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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) recently updated its recommendations on children’s immunizations. These recommendations were agreed upon by a panel of people who are not experts in childhood immunizations.
Today, we are seeing an increase in children with measles due to parents not having their children immunized. Measles is a disease with consequences for some patients. Many are showing great concern for the sequelae (complications) measles can leave.
The complications of this virus can be serious and long-term. According to public health data, nearly 40 percent of people who contract measles can develop “pneumonia, permanent deafness, blindness, and encephalitis with a 1–3 per 1,000 fatality rate.” Measles can also cause “immune amnesia,” which weakens the immune system for months or years. In some cases, patients who have had measles can develop Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis (SSPE), which is a rare, fatal, delayed-onset brain disease that can occur 7–10 years after having measles.
We are now amid flu season, and many people have chosen not to get a flu vaccine. As of this writing in late January of 2026, the United States has had 7.5 million confirmed cases of the flu. Of that number 81,000 people have required hospitalization with 3,100 deaths so far. I wonder what those numbers would be if most of the people who were afflicted had gotten their flu vaccine.
One of the terms you hear about immunizations is herd immunity. Here, we need preexisting immunity in a high percentage of individuals to prevent the spread of infectious diseases like measles and the flu. The percentage required for a community to reach herd immunity varies depending on the infectious disease and often ranges from 83 to 94 percent to achieve that goal and protection. That is why getting as many people vaccinated IS SO IMPORTANT.
It is especially important for vulnerable people. This population includes children, the elderly, and people who are immunocompromised, such as people fighting cancer or who are on medications that render their immune systems impaired. Immunocompromised people also include people with renal disease, liver disease, diabetes, and lung disorders, to name a few.
So, when you or your child receives a vaccine, that immunization not only protects the vaccine recipient but also protects your family and contributes to the whole community’s efforts to reach herd immunity.
The non-experts within the CDC who have removed several vaccines from the required list have now placed the public’s health at risk. CDC no longer recommends that all children receive the following vaccines: Rotavirus, COVID-19, Influenza (Flu), Hepatitis A and B, Meningococcal Vaccines, and RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus).
So, who should be making the decisions about what immunizations your child should receive? The person who cares for them. The person whose job it is to keep them here on this earth as healthy as possible for as long as possible. That person is their healthcare provider. The pediatricians, family medicine physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. They possess the expertise and have a personal stake in your child’s healthcare.
Take the time to speak with your healthcare providers. Get their recommendations on the right course for your child.
Fortunately, the immunizations removed from the list are still covered and reimbursable by insurance companies. Why? Because your insurance company realizes that a child who is immunized and healthy will cost them less than a child who is not immunized and ill. Pure medical economics.
Dr. Veita Bland is a board-certified Greensboro physician and hypertension specialist. Dr. Bland’s radio show, “It’s a Matter of Your Health,” can be heard live on Wednesdays, 5:30 p.m. on N.C. A&T State University’s WNAA, 90.1 FM. Listeners may call in and ask questions. The show is replayed on Sirius 142 at 5 p.m. on Wed. Email Dr. Bland at ideas@blandclinicpa.com.
