Immunizations

All Star Pediatrics Vaccine Policy Statement

We at All Star Pediatrics strongly believe in the importance of immunizations and their role in the health of all children. We follow the recommended schedule of immunizations as established by the American Academy of Pediatrics. In recent years there has been much discussion in the media and on the Internet regarding vaccines, much of it misleading and frightening. 

As medical professionals, we feel very strongly that vaccinating children on schedule with currently available vaccines is absolutely the right thing to do for all children and young adults. Thank you for your time in reading this policy, and please feel free to discuss any questions or concerns you may have about vaccines with any one of us:

We firmly believe in the effectiveness of vaccines to prevent serious illness and to save lives.
 
We firmly believe in the safety of our vaccines. 
 
We firmly believe that all children and young adults should receive all of the recommended vaccines according to the schedule published by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
 
We firmly believe, based on all available literature, evidence and current studies, that vaccines do not cause autism or other developmental disabilities. We firmly believe that thimerosal, a mercury based preservative that has been in vaccines for decades and remains in some vaccines, does not cause autism or other developmental disabilities. (Although none of the current vaccines we provide contain thimerosal.)
 
We firmly believe that vaccinating children and young adults may be the single most important health-promoting intervention we perform as health care providers, and that you can perform as parents/caregivers. The recommended vaccines and their schedule given are the results of years and years of scientific study and data gathering on millions of children by thousands of our brightest scientists and physicians.
 
These things being said, we recognize that there has always been and will likely always be controversy surrounding vaccination. Indeed, Benjamin Franklin, persuaded by his brother, was opposed to smallpox vaccine until scientific data convinced him otherwise. Tragically, he had delayed inoculating his favorite son Franky, who contracted smallpox and died at the age of four, leaving Ben with a lifetime of guilt and remorse. Quoting Mr. Franklin’s autobiography:
 
In 1736 I lost one of my sons, a fine boy of four years old, by the smallpox…I long regretted bitterly, and still regret that I had not given it to him by inoculation. This I mention for the sake of parents who omit that operation, on the supposition that they should never forgive themselves if a child died under it, my example showing that the regret may be the same either way, and that, therefore, the safer should be chosen.
 
The vaccine campaign is truly a victim of its own success. It is precisely because vaccines are so effective at preventing illness that we are even discussing whether or not they should be given. Because of vaccines, many of you have never seen a child with polio, tetanus, whooping cough, bacterial meningitis, or even chicken pox, or known a friend or family member whose child died of one of these diseases. Such success can make us complacent or even lazy about vaccinating.
 
But such an attitude, if it becomes widespread, can only lead to tragic results. After publication of an unfounded accusation (later retracted) that MMR vaccine caused autism in 1998, many people in Europe chose not to vaccinate their children. As a result of underimmunization, there were large outbreaks of measles, with several deaths from complications of the disease. In 2025 Texas experienced an outbreak of measles, largely in children not vaccinated against the disease, with 762 confirmed cases, 99 hospitalizations, and two deaths. Pertussis (whooping cough) cases have surged in recent years, from around 7,000 nationwide in 2023 to over 35,000 in 2024 with ten deaths. Again, many of those who contracted the illness made a conscious decision not to vaccinate. In addition to taking a significant risk with your child’s health and the health of others around them, by not vaccinating you are taking advantage of thousands of others who do vaccinate their children, which decreases the likelihood that your child will contract one of these diseases. We think such an attitude is unacceptable.
 
We are making you aware of these facts not to scare you or coerce you, but to emphasize the importance of vaccinating your child. We recognize that the choice is a very emotional one for some parents. We will do everything we can to convince you that vaccinating according to the schedule is the right thing to do. However, should you have doubts, please discuss these with your health care provider in advance of your visit. In some cases, we may alter the schedule to accommodate parental concerns or reservations.  Please be advised, however, that delaying or “breaking up the vaccines” to give one or two at a time over two or more visits goes against expert recommendations, and can put your child at risk for serious illness (or even death) and goes against our medical advice as providers at All Star Pediatrics. Such additional visits will require scheduling with a provider and possibly additional charges. Furthermore, please realize that you will be required to sign a “Refusal to Vaccinate” acknowledgement .  All patients in the practice are required to receive a minimum of DTaP, Hib, Polio and Pneumococcal vaccines by three months of age, all AAP-recommended immunizations including DTaP, Hib, PCV, MMR, and Varicella by the completion of the two year visit. Additionally, patients are required to receive DTaP, Polio, MMR and Varicella boosters by five years of age, and a booster dose of Tdap and first dose of meningococcal vaccine by twelve years of age, and a booster of that meningococcal vaccine at the 16 year visit. We also strongly support and recommend the RSV preventive antibody and Hepatitis B vaccine for all newborns, rotavirus vaccine at 2,4 and 6 months of age, Hepatitis A vaccine at 12 and 18 months of age, annual influenza vaccination for children over six months of age, and human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine at age 11. You can view the current AAP recommended schedule here:
 
https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/immunizations/Pages/Recommended-Immunization-Schedules.aspx
 
Finally, if you should absolutely refuse to vaccinate your child despite all our efforts, we will ask you to find another health care provider who shares your views. We do not keep a list of such providers, nor would we recommend any such physician. Please recognize that by not vaccinating you are putting your child at unnecessary risk for life threatening illness and disability, and even death.

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Recommended Immunization Schedule at All Star Pediatrics

Please click on the name of the vaccine below to see its associated Vaccine Information Sheet.

All Star Pediatrics Vaccine Policy Statement

Flu vaccine is recommended yearly, starting after 6 months of age.

Official Statement from All Star concerning Meningitis B Vaccine 

 
Other vaccine products are becoming available and more are coming along all the time. Our table lists only those vaccines currently recommended for all children by theAmerican Academy of Pediatrics.
 
 Please use the following websites as accurate and validated sources of information on vaccines, their safety, and their benefits in the prevention of many childhood illnesses
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• American Academy of Pediatrics
• Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)