More than one in 10 parents use an “alternative” vaccination schedule for their young children, including refusing vaccines altogether, according to a new cross-sectional, internet-based survey of a nationally representative sample of parents (n = 748) of children six months to six years of age. The study found that of the 13% of parents who reported following an alternative vaccination schedule, most refused only certain vaccines (53%) and/or delayed some vaccines until the child was older (55%) but 2% of parents refused any vaccination altogether. Even among parents who did follow the recommended schedule, about one-quarter said they thought that delaying vaccines would be safer or that the expert-backed schedule was not the best one to follow (Pediatrics. 2011 Oct 3. PMID: PMID: 21969290). The study’s lead author, Dr. Amanda Dempsey, said “It’s really quite worrisome to me. Vaccine refusal and delay is not likely to go away anytime soon, and is likely to get significantly worse over time. We may just be seeing the tip of the iceberg right now.”
