A Parent's Story: I’m a Pediatrician, and I Vaccinate My Kids

Are you concerned that your child will experience an adverse reaction to a vaccine? Adverse reactions to vaccines are extremely rare, and the likelihood of a child becoming ill because they did not receive a vaccine is much higher than the likelihood of experiencing an adverse reaction.

In addition, of the reactions to vaccines that have been reported, the reaction to the vaccine is often much less severe than the disease the vaccine was intended to prevent. 

Among children diagnosed with vaccine-preventable diseases in the United States, children whose parents or guardians have chosen not to vaccinate them are many times more likely to become infected by a disease.

Today we hear from Katharine, a pediatrician and mom, in Portland. Katharine has seen firsthand how many children become hospitalized with diseases that could have been prevented by receiving vaccinations, as well as how few children experience adverse reactions to vaccines. Read an excerpt of her story below.

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.

Read the rest of her story in our Parent Stories section.

Learn more

• Read our Parent Stories.

• Attend an upcoming Community Workshop.

• See our evidence-based answers to common concerns about vaccines.