AAP launches video series addressing questions about childhood vaccines

In its latest public campaign to encourage parents to vaccinate their children, the AAP launched a new series of videos that address common questions parents have about childhood vaccines.

The video series, produced in part by an educational grant, is hosted in a playlist on the AAP’s YouTube channel. It features pediatricians addressing crucial topics regarding pediatric vaccination, AAP president Moira A. Szilagyi, MD, PhD, FAAP said in a press release.

“We know parents have questions about immunizations,” Szilagyi said. “Your child’s pediatrician is a great resource for those answers, but we know many times these questions come up when you are not in the exam room. This new collection helps expand the ways AAP is reaching parents with information about their children’s health — wherever they happen to be.”

The first video in the series features Edith Bracho-Sanchez, MD, FAAP, a pediatrician and “new mama,” discussing the childhood immunization schedule, including why each vaccine is recommended at specific ages.

In the second video, pediatricians Whitney Casares, MD, FAAP, Anita Chandra, MD, FAAP, and Rebekah Fenton, MD, FAAP, answer frequently asked questions about vaccine side effects, measles, the cost of inoculations, and other topics. Casares, Chandra and Fenton will also feature in their own videos later in the series, the AAP said.

Future videos, to be published in February and March, will discuss vaccines recommended for preteens and teens, how disinformation about vaccines often spreads online, and how parents can find accurate information.

The series is the latest in the AAP’s campaigns to encourage parents to keep up with regular childhood vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic.