As measles cases pop up across the country this winter — including several in California — one group of children is stirring deep concerns among pediatricians: the babies and toddlers of vaccine-hesitant parents who are delaying their child's measles-mumps-rubella shots. Rather than an outright refusal, however, these vaccine-hesitant parents express a softer kind of reluctance, asking if it's possible to use an "alternative schedule" of vaccines rather than sticking to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendations. "I have patients who have three kids, and they vaccinated the first two kids on schedule. I want to wait until the kids are older', or 'instead of doing two shots today, I want to do one shot,'" Ball said. He tries his best to explain to parents the importance and safety of vaccines, including MMR.

Source: Los Angeles Times March 13, 2024 13:17 UTC