Viewpoint: Get vaccine information from reliable sources

Eve Meltzer-Krief MD, FAAP

Eve Meltzer-Krief MD, FAAP

Shetal Shah, MD, FAAP

Shetal Shah, MD, FAAP

(Dr. Eve Meltzer-Krief MD, FAAP is a pediatrician in Huntington and Chair of the NYS AAP Chapter 2 Legislative Advocacy Committee.

  Dr. Shetal Shah, MD, FAAP is a neonatologist at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital.  He is NYS AAP Chapter 2 President. 

This op-ed was published on timesunion.com on February 26, 2020.)

 

Pediatricians across New York are concerned about the spread of misinformation regarding vaccination against human papilloma virus.

A proposed bill in the state Legislature would require HPV vaccination for middle school students.  Though there has been significant uproar about this bill raised at school board meetings and across social media, the bill is not new and has been proposed annually for several years.  Like thousands of other bills in the Legislature, the proposal has never been deliberated.

The very existence of the bill, however, has been seized upon by the anti-vaccine community, which has spread a tremendous amount of false information and needless apprehension about the vaccine and about the likelihood of this bill being considered by the Legislature.  The ultimate intention is likely to nurture opposition to existing vaccine laws that keep children safe and to gain allies for their position against the law that disallowed religious exemptions to vaccination.

Passed last June amidst the worst measles epidemic in decades, that law allows only legitimate medical exemptions to school vaccination requirements.  The measure was supported by more than 25 medical and public health organizations.  Polling last year found 87 percent of New Yorkers supported the law, which allows children and teachers with conditions like cancer to attend school without fear of contracting a potentially fatal disease from an unvaccinated student.

HPV vaccination is safe and effective.  HPV is the most common STD in the U.S.  Approximately 34,000 HPV-associated cancers occur yearly.  The HPV vaccine prevents 90 percent of these cancers.  Contrary to what parents might read on social media, side effects are mild, and pale in comparison to treatment for the types of cancer prevented by immunization.

The decision to vaccinate against HPV should be made after discussion with your child’s pediatrician.  As the virus is not transmissible in the school setting, we don’t necessarily believe it needs to be a mandated requirement for school attendance.  However, we very strongly recommend parents vaccinate their children against HPV to protect their future health.  We encourage parents to get their information regarding vaccination from pediatricians and from reliable sources, including the Centers for Disease Control and the American Academy of Pediatrics.