Vaccine Safety

Dear Families,

I am writing to address the growing confusion regarding vaccine safety and the recent, significant changes to the national immunization schedule. At Just Us Kids, our commitment remains the same: we strongly believe in vaccinating children against diseases that once caused widespread suffering and death.

A Legacy of Protection

Since the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published its first "Red Book" in 1938, vaccines have been our most effective tool in saving lives. In the early 1900s, nearly 20% of children died before age five from infectious diseases. By 1960, after widespread vaccination, annual deaths plummeted from 27,000 to 5,000. The first vaccine schedule included smallpox, diphtheria, tetanus & pertussis(whooping cough). In 1995, the AAP, CDC and AAFP joined forces to update to a modern vaccine schedule to cover more than 20 diseases that had previously caused serious illness, hospitalization and death. Vaccines have dramatically decreased the death rate in otherwise healthy children. 

For a deeper dive into this history, I recommend reading “How Vaccine Schedules Changed Over Time & Why” by Robert W. Frenck, Jr., MD.

Why the CDC and AAP Schedules Differ in 2026

You may have heard that the CDC recently modified its recommendations, moving toward a schedule similar to Denmark's. While this was done to reduce the total number of injections, the AAP and other organizations have not joined this change for several critical reasons.

In Denmark, they have a coordinated public health system covering a much smaller country, they have universal parental leave for 1 year and a different financial risk-benefit model. In the United States, it is much harder to mitigate outbreaks if vaccination rates drop.

Molly O’Shea, MD, a pediatrician and AAP spokesperson stated in Parents Magazine article that the current US recommended vaccine schedule is based on decades of solid information and expert guidance that takes into account both vaccine risk and benefit based on an infant’s developing immune system and it’s readiness and palpability of responding to vaccines effectively. As stated by Charles Hannan, MD at Tuft’s Medical Center, “The new CDC schedule gives the impression that certain vaccine-preventable diseases are no longer a serious threat.”  The reality is, says Dr. Hannum, the reason we don’t see many of the diseases the AAP recommends vaccinating against is because those vaccinations have been so effective at reducing or eliminating them.  “The AAP’s goal—and the goal of pediatricians—is to keep children safe from serious infectious diseases,” he says. “While the CDC guidelines introduce more flexibility around timing and vaccine needs, there is no scientific evidence showing that these changes benefit children in the United States.”

I understand there are many fears regarding autism and vaccine ingredients. After 24 years of practice and thousands of doses administered, I am confident that vaccines are safe.

• On Autism: Scientific consensus remains clear that vaccines do not cause autism. I believe autism is multifactorial, involving genetics and modern environmental factors like nutrition and screen exposure—not immunizations. For more information, I recommend reading The John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health article, “Why Experts Have Concluded That Vaccines Do Not Cause Autism. How a retracted study from the 1900s undermined trust in vaccines and led to persistent myth.”

• On Ingredients: Modern childhood vaccines do not contain mercury. Aluminum is used as a preservative in many vaccines today.  As reassurance, I want to share the fact that the average American consumes 7-9 mg of aluminum daily in their food and children receive a cumulative total of 4-7.5 mg of aluminum in their vaccines from birth to age 4. You may want to read this article in Annuals of Internal Medicine article, “Aluminum-Absorbed Vaccines and Chronic Diseases in Childhood: A Nationwide Cohort Study.”  This article discusses a large study done in Denmark to evaluate the safety of the preservatives needed to allow vaccine creation to be possible. If you are curious about how these medicines are developed, the Gavi Vaccine Alliance offers an excellent guide on the manufacturing process. I recommend reading “How vaccines are made?”

Our goal is to keep your children safe from preventable tragedies. While the new guidelines offer "flexibility," there is no scientific evidence that reducing these protections benefits American children.

In summary, I want to reassure all parents of our precious patients that we strive to provide the best medical care for your child and we would not make a recommendation for your child that we do not strongly believe is in his/her best interest.