I’m a Pediatrician, and I Vaccinate My Kids

By: Katharine, mother and pediatrician, Portland, OR

As a pediatrician, I have seen many children hospitalized with vaccine-preventable diseases - including my own patients. These diseases are scary! I vaccinated both of my girls as soon as I could because I knew it was one of the best ways to protect them. 

Every year, we treat kids at our hospital with vaccine-preventable diseases. Their stories are heartbreaking. In contrast, in my 12 years of pediatric practice, I have never seen a child experience a serious reaction to a vaccine. I know these reactions to vaccines can happen, but the reactions are so much less common than the diseases the vaccines are intended to prevent.

I think some parents think about the risks of vaccinating, but pediatrician parents think all the time about the risks of not vaccinating! That’s why every pediatrician I know vaccinates. I also know that vaccinating my kids is an important way to keep people who cannot get vaccines for medical reasons safe.

Some people think pediatricians profit off vaccines, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I encourage my patients to vaccinate, and I vaccinated my kids, because it’s the best way to avoid certain terrible diseases. My practice and I do not receive financial benefits when a patient vaccinates.