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- When parents raise questions about vaccine safety,
I ask them specifically what they've heard.
Because often they've heard or read
one thing that I can address directly
and I explain to them where there are
mistaken bits of information
and how sometimes people draw conclusions
that one thing caused another
when they really didn't have anything to do with each other.
The other thing is I do like to talk about
how vaccines are determined to be safe
and I think it's important for us,
as physicians and healthcare providers,
to understand how vaccines are vetted for safety
before they're even licensed or approved by the FDA
so that we can literally address those concerns
with families and parents
from a standpoint of knowledge
and understanding the science and the system.
Sometimes I even talk about the rotavirus vaccine,
which post marketing revealed that there were issues
and that vaccine was withdrawn from the market
in less than a year.
With the HPV vaccine in particular
we've given over 150 million doses
and truthfully, except for perhaps an allergic reaction,
the most serious side effect that's been identified
is that some teenagers valsalva, hold their breath,
and faint after they have a vaccine.
When you put it into perspective for families
and explain the facts,
many times you can dispel those safety concerns.
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