NBC News – Maggie Fox
“Delaying vaccines is not only a waste of time, it could be dangerous to your kids. And no, foreigners aren’t bringing most measles cases into the U.S. Experts on measles vaccines say they’re frustrated by the wide array of rumors being fed by websites, organized anti-vaccine groups, and the media. They debunked many of the myths at a seminar Monday organized by the Johns Hopkins school of public health. Here are seven misconceptions they took on:It’s OK to delay vaccines and it lets your kid’s immune system mature. No, it’s not, says Dr. Neal Halsey, director of the Institute for Vaccine Safety at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that babies get their first combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine at 12 months and a second dose at age 4 to 6, before starting pre-school or kindergarten. Not only is your child vulnerable to measles if you delay this, but older kids might be more likely to have frightening complications from the vaccine.”(more)