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The following text is from an archived Red Book® edition and may not reflect current recommendations or information. To view the current edition, click here.
Section 1. Active and Passive Immunization
ACTIVE IMMUNIZATION
Parental Misconceptions About Immunizations
Misconceptions about the need for and safety of recommended childhood and adolescent immunizations are potential causes of delayed immunization, underimmunization, or both in the United States. Several common misconceptions of parents have been addressed by the CDC. 1 In an effort to inform parents further, the AAP has published a brochure titled Immunizations: What You Should Know, 2 which addresses common questions about recommended childhood and adolescent immunizations, including the following.
"Why should children be immunized when most vaccine-preventable diseases have been eliminated in the United States?" Although immunizations have decreased dramatically the incidence of a number of childhood diseases in the United States, many of these diseases remain prevalent in other areas of the world and easily could be reintroduced into the United States and, without immunization, could spread quickly. Unimmunized children also will be at risk throughout their lives, including when they travel to countries where vaccine-preventable diseases are endemic.
"Do immunizations work? Haven’t most people who get a vaccine-preventable disease been immunized?" A few people do not immunologically respond
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