Delaying the administration of vaccines is a dangerous notion, according to doctor and advocacy groups who are countering statements made at Wednesday night’s GOP debate.
Front-runner Donald Trump questioned whether vaccines are linked to autism, a common concern among anti-vaxxers that has been debunked by numerous scientific studies.
“I am totally in favor of vaccines, but I want smaller doses over a longer period of time,” Trump said Wednesday night.
That notion of delaying vaccines was echoed by neurosurgeon Ben Carson, Trump’s closest competitor.
“Vaccines are very important, certain ones,” Carson said. “There are others, there are a multitude of vaccines which probably don’t fit in that category, and there should be some discretion in those cases.”
The neurosurgeon did not elaborate on which vaccines require such discretion.
Carson did say that there is no evidence of a link between vaccines and autism.
But Carson and Trump’s comments for spacing out the administration of vaccines dismayed medical officials.
“There is no ‘alternative’ immunization schedule,” said Karen Remley, executive director of the American Academy of Pediatrics. “Delaying vaccines only leaves a child at risk of disease for a longer period of time; it does not make vaccinating safer.”
The group also emphasized that there is no link to autism and that it is “dangerous to public health to suggest otherwise.”
The Autism Self Advocacy Network also said it was “disappointed” that politicians continue to focus on a supposed link between vaccines and autism.
“Despite a wealth of scientific evidence debunking any link between autism and vaccinations, tonight’s Republican primary debate featured prominent commentary from a leading candidate repeating inaccurate information,” the advocacy group said late Wednesday.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Tom Frieden also emphasized no link between vaccines and autism.
“There is a serious problem of autism,” Frieden said during a Thursday press conference in Washington on the flu vaccine. “The discussion [on vaccines] has interfered with our study on what is autism so we can provide better services to the children who have autism.
Another point made by candidates was whether parents should have the choice to opt out of giving their children vaccines.
Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul also weighed in on the issue, saying that he is for vaccines but also for freedom, a reference to several states’ efforts to end personal and religious exemptions for opting out of vaccines. California passed a state law this year that ends personal and religious exemptions.
This is far from the first time the candidates have had to weigh in on vaccines, and with differing results. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was criticized this year when he said parents need “a measure of choice” when it comes to vaccines.
A 2014 outbreak of measles in Disneyland brought the issue of vaccines to the fore. The outbreak was linked mainly due to parents who did not vaccinate their children.
