Issues in Pediatric Immunization

In Brief Revisions to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's pediatric immunization guidelines have generated a renewed focus on controversies associated with the nation's childhood vaccination program. Among these issues are adherence with and access to required vaccinations, concerns about individuals' rights in relation to government-mandated vaccinations, ongoing worry about adverse effects associated with immunizations, and questions about how best to protect immunocompromised and ill children. This article addresses these questions and presents strategies that can be used by clinicians to improve adherence with vaccination guidelines. It seems that the media is continually covering the stories of parents who refuse childhood immunizations for their children. This phenomenon and other issues in the vast topic of vaccines for children is expertly dissected by Dr. Sharts-Hopko.