The Academy is encouraging members to go on the record about the power of vaccines during National Immunization Awareness Month. Weekly themes and multimedia messages will help keep conversations about vaccines flowing between pediatricians and families. Among the highlights:
- AAP Voices blogs: Margaret A. Stager, M.D., FAAP, looks at why the HPV vaccine remains misunderstood despite a decade of safety and effectiveness; Timothy L. Jacks, D.O., FAAP, reflects on his feelings when his child couldn't be vaccinated due to a medical condition and was exposed to measles by an unvaccinated child in California; Hope T. Scott, M.D., FAAP, remembers her child, who died from Haemophilus influenzae type b before the vaccine was available; and Ari Brown, M.D., FAAP, talks about the first patient she lost due to complications from chickenpox, http://bit.ly/21JYnsu (login required).
- The AAP YouTube channel, http://bit.ly/29vVWTf, is featuring videos by Wendy Sue Swanson, M.D., M.B.E., FAAP, that can be shared on social media platforms. Topics include vaccines in general; chickenpox/varicella; the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine; and nonstandard vaccine schedules.
- Vaccine history, including historical documents, photos and news stories on the many successes in overcoming vaccine-preventable diseases, will be shared on Twitter. Follow @AmerAcadPeds and @HealthyChildren.
- Find Centers for Disease Control and Prevention practice resources at http://bit.ly/29qLP1M.
- Access AAP resources at http://bit.ly/2968suD and parent-friendly articles at http://bit.ly/29cIiaY.
