Charting Pediatrics12 Dec 2023

Critical Vaccine Communication: How Do We Shift Immunization Hesitancy?

Vaccines are so successful that many people have never seen the diseases they prevent, resulting in misperceptions that vaccines are not needed. While anti-vaccination sentiment and misinformation increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, about 88% of Americans still say they feel the overall benefits of childhood vaccines outweigh the risks. Communicating vaccine science to the public is even more crucial than in times past. It's up to our doctors and medical experts to relay factual information that is backed by science and supported by research. Without receiving proper vaccinations, preventable diseases will keep recurring.

In today's episode, we are joined by Paul Offit, MD, whose path toward infectious disease prevention started at the young age of 5 when a failed foot operation landed him in a hospital in suburban Baltimore for nearly six weeks. "If you're in a chronic care facility in the mid 1950s, because I was born in 1951, you're in a polio ward. So, I remember that," Dr. Offit says.

Now Dr. Offit is a professor of vaccinology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He is an attending physician in the division of infectious diseases at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, as well as the director of the Vaccine Education Center. "I think the scars of our childhood invariably become the passions of our adulthood. I think it's the reason I became a doctor, I think it's the reason my first book was about polio and the polio vaccine, I think it's why I went into infectious diseases," Dr. Offit says.

This episode was recorded at the 2023 American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference and Exhibition in Washington, DC. Some highlights from the episode include:

Reasons why people have become so hesitant about vaccines
Some of the biggest misconceptions and stigmas around vaccine science
Why we need more societal trust in vaccines
The role of mRNA
How we can use communication to better our future

For more information on Children's Colorado, visit: childrenscolorado.org

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(500)

Tics and Tourette Syndrome in Children

Tics are common in childhood, but recognizing when they are part of typical development, and when they may indicate Tourette syndrome or another tic disorder, can be challenging for pediatricians. A c...

25 Aug 32min

The Health Benefits of Recess for Kids

When adults look back on school, they often remember more than lessons and worksheets. They remember recess — the playground, movement, friendships, laughter and freedom. Yet in many schools today, re...

18 Aug 27min

Childhood Leukemia in Primary Care

Some of the most serious diagnoses in pediatrics begin with common pediatric symptoms. A child comes in looking pale or with a febrile illness. They've been more tired than usual. Maybe they're bruisi...

11 Aug 29min

Pediatric Tick Bite Management

Tick bites used to be a seasonal nuisance, something you might mention briefly at a well visit in late spring. But that's no longer the reality. With emergency department visits for tick bites climbin...

4 Aug 40min

Evaluating Precocious Puberty

Puberty doesn't always follow the expected timeline. What happens when it shows up ahead of schedule? For pediatricians, the early appearance of breast development, pubic hair or accelerated growth c...

28 Juli 27min

First 1,000 Days of Brain Building

A child's future begins long before the first words, first steps or even the first smile. In the span of just 1,000 days, billions of neural connections are formed, and the foundation for lifelong hea...

21 Juli 30min

When is a Curve a Sign of Scoliosis?

The human spine is designed to support, balance and adapt through a lifetime of growth. But what happens when that growth starts to bend in an unexpected direction? Scoliosis often emerges during peri...

14 Juli 28min

Helping Parents With Discipline

When most people hear the word "discipline", they think consequences, punishments or stopping bad behavior in the moment. But what if we've been thinking about discipline too narrowly? We are refram...

7 Juli 38min