Parental refusal to immunize a 2-month-old infant

At a 2-month health supervision visit, Monica's pediatrician was surprised by her mother's wish to withhold immunizations. At prior encounters with her parents, including a prenatal visit, the meeting after Monica's birth, and the 2-week health supervision visit, there was no indication that standard immunizations would be refused. Monica's parents informed her pediatrician that the potential side effects from the immunization led them to think that their healthy child should not be immunized. After talking with other parents in the neighborhood, watching a television program on "children who were brain damaged after getting their shots," and looking at several web sites for parents on the Internet, they concluded that it was safer to withhold the immunizations. "Monica is so healthy.....why give her shots that may make her very sick?" Monica was the first child born to these college-educated parents who had been married for 5 years. The pregnancy was full term and notable for two transient episodes of spotting in the first trimester. Both parents looked forward to Monica's birth. There were no perinatal problems, breast feeding was successful with an appropriate weight gain, and the physical examination was normal. The pediatrician explained to the parents that she understood their concerns. "Most of the things we give children for prevention or treatment of disease may be associated with possible side effects. In the case of immunizations, the chance of a serious side effect is much less than the risk that Monica might acquire one of the diseases we can prevent with an immunization. I have seen a few unimmunized infants who were hospitalized with a very serious case of whooping cough, one of the diseases we can prevent by immunizing Monica." The parents thanked the pediatrician for the information and agreed to read several pamphlets about immunizations. The pediatrician observed that her interchange with the parents was cordial but stressful, for both herself and Monica's parents. As the parents left the office, she wondered if there was a more effective way to talk about immunizations with parents who refuse to immunize their children.