccines or or
damaging side effects, and andthey're not as prevalent as
people think.
There is a reporting system thatyou can do if somebody does have
a um a true reaction, but truereactions and vaccines are so,
so rare.
Um, it's just not something thatyou see that puts them in the
(10:19):
hospital for having a vaccinereaction as people would think.
SPEAKER_00 (10:23):
Okay, so some parents feel overwhelmed by the
number of vaccines that childrenhave to receive.
What do you say to those whowant to delay or spread them
out?
Or even have concerns about howmany it is?
Sure.
SPEAKER_02 (10:37):
Well, the what I had explained about the whole cell
versus the the the lessimmunogenic.
So really we're giving lesscontent than we used to, um, and
therefore we have less reaction.
The second is that the way thatthe vaccines are scheduled is
really to protect againstcertain illnesses that will
cause harm to the child at thattime.
(10:58):
We'll take protestis, forexample.
So protestis in an adult is isannoying.
It's a pesky cough that's goingto last for a long time, but
it's the babies that are gonnasuffer to have respiratory
distress and sometimesrespiratory failure and have to
go in the hospital because ofthat fact because of that germ.
So you're trying to protect themat the age where they're most
vulnerable, and then a boosteris they get a little bit older,
(11:20):
so that we're keeping that fromspreading to other children.
Um, something like um rotavirusis not typically given to
adults.
We're going to give that to kidsbecause of their small body
size, that they have a higher umchance of being becoming
dehydrated from the vomiting anddiarrhea that goes on.
And they do studies that showlike that that vaccine was
(11:42):
actually developed where I wentto medical school and it's
caused a 40% reduction in kidsthat need to be hospitalized for
IV fluids.
And there wasn't anything we cangive to make that that virus go
away, but it really affects theintestines and causes you vomit
and have diarrhea.
So if they're losing fluid fromboth ways, you're gonna have to
(12:05):
give them something to get thatback in.
So we'd sometimes have justrooms and rooms and rooms full
of kids that were having poopingand vomiting.
And that that vaccine has reallyprotected a lot of children and
saves the hospitalization formany kids.
Um uh other ones that you canthink of that you would want to
protect early, like when likepolio as we go through.
(12:27):
I mean, that that's somethingthat if because we have um, you
know, immigration pop populationthat comes in, sometimes we can,
and we still know that we dohave wild type polio out there.
Um most people have just beenprotected against it as we go
through.
And so um, because that issomething that can be ingested
or or can um can still infectus, um, that's why we think it's
(12:50):
important and we follow thatschedule, you know, for a
reason.
There were immunologists thatstudied all of this that said
this is the best time to givethose vaccines to offer
protection to kids.
SPEAKER_01 (13:01):
And I'll add to that, there's no research that
supports a delayed schedule.
Um so parents will read books oror um read other opinions
online, but that down to theactual research, the research
supports the schedule that wehave for a reason, and there's
no research at all that supportsa delayed schedule.
SPEAKER_00 (13:21):
Okay.
So if a child does happen tomiss a vaccine, how does that
kind of work?
SPEAKER_02 (13:26):
Can they catch it up or typically the next time that
they are in, we can do acatch-up vaccine.
There are certain things thatafter a time you'll age out or
get fewer of those vaccinesbecause if it depending on how
many they missed, but if it's ifit's one or two, then yes, they
can you know typically come inand get that done.
SPEAKER_00 (13:49):
So for some parents who are kind of unsure about
vaccines, what are some goodquestions that they can bring to
a pediatrician to kind of helpthem feel more secure in their
decision to vaccinate?
SPEAKER_02 (14:01):
I think what I would do is more try to send them to
reliable um information sources.
Um, so that there is a lot ofinformation on the CDC website.
Um, there's the like the sourcesthat we would recommend.
The American Academy ofPediatrics has a website called
healthychildren.org, and that'sgot a lot of information about
(14:24):
vaccinations.
We're there are there's calledvaccine information sheets.
That's what you can pull fromthe CDC that explains why are we
giving this?
What are the possible you knowside effects of the vaccination?
Um what's the purpose of it aswe go through?
And then if they want to startthere to just to get some solid
information.
I I think we worry a lot aboutthe fact that people get a lot
(14:49):
of sort of secondhandinformation or you know,
somebody's child that theydidn't know that had an adverse
outcome, but they there's noreal search into how that
happened or if that was indeeddue to a vaccination.
So um there's also a thingthat's called it it's temporal
in time when something happenedwhen you do it, but it's not
(15:10):
causation.
So it means if somebody got avaccination and had some sort of
you know effect, but might nothave been due to the
vaccination.
So that's a hard thing too, thatyou sort of fight as well about
you know, vaccinations andsafety.
I think one of the things I tryto tell all parents to to sort
of say how much we believe inthem is that, and I can speak
(15:32):
for Jen too, I think is thatboth of our kids have been, all
of our kids have been vaccinatedum, you know, on schedule and
got all the vaccines that wererecommended.
And so I I feel like I I try totell parents I I definitely
would not, you know, give my ownchildren these if I didn't think
that they were safe andeffective.
(15:52):
Um we hadn't wanted to dosomething to your kids that I
wasn't doing my specialized.
SPEAKER_01 (15:59):
I really feel that they are safe and RSV, very
comfortable that all my kidswere immediately to have on
schedule.
Um, and now we have just thisthe street rifortis um RSV
vaccine uh for under eightmonths um during RSV season.
(16:23):
And um and now it's becomingit's been around for several
years now and it's becoming morereadily available.
Um so last year we started tosee being able to give more of
it because we finally were ableto get more of it.
Um and really, you know, thatone's one that hits a little bit
more home because most parentscan think of a kid that um or a
relative that they're like, oh,they were hospitalized with RSV,
(16:46):
um, or they they had to spend,you know, they had to go on
oxygen because at the hospitalwith RSV, or they, you know,
were really, really sick withRSV.
Um and so what that vaccine doesis it decreases their risk of
hospitalization, risk of gettingRSV.
Um, and so we really saw um lastyear the ability to give it more
(17:06):
because of its availability.
SPEAKER_00 (17:08):
Awesome.
That's awesome.
I know I never really heard ofthat, and then all of a sudden
it was like everybody had RSV.
Then I did hear about thevaccine, and I do feel like last
year there was a lot less caseson my social media and things
like that.
SPEAKER_02 (17:22):
Well, it is like we we didn't used to be able to
test for all of these, and nowwe have rapid tests that can
tell us if we have it.
So where we might have said, wehave a respiratory infection,
now we can say many times, oh,it's RSV, you know, as we go
through, and and while we had asuspicion it was RSV, we maybe
couldn't tell somebody thatthat's what it is.
So now when they can put a nameon it, and now they know, oh,
(17:44):
also there's a vaccination thatmy baby could get to try to
prevent against that, or eventhey do for pregnant moms as
well.
They offer that so that thatantibody has crossed before the
baby's born.
So there's like Jen says, Ithink people kind of hear that
one and feel a little bit moreokay about it because they've
actually seen effects of thoseillnesses, where the other
(18:04):
vaccines are almost like avictim of their own success.
They've they've eradicated thosebad illnesses.
And so we sort of forget aboutit because nobody has seen a
case of smallpox or, you know,like as we go through it a long
time.
SPEAKER_01 (18:16):
And I will say we we tracked our patients pretty
decently for who got bifortislast year when they would come
in and have some kind ofrespiratory um infection.
And none of my patients that gotbifortis ever tested positive
for RSD or have or werehospitalized.
Um, so it it has a pretty, Imean, six if you could look at
their website and theirinformation that they're giving
(18:38):
out, I mean it's that vaccine'shaving a pretty high success
rate in keeping kids out of thehospital and and from getting
RSD.
SPEAKER_00 (18:46):
If you could leave parents with one key message
about vaccines, what would itbe?
SPEAKER_02 (18:52):
Me to go, then you go.
We'll each give a little blurb.
So mine would be please try tolook at um scientifically
sourced sources to get yourinformation.
Um if you have any questions,feel free to ask us.
(19:13):
We are going to tell you that webelieve that this is the way to
keep your kids from havingpotentially serious infections
that are preventable throughvaccinations.
Um and um all of us are in thesame goal of trying to keep your
kids healthy.
I think that you wouldn't cometo a doctor if you didn't think
that that was their their, youknow, their aim is we, that's
(19:36):
why we went to school to dothis.
Um, and that we really are askednot asking anything differently
than we have done for our ownchildren.
SPEAKER_01 (19:44):
Yeah, and I would just say, you know, stress the
importance of them.
Um, you know, like Dr.
Reese was saying, it's theirvictim of the vaccines are
victim of their own successbecause we're not um seeing
those diseases, but our herdimmunity in the community right
now is so low that we will startseeing these diseases again.
Um, and so a lot of parents arenot necessarily very concerned
(20:08):
about not getting their kidsimmunized and they're not as
concerned about their kids evencatching the diseases, um, but
that's going to change.
Um and so we're really worriedabout um, you know, those things
coming back and coming backpretty like, you know, violently
against the kids because theyhaven't seen it in a long time.
Um, so just the importance of ifof vaccinating your child to
(20:30):
keep them healthy, to preventthese diseases, prevent
hospitalizations, prevent um,you know, having to watch your
child be horribly sick at home,um, miss time off of from work,
you know, those are all thingsthat you've got to factor in.
You think about how much timeyou missed just with the flu.
Um, you know, well, what if yourkid got measles?
You know, that's all that's alot more time at home and missed
(20:50):
work and unfortunately, watchingyour kid just be miserable.
Um, so they are very, veryimportant.
Um, and to not to dismissvaccines right away when they're
looking at, you know,researching, doing reputable
sources, um, and and notnecessarily taking um, you know,
people that you don't know'sopinions over your your doctor,
(21:13):
your provider's opinion, who'sstudied this for years and years
and really, you know, knows thisand has been in medicine for so
long, um, do you know, reallytake to heart what they have to
say.
SPEAKER_00 (21:26):
Awesome.
Well, thank you guys so much forkind of covering this and doing
this with me today.
I appreciate everything that youguys have said and done for me.
Um, so thank you.
Thank you.
Thanks for having us today.
SPEAKER_02 (21:39):
Have a good day.
SPEAKER_00 (21:40):
You too.
Thank you for tuning in to theMedlink Health Connections
podcast.
We hope you found today'sepisode informative and
inspiring.
If you enjoyed the show, pleasesubscribe, rate, and leave a
review on your favorite podcastplatform.
Remember, the information sharedin this podcast is for
educational purposes only andshould not replace professional
(22:02):
medical advice.
Always consult with yourhealthcare provider for any
medical concerns.
Stay connected with us on socialmedia and visit our website at
medlinkga.org for more resourcesand updates.
Until next time, stay healthyand take care.
Welcome back to the MedLink Health Connections
podcast.
I'm your host, Tangela, andtoday we're going to be
discussing a topic that manyparents have questions about
children's vaccines and how theyhelp protect kids from illness.
Vaccines play an important rolein children's health, and it's
natural for parents to want tounderstand more about them.
Joining me today are two of ourpediatric providers, Jennifer
(00:24):
Rubner and Dr.
Elizabeth Reese from our MedLinkBanks and MedLink Danielsville
offices.
They'll walk us through thebasics, answer some common
questions, and share helpfulinformation for parents making
decisions about their child'scare.
Thank you both so much forjoining me today.
Thanks for having us.
So let's kind of start off withsome of the basics.
Why are vaccines such animportant part of children's
(00:45):
health?
SPEAKER_02 (00:47):
Well, vaccinations protect our children against
serious diseases like measles,whooping cough, polio, tetanus,
hepatitis, chickenpox,influenza, and more.
They won't protect kids from allminor illnesses, but they can
prevent many serious diseases.
SPEAKER_00 (01:10):
Okay.
Can you kind of explain howvaccines work in simple terms
for parents who may beunfamiliar?
SPEAKER_02 (01:19):
Sure.
By presenting through thevaccine parts of the protein
that our bodies can recognize ofthese serious illnesses, that's
through an injection that thechild gets.
SPEAKER_00 (02:17):
Okay.
And you kind of covered some ofthem before, but what are some
of the most important vaccineschildren should receive in their
early years?
SPEAKER_02 (02:27):
So when they come in for their two, four, and six
month checkups, routinelythey're getting one is called a
DTAP that protects againstdiphtheria.
It's something we really don'tsee much anymore, but our
concern is we might start to seeit if we aren't immunizing.
If it looks like a horrible sorethroat, but also produces a
(02:49):
mucus that can actually blockthe child's airway and can be a
cause of them almost suffocatingon the um secretions that their
body is producing.
And then there's tetanus.
(03:16):
That in adults can cause a coughthat lasts over a hundred days,
is kind of the way they used todescribe it.
But in a baby, can cause suchrespiratory distress that often
they have to be hospitalized forsupportive care.
And these also, there's notreally any real treatment for a
lot of what we give.
Many of these are viralinfections, and that's another
(03:37):
reason why we recommend gettingvaccinated.
We protect against polio.
Um, we Jen and I were justtalking about that.
There's the last person that wason an iron lung for supportive
care for polio just recentlypassed away.
And we really don't want to eversee that come back again as we
go through.
That was considered gone in theUnited States, but we hope that
(04:00):
it stays that way.
Um, and then um also protectagainst um um a bacteria that
can cause meningitis in babies,and then a different kind of
bacteria called pneumococcusthat can cause pneumonia in
meningitis in babies.
So all not super commoninfections, but again, things
that can be devastating, causingchildren to be either
(04:22):
hospitalized and in some caseseven passed away because of
these illnesses.
SPEAKER_01 (04:26):
And also the um rotavirus is given at two and
four months.
And that vaccine, that virusused to cause such um horrible
diarrhea in infants that theywould be hospitalized for
dehydration.
And if the parents didn'trecognize the symptoms, they
could also pass away.
SPEAKER_02 (04:43):
Wow.
And the nice things is thatthese have been so successful in
abolishing a lot of thesediseases that I think a lot of
times we don't really even thinkabout them because we haven't
seen them in so long.
Um, you know, I very rarely seenatural chickenpox, which is a
good thing.
Um, and we sometimes think, whyprotect against chickenpox?
(05:04):
But uh we always kind of say Jenand I on this side of the fence
um have unfortunately seen kidsin the hospital that have had
meningitis or um serioussecondary skin infections after
chicken pox.
So a lot of these are toprevent, again, you know, these
more serious uh complicationsthat can occur.
SPEAKER_00 (05:24):
Okay, and how do vaccines kind of help protect
not only the child but also thecommunity?
SPEAKER_02 (05:31):
So that's um a term called herd immunity, which is
if your baby, say, is a monthold and they aren't old enough
to get these vaccinations, um,and you've got older kids, two
months and above, and they'regetting vaccinated for these,
the idea is that if they're notcarrying those germs, then they
(05:51):
won't pass it to a child who'snot able to be vaccinated, be it
because of their age thatthey're just not due for that
vaccine vaccine yet, or becauseum maybe they have an immune
complication where they cannotget those vaccinations.
Um, kids who are undergoing likecancer chemotherapy, certain
vaccines they're not allowed tohave until they're done with
that treatment.
(06:11):
So you're trying to protecteverybody else by getting your
kids protected because there'sless of that illness going
around.
unknown (06:17):
Okay.
SPEAKER_01 (06:18):
You're also protecting some of the older
adults who they're no longerhave the immunity has waned over
time.
Um, so if they're a high-riskadult with a low immune system,
same type of issue with cancerpatients or just an older adult,
um, they're they may not beimmune to these uh vaccines
anymore.
So you're also protecting them.
SPEAKER_00 (06:38):
Okay.
So I'm sure that you have youguys have many questions asked
daily.
Um so many parents do havequestions when it comes to
vaccines.
What are some of the most commonconcerns you hear in your
everyday life?
SPEAKER_01 (06:54):
Um, I think some of the most common is they just
feel that the infants are tooyoung to receive that many, um,
that they don't um, like Dr.
Reese was saying, we don't seethese illnesses, so they don't
see the need for the vaccinebecause they don't see the
prevalence of the illnessongoing now.
Um they're not thinking that ifwe stop doing these and have
(07:16):
very low vaccine rates, thatthese illnesses will return
quite quickly.
Um that that hesitancy is just,I think, a generalized
misunderstanding of thevaccines.
Um, the misunderstanding theythink that these are new and and
that we're we're doing newthings for their children or
(07:37):
giving them too too many.
Um, but really these the onesthat are tried and true and on
the CDC schedule have beenaround for a very long time.
Um, they've gone throughmultiple peer review processes,
they've gone through changes.
Um, you know, one of the bestexamples I can give you for even
the measles vaccine, um, whichis a two-part vaccine, you get
(07:59):
one, um, your first one at one,and you get your second one on
the schedule now at four as abooster.
And it's a very good vaccine.
It gives you about a 98%protective against measles.
Well, they found out, and I'mgonna age myself here, they
found out about 30 years agowhen they were only giving the
one that their the teenagegroup's immunity waned, and so
(08:19):
they started to add in thatsecond one.
Um, so I got my second measleswhen I was 15.
That was 30 years ago.
So people aren't thinking like,oh, the this is you know, this
is new, it's only been aroundfor so no, no, no, they just
added a second one to theschedule 30 years ago.
That's not even talking abouthow old the vaccine itself is.
So these these tried and true,they're not old and new and and
(08:42):
and they're you know monitoredfor safety and really they
they're they're important and wewant to see the kids healthy, is
why we do them.
SPEAKER_02 (08:51):
The other thing that I think a lot of parents will
say, well, that one wasn'taround, and like rotavirus
wasn't around.
I mean, it's now it's been 20plus years, but um we actually
give less um when you'rethinking about what we present
to the immune system, there'sactually less now because they
we used to give what were calledwhole cell vaccines.
(09:11):
So that you gave more to theimmune system, there was more
chance of getting a fever ormore of a reaction to it, you
know, as you go through.
Now they can take the tiny partfrom the germ that we want to
present to the immune system,and because the science is so
good to be able to do that, wecan actually cover for more
diseases and give lessimmunogenic compounds to the
(09:32):
immune system.
So they we actually see lessside effects, I would tell you,
more than more.
Um, it's very rare to even see achild get a fever.
We instruct the parents to giveTylenol just for comfort because
they had to get you knowinjections into their legs,
arms, but um, but typically itit you're not even seeing them
get a fever.
That's not as common.
About 95% of kids don't even getthat.
SPEAKER_01 (09:56):
And really, and that's the most common side
effects.
People are very worried aboutside effects of vaccines or or
damaging side effects, and andthey're not as prevalent as
people think.
There is a reporting system thatyou can do if somebody does have
a um a true reaction, but truereactions and vaccines are so,
so rare.
Um, it's just not something thatyou see that puts them in the
(10:19):
hospital for having a vaccinereaction as people would think.
SPEAKER_00 (10:23):
Okay, so some parents feel overwhelmed by the
number of vaccines that childrenhave to receive.
What do you say to those whowant to delay or spread them
out?
Or even have concerns about howmany it is?
Sure.
SPEAKER_02 (10:37):
Well, the what I had explained about the whole cell
versus the the the lessimmunogenic.
So really we're giving lesscontent than we used to, um, and
therefore we have less reaction.
The second is that the way thatthe vaccines are scheduled is
really to protect againstcertain illnesses that will
cause harm to the child at thattime.
(10:58):
We'll take protestis, forexample.
So protestis in an adult is isannoying.
It's a pesky cough that's goingto last for a long time, but
it's the babies that are gonnasuffer to have respiratory
distress and sometimesrespiratory failure and have to
go in the hospital because ofthat fact because of that germ.
So you're trying to protect themat the age where they're most
vulnerable, and then a boosteris they get a little bit older,
(11:20):
so that we're keeping that fromspreading to other children.
Um, something like um rotavirusis not typically given to
adults.
We're going to give that to kidsbecause of their small body
size, that they have a higher umchance of being becoming
dehydrated from the vomiting anddiarrhea that goes on.
And they do studies that showlike that that vaccine was
(11:42):
actually developed where I wentto medical school and it's
caused a 40% reduction in kidsthat need to be hospitalized for
IV fluids.
And there wasn't anything we cangive to make that that virus go
away, but it really affects theintestines and causes you vomit
and have diarrhea.
So if they're losing fluid fromboth ways, you're gonna have to
(12:05):
give them something to get thatback in.
So we'd sometimes have justrooms and rooms and rooms full
of kids that were having poopingand vomiting.
And that that vaccine has reallyprotected a lot of children and
saves the hospitalization formany kids.
Um uh other ones that you canthink of that you would want to
protect early, like when likepolio as we go through.
(12:27):
I mean, that that's somethingthat if because we have um, you
know, immigration pop populationthat comes in, sometimes we can,
and we still know that we dohave wild type polio out there.
Um most people have just beenprotected against it as we go
through.
And so um, because that issomething that can be ingested
or or can um can still infectus, um, that's why we think it's
(12:50):
important and we follow thatschedule, you know, for a
reason.
There were immunologists thatstudied all of this that said
this is the best time to givethose vaccines to offer
protection to kids.
SPEAKER_01 (13:01):
And I'll add to that, there's no research that
supports a delayed schedule.
Um so parents will read books oror um read other opinions
online, but that down to theactual research, the research
supports the schedule that wehave for a reason, and there's
no research at all that supportsa delayed schedule.
SPEAKER_00 (13:21):
Okay.
So if a child does happen tomiss a vaccine, how does that
kind of work?
SPEAKER_02 (13:26):
Can they catch it up or typically the next time that
they are in, we can do acatch-up vaccine.
There are certain things thatafter a time you'll age out or
get fewer of those vaccinesbecause if it depending on how
many they missed, but if it's ifit's one or two, then yes, they
can you know typically come inand get that done.
SPEAKER_00 (13:49):
So for some parents who are kind of unsure about
vaccines, what are some goodquestions that they can bring to
a pediatrician to kind of helpthem feel more secure in their
decision to vaccinate?
SPEAKER_02 (14:01):
I think what I would do is more try to send them to
reliable um information sources.
Um, so that there is a lot ofinformation on the CDC website.
Um, there's the like the sourcesthat we would recommend.
The American Academy ofPediatrics has a website called
healthychildren.org, and that'sgot a lot of information about
(14:24):
vaccinations.
We're there are there's calledvaccine information sheets.
That's what you can pull fromthe CDC that explains why are we
giving this?
What are the possible you knowside effects of the vaccination?
Um what's the purpose of it aswe go through?
And then if they want to startthere to just to get some solid
information.
I I think we worry a lot aboutthe fact that people get a lot
(14:49):
of sort of secondhandinformation or you know,
somebody's child that theydidn't know that had an adverse
outcome, but they there's noreal search into how that
happened or if that was indeeddue to a vaccination.
So um there's also a thingthat's called it it's temporal
in time when something happenedwhen you do it, but it's not
(15:10):
causation.
So it means if somebody got avaccination and had some sort of
you know effect, but might nothave been due to the
vaccination.
So that's a hard thing too, thatyou sort of fight as well about
you know, vaccinations andsafety.
I think one of the things I tryto tell all parents to to sort
of say how much we believe inthem is that, and I can speak
(15:32):
for Jen too, I think is thatboth of our kids have been, all
of our kids have been vaccinatedum, you know, on schedule and
got all the vaccines that wererecommended.
And so I I feel like I I try totell parents I I definitely
would not, you know, give my ownchildren these if I didn't think
that they were safe andeffective.
(15:52):
Um we hadn't wanted to dosomething to your kids that I
wasn't doing my specialized.
SPEAKER_01 (15:59):
I really feel that they are safe and RSV, very
comfortable that all my kidswere immediately to have on
schedule.
Um, and now we have just thisthe street rifortis um RSV
vaccine uh for under eightmonths um during RSV season.
(16:23):
And um and now it's becomingit's been around for several
years now and it's becoming morereadily available.
Um so last year we started tosee being able to give more of
it because we finally were ableto get more of it.
Um and really, you know, thatone's one that hits a little bit
more home because most parentscan think of a kid that um or a
relative that they're like, oh,they were hospitalized with RSV,
(16:46):
um, or they they had to spend,you know, they had to go on
oxygen because at the hospitalwith RSV, or they, you know,
were really, really sick withRSV.
Um and so what that vaccine doesis it decreases their risk of
hospitalization, risk of gettingRSV.
Um, and so we really saw um lastyear the ability to give it more
(17:06):
because of its availability.
SPEAKER_00 (17:08):
Awesome.
That's awesome.
I know I never really heard ofthat, and then all of a sudden
it was like everybody had RSV.
Then I did hear about thevaccine, and I do feel like last
year there was a lot less caseson my social media and things
like that.
SPEAKER_02 (17:22):
Well, it is like we we didn't used to be able to
test for all of these, and nowwe have rapid tests that can
tell us if we have it.
So where we might have said, wehave a respiratory infection,
now we can say many times, oh,it's RSV, you know, as we go
through, and and while we had asuspicion it was RSV, we maybe
couldn't tell somebody thatthat's what it is.
So now when they can put a nameon it, and now they know, oh,
(17:44):
also there's a vaccination thatmy baby could get to try to
prevent against that, or eventhey do for pregnant moms as
well.
They offer that so that thatantibody has crossed before the
baby's born.
So there's like Jen says, Ithink people kind of hear that
one and feel a little bit moreokay about it because they've
actually seen effects of thoseillnesses, where the other
(18:04):
vaccines are almost like avictim of their own success.
They've they've eradicated thosebad illnesses.
And so we sort of forget aboutit because nobody has seen a
case of smallpox or, you know,like as we go through it a long
time.
SPEAKER_01 (18:16):
And I will say we we tracked our patients pretty
decently for who got bifortislast year when they would come
in and have some kind ofrespiratory um infection.
And none of my patients that gotbifortis ever tested positive
for RSD or have or werehospitalized.
Um, so it it has a pretty, Imean, six if you could look at
their website and theirinformation that they're giving
(18:38):
out, I mean it's that vaccine'shaving a pretty high success
rate in keeping kids out of thehospital and and from getting
RSD.
SPEAKER_00 (18:46):
If you could leave parents with one key message
about vaccines, what would itbe?
SPEAKER_02 (18:52):
Me to go, then you go.
We'll each give a little blurb.
So mine would be please try tolook at um scientifically
sourced sources to get yourinformation.
Um if you have any questions,feel free to ask us.
(19:13):
We are going to tell you that webelieve that this is the way to
keep your kids from havingpotentially serious infections
that are preventable throughvaccinations.
Um and um all of us are in thesame goal of trying to keep your
kids healthy.
I think that you wouldn't cometo a doctor if you didn't think
that that was their their, youknow, their aim is we, that's
(19:36):
why we went to school to dothis.
Um, and that we really are askednot asking anything differently
than we have done for our ownchildren.
SPEAKER_01 (19:44):
Yeah, and I would just say, you know, stress the
importance of them.
Um, you know, like Dr.
Reese was saying, it's theirvictim of the vaccines are
victim of their own successbecause we're not um seeing
those diseases, but our herdimmunity in the community right
now is so low that we will startseeing these diseases again.
Um, and so a lot of parents arenot necessarily very concerned
(20:08):
about not getting their kidsimmunized and they're not as
concerned about their kids evencatching the diseases, um, but
that's going to change.
Um and so we're really worriedabout um, you know, those things
coming back and coming backpretty like, you know, violently
against the kids because theyhaven't seen it in a long time.
Um, so just the importance of ifof vaccinating your child to
(20:30):
keep them healthy, to preventthese diseases, prevent
hospitalizations, prevent um,you know, having to watch your
child be horribly sick at home,um, miss time off of from work,
you know, those are all thingsthat you've got to factor in.
You think about how much timeyou missed just with the flu.
Um, you know, well, what if yourkid got measles?
You know, that's all that's alot more time at home and missed
(20:50):
work and unfortunately, watchingyour kid just be miserable.
Um, so they are very, veryimportant.
Um, and to not to dismissvaccines right away when they're
looking at, you know,researching, doing reputable
sources, um, and and notnecessarily taking um, you know,
people that you don't know'sopinions over your your doctor,
(21:13):
your provider's opinion, who'sstudied this for years and years
and really, you know, knows thisand has been in medicine for so
long, um, do you know, reallytake to heart what they have to
say.
SPEAKER_00 (21:26):
Awesome.
Well, thank you guys so much forkind of covering this and doing
this with me today.
I appreciate everything that youguys have said and done for me.
Um, so thank you.
Thank you.
Thanks for having us today.
SPEAKER_02 (21:39):
Have a good day.
SPEAKER_00 (21:40):
You too.
Thank you for tuning in to theMedlink Health Connections
podcast.
We hope you found today'sepisode informative and
inspiring.
If you enjoyed the show, pleasesubscribe, rate, and leave a
review on your favorite podcastplatform.
Remember, the information sharedin this podcast is for
educational purposes only andshould not replace professional
(22:02):
medical advice.
Always consult with yourhealthcare provider for any
medical concerns.
Stay connected with us on socialmedia and visit our website at
medlinkga.org for more resourcesand updates.
Until next time, stay healthyand take care.
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