The voice of experience

From a pediatrician and fellow emeritus professor:

“You want to know about vaccines? Okay. Here you go.

“In 42 years, in about 150,000 patient encounters, I have only seen one child who had a bad reaction: localized severe angioedema of the arm, I.e., severe redness and swelling, where he got a DTaP. Even so, he responded well to oral antihistamines and did not need to be hospitalized.

 

“That’s it: one kid who did well with outpatient treatment. In 42 years. In about 150,000 patient encounters.

 

“Now, how many kids did the jabs I prescribed save from illness, hospitalization, even death? I’ll never know, but I know it’s tens of thousands.

 

“Vaccines are a miracle. Yet they are so much more. They are a pinnacle of human intellect, achievement, and compassion. They are essential to human life on this planet, and I will continue to urge everyone I know - and thousands I don’t - to get themselves and their children every vaccine that’s appropriate for them.

 

“Because someone reading this might not be alive to read this if not for vaccines.”

 

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