Experts at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt continue to make the health of children their top priority.
“Parents, clinicians and the community are looking for guidance and accurate information about immunization schedules,” said Ritu Banerjee, MD, PhD, professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Monroe Carell. “Monroe Carell will continue to follow standard practice outlined in the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Recommended Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule to help our children stay healthy and safe from vaccine-preventable diseases.”
Banerjee also serves as the lead physician of Vanderbilt Health’s Vaccine Subcommittee, a group dedicated to ensuring that hospital and clinic practices follow evidence-based and peer-reviewed research on the safety and efficacy of immunizations.
“There is no evidence to show that a child would be equally protected against diseases with a different schedule, or that spreading out or reducing the number of shots would be safer,” said Banerjee, who holds the Mark R. Denison, MD Directorship in Pediatrics. “But we do know that any length of time without immunizations is a time without protection against vaccine-preventable diseases.”
According to the AAP recommendations, the immunization schedule is designed to work with a child’s immune system in accordance with age and dosing time frames.
“Following the AAP recommendations remains the best way to keep children healthy and protect against health complications and hospitalizations,” she said. “And as individual situations arise requiring a change in the decades-long standard practice, that will be addressed.”
As a reminder, Banerjee urges all families to seek the direction of their pediatrician or family’s health care provider to discuss what is best for their children.
Click here to view the AAP childhood vaccine schedule.
