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word cloud on measles

Contemporary Pediatrics recently spoke with Mary Koslap-Petraco, DNP, PNP-BC, CPNP, FAANP, a nationally known expert in immunization practice, about why measles infection rates have skyrocketed in her home state of New York, what’s in store for the rest of the United States during the current measles outbreak, and how physicians can engage with parents to boost immunization rates.

Most humans are not moved by data. So, when John V. Williams, MD, talks with vaccine-hesitant or opposed parents, he’ll often talk about what he has seen as a pediatrician and done as a parent.

image of words involving vaccination

Contemporary Pediatrics asked pediatric infectious diseases experts how community pediatricians can talk with families who are firmly against vaccinating their children or hesitant to do so. Here’s what they said.

Pediatricians play a powerful role in educating parents about vaccines’ importance and proven safety. The way they present the information can impact whether a vaccine-hesitant or opposed parent listens and ultimately approves or disapproves of childhood vaccines, according to Patricia Whitley-Williams, MD, president-elect of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases and chief of the Division of Allergy. Immunology, and Infectious Diseases at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, New Jersey.

The focus on screen time has been on its impact on toddlers and young children, but a new study in JAMA Pediatrics indicates that teenagers can be impacted by long periods of screen time as well, with negative mental health consequences.