Ask Dr. Sears: Stopping a Vaccine Series Before It Is Complete

Ask Dr. Sears: Stopping a Vaccine Series Before It Is Complete 1Please welcome Dr. Bob Sears back to Metropolitan Mama.

Sears is a nationally known pediatrician, father of three, and author of The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child. Sears has graciously offered to extend his expertise about vaccines through a monthly column where YOU ask the questions...and he answers them. See the bottom of this post for details about how you can submit a question.

If you want more information now, you should really just buy his book (read my review here). It's comprehensive, objective, and the only one of its kind on the market.

Today's question was sent in by Leigh, the mother of a 13-month-old little girl.

QUESTION: I started the MMR (or any other vaccine) series and then read your book/researched the topic/talked to friends...and now I don't want to continue with the series. Can I decline the vaccine at my child's next appointment or do I have to move forward now that I already started the series? Is there any harm in only having "part" of a full series?

ANSWER FROM DR. SEARS: Good question. No, there is no harm in stopping a vaccine series before completing it. Parents often change their mind about a particular vaccine mid-series, and they have every right to do so. Realize, however, that by not completing the whole series, your child won't have very good immunity to that disease. And any immunity they did gain will wear off more quickly. The exact amount of immunity gained, and how long it will last, varies greatly depending on how much of the series is completed and what type of vaccine it is. Parents should ask their doctor for more specific information regarding any vaccines they don't wish to complete.

If you have a question about vaccines for Dr. Sears, send an e-mail with "Ask Dr. Sears" in the subject line to [email protected].

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11 comments on “Ask Dr. Sears: Stopping a Vaccine Series Before It Is Complete”

  1. yes i am a mother of 4 kids and i really wanted to know is there a why i can go about NOT getting my kids vaccine any more every since i found out about my youngest coming dowm with autism after he got the one year shot of mmr iam trying to stop all shot together is there any help i can find or you can help with

  2. I'm surprised with his answer. Ninety five percent of the population is immuned to measles only after 1 dose. The other dose is given to everyone in order to cover the other 5%. Also, for school requirements, most states only require 1 dose of the mumps and rubella. So, knowing that, I would think 1 MMR is probably fine and there is a 95% chance her son would have full immunity to the measles.

  3. My 8 month old son is a patient of Dr. Bob and I have also purchased "The Vaccine Book". Dr. Bob and his book are GREAT. Well worth the money. Dr. Bob gives you the facts and allows YOU to decide for yourself what is right for your baby.
    For me personally, I am not convinced that vaccines do not cause or trigger Autism. I have friends who are personally living with their children having this disease and they both WISHED they could turn back the clock and would have choosen NOT to vaccinate. Both said after a vaccine, their children would not engage in eye contact and seemed that they were partially no longer there.

  4. I haven't read his book, but did read "what your doctor may not tell you about Childrens Vaccines" and it was a great source of information. It was objective, informative and eye opening.

  5. Interesting, I wondered that myself, though it seems to be bad common sense to stop a vaccine series, I trust Dr. Sears' opinion.

  6. Thank you Stephanie and Dr. Sears!

    And I think it's important to make mention that in regards to the MMR, you don't HAVE to do the MMR. It can be administered seperately. (My own personal mission in life is to make this fact widely known!)

  7. I have recently started having questions regarding vaccinations. With my son we just did them the way the doctor told us. Our pediatrician for the twins does them a little more spaced out than the cdc recommendation but I think that is because they are receiving the Synagis vaccine for RSV. This was helpful. Thank you.

  8. This is a great feature to your blog, Metropolitan Mama. I have Dr. Sears' vaccine book, and it is a wonderful read. It breaks down the ingredients in each vaccine and tells what companies make them. Believe it or not, it is very interesting to read--not boring at all. Dr. Sears explains vaccines in clear and easy to understand terms without being patronizing. I recommend this book to all parents even if you aren't considering alternative vaccination schedules. If you are, this is also the book for you!

  9. I just ordered this book the other day! We did an alternative vax schedule with #1 and I'm interested to see how they compare.

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