Social Support Networks When You Stop Smoking
It is much harder to break the habit of smoking than it is to break an ordinary habit, such as biting your nails. Some of the same techniques may apply, such as keeping your hands busy or distracting yourself when you have an urge. But because nicotine is addictive, quitting can cause unpleasant physical and emotional side effects. This is when having a social support network becomes very important.
If you live in Bucks County, we have a smoking cessation program offered free of charge. You will learn many tips and tricks to get through difficult moments and you will receive support from our team of experts.
Nicotine stimulates the parts of the brain that release chemicals that make you feel good. When you feed your brain nicotine frequently, the nicotine changes the way your brain works, and eventually, your brain will need nicotine in order to release these feel-good chemicals. Your brain has become addicted. When you stop smoking, it can take a few weeks for your brain to return to its pre-nicotine ability to function.
Support options
During this time of withdrawal and “rewiring” of your brain, you should have a wide array of techniques to help you get past the most difficult hurdles and stay on track. At BCHIP, we offer a free Quit Smoking Program with a support system of others who are quitting with you and leaders who have been through it and have “kicked the habit.” Both in-person and virtual sessions are available for your convenience.
Besides our program, which also offers strategies for success, try to line up some allies among family and friends whom you can talk to when cravings arise and you’re struggling to stay on track. Often, your friends can help you by distracting you and reminding you of your “why” – the reason why you want to quit.
If you know someone else who wants to quit, see if he or she would like to quit with you. You could attend the BCHIP sessions together. Working together can make you both stronger. Since you’ll both know the strategies and techniques, you will be able to remind each other of them when you’re struggling and encourage each other through difficult times.
Other online support groups are available, and you can even harness technology to help you succeed. There are apps to help you quit, sending you regular supportive texts daily to encourage you. Other apps help you track your cravings, triggers, and progress. These are great stats to share with your support system, who can give you kudos for your successes and suggest strategies for getting past the rough patches.
For your convenience, BCHIP offers two online options and two in-person options in two different locations. Get started with our Quit Smoking Program, build a support team, and be ready for success in your challenge to quit smoking.
Should Vaccines Be Mandatory?
BCHIP is a pro-vaccine organization because vaccines can help you protect yourself and your family. We also believe in the intelligent and peaceful discussion of whether someone or their family should be vaccinated. Every family in Bucks County should make the best decisions for their members. The US population is very polarized on many issues, though recent polls show that most Americans want to receive an updated COVID-19 vaccine.
Mandatory vs. Forced Vaccination
They sound alike, but there are key differences.
A mandatory vaccination would involve the fact that you must be vaccinated to get some benefit or be able to participate in something, or you will face some kind of penalty if you’re not vaccinated. If vaccinations are mandatory, you likely need the vaccination if you want to go to work, see a movie, or have your kids attend public school. Usually, there are limits if a person has a health condition or they have a sincerely held religious belief that contradicts vaccine use.
These types of vaccinations have generally held up in US courts. Mandatory vaccinations might not violate someone’s constitutional rights, according to the National Constitution Center. The cases go back to the early 1900s and concern smallpox vaccinations.
When deciding a 1905 case in which the plaintiff claimed a Massachusetts town, by mandating vaccination and fining those who refused, was unconstitutional, the US Supreme Court ruled that states, because of their general police powers, could enact mandatory vaccine laws to protect citizens without violating their rights. States are empowered to pass laws that protect the public’s health, safety, and general welfare.
116 years later, the court decided not to take the appeal of a lower court decision ruling the University of Indiana’s mandatory vaccination program was constitutional. Eight students sued the university, claiming their constitutional rights would be violated by mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations, even when exemptions for religious, ethical, and medical reasons practically guaranteed anyone seeking an exemption would get one, according to the New York Times.
On the other hand, a forced vaccination could entail physically restraining an adult and administering a vaccination, or vaccinating a child at school with their parents having no say in the matter.
If the Situation Demands It, Mandatory Vaccinations Are the Right Thing to Do
If a disease outbreak threatens enough people with severe complications or death, it’s appropriate for government and employers to mandate vaccine use, as long as there are exceptions for religious beliefs and health conditions that may make a vaccine a greater health threat than the disease. There would need to be a cataclysmic, society-threatening disease outbreak to even consider forced vaccinations.
With rights come responsibilities. If you choose not to be vaccinated, you should be mindful of others since you may spread the disease to those unable to be safely vaccinated. You should comply with restrictions meant to protect others. Just as your right to swing your fist ends at my nose, your right to do whatever you want after not being vaccinated should end if your choice endangers others’ health and safety.
For more vaccine information, call the Bucks County Health Improvement Partnership (BCHIP) at 267-291-7882 or complete our online contact form.
How to Share Your Advance Health Care Directive
Your advance health care directive, also known as a living will, tells medical professionals and your family what health care decisions you want to be made for you, should you be unable to speak for yourself. BCHIP offers a free Advance Care Planning Consultation to help you with the process of completing an advance directive or you can use our simple form with reflection guidelines to help you think through and address the most important questions that you will have to consider. Once your living will is completed, where should you keep it and who gets copies?
BCHIP’s program can assist you in the distribution of your advance directive. Suggested recipients include:
- Your physician(s)
- Hospital(s) you would be taken to
- Your healthcare agents
- Family members
Who gets your advance directive?
Your primary care physician and all other healthcare agents whose care you are under should have a copy of your advance care directive. The local hospitals where you would most likely be taken in case of an emergency should have a copy on file, as should your medical power of attorney and all named healthcare agents.
If you have a lawyer, he or she should also have a copy.
Of course, a living will is a “living” document, which means it can be updated any time you change your mind, so you may want to keep a list of those to whom you have given a copy so that you can also give them an updated copy, if necessary.
Where to keep your advance directive
Keep several copies for yourself in various places where someone might look for them.
- Keep a copy in your medical file. Your medical file is a collection of information for your medical powers of attorney to easily access. It should include a list of names of your doctors, any medical conditions you have, recent medical procedures, a list of medications you take, and any other pertinent medical information. This file will be very helpful if you are unable to answer questions about your medical history. In this file, you should also keep a copy of your advance directive / living will.
- If you have a safe at your house or a safety deposit box at a bank, put a copy in there.
- Some people will also share an online link, such as Google Drive or a more secure online document storage service, which is shared with friends and family. The advantage of an online document–which you alone should have the authority to edit–is that if you update it, all your loved ones will have access to your most recent document.
- We recommend you also keep a card in your wallet or your purse, which summarizes some of your core beliefs and tells the reader where your document can be found.
For more information or to schedule your FREE Advance Care Planning conversation with our trained facilitators, please contact Bucks County Health Improvement Partnership (BCHIP) at 267-291-7882, email ccampbell@bchip.org, or via our website www.bchip.org.
Pregnancy and Smoking
If you are pregnant and a smoker, it is important to cut back or really stop smoking as soon as possible. If you live in Bucks County, PA, you don’t have to do it alone. We offer a free smoking cessation program that gives you all of the support you need.
Why is it dangerous to smoke when you are pregnant?
Smoking while pregnant puts both you and your baby at risk of serious health effects. Every puff of a cigarette (e-cigarette, vaping product, or any tobacco product) releases harmful chemicals into your system that will impact your pregnancy and your baby. Our goal is not to scare you but to support you as you quit. We applaud you for just researching the idea, and we are here to help you with BCHIP’s free smoking cessation class. Even if you are far into your pregnancy, it’s never too late to stop. Every cigarette or tobacco product you don’t smoke is that much less toxin in your baby’s system.
Some of the risks to you from smoking during pregnancy include:
- Abnormal bleeding, placenta abruption, placenta previa
- Ectopic pregnancy
- Preterm delivery, premature rupture of membranes
- Miscarriage
- Stillbirth (smoking doubles the risk)
Smoking can even decrease fertility, reducing the chance of a woman conceiving in any given cycle by 40%. In men, smoking can damage sperm, which can mean either poor fertility or unhealthy babies, and can contribute to impotence.
Some of the risks to your baby from smoking during pregnancy include:
- Birth defects like cleft palate or cleft lip
- Heart defects
- Preterm birth, which can lead to poorly developed hearing, eyesight, lungs, heart
- Low birth weight, which often leads to additional health problems in life
- Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) – SIDS is 22% more likely in babies whose mothers smoked while pregnant
Second-hand smoke can be detrimental to newborns as well, increasing their risk of upper respiratory infections, asthma, and ear infections.
Questions about quitting while pregnant
What if I fail?
Don’t worry. If you join a good support group, like our Quit Smoking Program, you will have the support you need to keep you on track and decrease the likelihood of giving in to the urge to smoke. But even if you do, we will be there to give you moral support and advice to help you start the quitting process again. Remember, any decrease in cigarette smoke will be healthier for you and your baby.
I’m already pregnant and stressed – I relax with a cigarette. Isn’t it better for my baby if I’m less stressed?
In our program, we help you discover de-stressing activities that will actually help you and your baby be healthier and calmer. Many people use smoking as an easy crutch to lean on. But it’s a very expensive habit, and finances are one of the biggest stressors in most people’s lives. And you will likely find, as you detox from nicotine, that smoking was actually making you feel more stressed than you realized. The calming effects are temporary, lasting only until you need another cigarette. We’ll help you find a better way to calm down.
Isn’t it too late to quit now? I’m halfway through my pregnancy.
As mentioned above, it’s never too late to quit. With every puff you don’t take, you are helping your baby grow healthy. And once your baby is born, he or she will have clean air to breathe, rather than secondhand smoke.
I already had a healthy baby while smoking. Why worry about it now?
The risks to your baby and your own health are significant. If you and your older child were fortunate enough to dodge the odds, there’s no guarantee you will again. You are older and have been smoking longer, and every baby is different. Ask yourself, too, if your older child has frequent colds, breathing issues, allergies, or other health problems that may not have been obvious at birth but have set in since. These may be the result of systems developing poorly during pregnancy.
Give your baby the best chance at a healthy start in life and protect yourself from pregnancy complications. Look into our free Quit Smoking Program here.
Is the COVID-19 Vaccine Safe for My Child?
COVID-19 vaccines are safe for children. Vaccine use by children in the US goes back more than a hundred years. This vaccine, and vaccines in general, are effective and safe ways to help keep your child and other children healthy.
Vaccines are vital tools that reduce infection and disease rates globally, according to an article in the Patient Safety in Surgery journal. Vaccination use dates back to eleventh-century China. More than 672 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been given in the US from December 14, 2020, through March 1, 2023, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Before their approval, COVID-19 vaccines were evaluated in clinical trials with tens of thousands of participants. Serious safety problems are rare, and the vaccine’s benefits outweigh its risks.
Can My Child Be Vaccinated?
COVID-19 vaccines for children six months and older, with boosters for those five and older, are approved by the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and recommended by the CDC, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Should My Child Get the COVID-19 Vaccine?
The vaccine can prevent a COVID-19 infection and the serious illness that can come with it, including severe lung infections. A long-term COVID-19 complication you may prevent is a multisystem inflammatory syndrome which involves the inflammation of several organs.
Vaccinating your child can also help prevent the infection’s spread to other children and adults. If fewer children develop a COVID-19 infection, it reduces the chances a more dangerous and vaccine-resistant virus variant will develop.
Are There Side Effects?
The injection site may become painful. Your child may feel drowsy, tired, irritable, and have a fever. Side effects generally clear within 48 hours of the vaccination.
Is COVID-19 Vaccine Technology Safe?
Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines use mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) to trigger an immune response. Traditional vaccines use a fragment of a virus or bacteria to accomplish this. This vaccine uses a piece of a protein found in the COVID-19 virus instead. These vaccines are FDA-approved, and billions of these shots have been used worldwide.
Does the COVID-19 Vaccine Cause Heart Problems?
There are more than a thousand reports of myocarditis (heart muscle inflammation) and pericarditis (heart lining inflammation) after some people received COVID-19 vaccinations in the US since April 2021, according to the CDC. Most of these cases were mild and resolved on their own.
Myocarditis is a much more frequent complication of the COVID-19 infection than of the vaccine. If you’re concerned about your child getting this condition, they are likely better off being vaccinated.
Should a Child With a Pre-existing Condition Get the COVID-19 Vaccine?
Children and teens with pre-existing conditions like autoimmune diseases and diabetes or who take medications that compromise their immune system have a higher risk of complications from a COVID-19 infection, reports the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
The approved vaccines can’t cause COVID-19, even in children with weakened immune systems. If a child isn’t allergic to a vaccine ingredient, they may be vaccinated. You should discuss any concerns about a COVID-19 vaccination with your pediatrician.
Do You Have Questions or Concerns About Vaccines?
If so, let’s start the conversation. Call the Bucks County Health Improvement Partnership at 267-291-7882 or complete our online contact form.
Health Care Directives for Complex Medical Decisions
If you have a complicated medical condition or multiple health issues in Bucks County, it is very important that you create thorough advance healthcare directives. These documents spell out possible risks and the medical decisions that you would like to have made on your behalf in the event that you cannot speak for yourself.
An Advance Healthcare Directive form usually has several sections, including:
Do Your Research
Talk to your doctor and your specialists about what you can expect regarding your condition over time. Ask questions such as:
You may also want to clarify with your doctor some of the terms on the advance directive form, such as what constitutes life-sustaining medical care, whether you are a candidate for organ or tissue donation, and what comfort care might be appropriate.
For instance, “life-sustaining” can be interpreted very broadly. Food and water are life-sustaining, and oxygen is life-sustaining, but most people don’t intend that they be deprived of food, water, or oxygen. Therefore, talk to your doctor about the types of life-sustaining treatments, when they are useful, and which ones may be futile if death is otherwise imminent.
Whether you are a stroke survivor or someone with cardiac issues, diabetes, high blood pressure, or a degenerative condition such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, or severe arthritis, it is important to thoroughly research what treatments you may need in the future, communicate your wishes to your medical power of attorney, and ensure that the person you’ve chosen and any secondary or tertiary medical agents will respect your wishes. Put it in writing, sign it, and make sure your loved ones and your physicians have a copy of your wishes in order to assure that they will be carried out.
BCHIP Can Help
Visit our Advance Care Planning page for more information or download our Advance Healthcare Directive Form.
Side Effects When You Stop Smoking
If you want to quit smoking, it is best to be prepared for the possible side effects. Trying to break the smoking habit can be difficult because of the physical withdrawal your body goes through. Nicotine is an addictive substance, and as with any physical addiction, the body gets used to having it in the system and must realign itself to not having it anymore.
One of the most common reasons why people are unable to quit smoking is because it’s uncomfortable and they don’t have the support they need to stay the course. Our free, 5-session Quit Smoking Program provides you with the moral support you need to keep going until the addiction has been completely broken.
Nicotine withdrawal symptoms
Some of the most common side effects from nicotine withdrawal include:
- Headaches and irritability from the body’s craving for nicotine
- Fatigue and lack of concentration as the brain is denied the stimulant of nicotine
- Nausea, hunger, constipation, gas, and stomach pain as the digestive system expels toxins and adjusts to fewer stimulants in the system
- Sore throat, dry throat, coughing, and post-nasal drip as the body tries to rid itself of accumulated phlegm
- Feelings of anxiety, depression, restlessness, and insomnia or other sleep issues as the brain readjusts its signals and brain waves
While these symptoms are very unpleasant, they are actually a good sign! They mean that your body is trying to adjust to living without nicotine. Remember, none of these symptoms will cause you any harm. They’re just uncomfortable. Plan ahead with strategies to combat them and you’ll increase your likelihood of success.
Prepare ahead
As mentioned, our Quit Smoking Program will give you moral support from others going through the process with you as well as great strategies to keep you on track and help you succeed.
In addition, you may want to talk to your co-workers and loved ones. Let them know you want to quit smoking and ask them for support. You might also want to apologize in advance for any irritability that you may take out on them. Share with them the likely side effects and ask them to help you manage them. The more support you have the better.
Our program also evaluates nicotine replacement therapies such as the nicotine patch or gum and provides support for those who are using them. If you are going to utilize one of these treatments, there may be additional side effects. Talk to your doctor so you know what to expect.
We want you to succeed so you can live a nicotine-free life. Our smoking cessation programs are offered both in-person and virtually so that you can join us from anywhere. Visit our website today to learn more.
Relying on Herd Immunity is Not How You Want to Stay Healthy
Should you not vaccinate your children and rely on herd immunity? Many animals live in herds because living in a group makes it harder for predators to kill them. Herd immunity can also help communities withstand infectious diseases, but it comes at a cost. Those “free riders” who want the benefits of herd immunity without using a vaccine make the process of establishing herd immunity more difficult and more lengthy.
What is Herd Immunity?
Herd immunity (or community or population immunity), according to the Cleveland Clinic, means so many people in a group or area have immunity against an infectious agent that it’s tough for the infection to spread or to mutate into something for which few are immune. That immunity occurs because group members survived a past infection, were vaccinated, or acquired antibodies through a passive transfer.
How Does Herd Immunity Develop?
The best way to reach herd immunity is through vaccination. Passive immunity means you obtain antibodies from others. This happens when antibodies are passed to a fetus during pregnancy, to newborns through breast milk, or to a person through blood products with antibodies. Developing immunity after an infection risks severe short and long-term complications and possibly death.
It’s very unlikely herd immunity against COVID-19, for example, would develop without vaccines. It would require far more people to get sick, resulting in many more complications and a significant increase in deaths.
Even with vaccines, achieving herd immunity can be difficult:
- A part of the population refuses to be vaccinated
- Some won’t be vaccinated for health reasons
- Some with compromised immune systems can’t produce antibodies despite being vaccinated
- It may not be known how long vaccine-related immunity lasts, or it may be highly variable from person to person
- Vaccines may not be equally available to those in a populatio
Given all these unknowns, simply relying on herd immunity, which may never occur, to stay healthy during an outbreak is not a sensible approach.
What Have We Learned About Herd Immunity?
Vaccines provide effective protection against many deadly diseases. We don’t consider measles fatal, but about 5% of children who get it in areas without good medical care die of it. After a measles vaccine became readily available in the US, cases dropped by more than 99%.
In 2000, measles was declared eliminated in the US in 2000, but there have been outbreaks. Four years ago, 1,282 cases were confirmed in the US, the highest number since 1992. They occurred because unvaccinated people traveled to countries where it was more widespread. When they returned, it passed to others in the US who were also unvaccinated.
Herd immunity is more likely when there are effective vaccinations against diseases caused by one organism (such as smallpox or measles). It’s less likely in cases like the flu, which is caused by many different types of viruses (US flu shots protect against four viruses). Despite its limitations, flu shots prevent deaths and reduce severe complications and hospitalizations.
Did Herd Immunity Work for COVID-19?
Sweden took a different approach to the COVID-19 pandemic compared to most countries, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. It unofficially tried to achieve herd immunity in 2020 as a national strategy.
Many businesses and organizations remained open without restrictions, including restaurants, elementary and middle schools, public transportation, gyms, malls, and movie theaters. Public gatherings were limited to 50 or fewer people, and they closed high schools, universities, and museums and canceled public sporting events.
Compared to the US, the Swedes enjoyed more freedom of movement and were more able to access businesses, but the cost was high. By the end of May 2020, Sweden had almost 41,000 COVID-19 cases causing more than 4,500 deaths in a population of about 10 million.
Neighboring Norway and Finland combined had less than 600 COVID-19 deaths during that time. The architect of the country’s herd immunity plan, Anders Tegnell, admitted at a June 2020 press conference that “too many people had died too soon” as a result, though he stated they were taking the right approach.
After that initial, deadly COVID-19 wave, Swedes changed their behavior. Their excess mortality was worse than other Scandinavian countries but lower than the rest of Europe, according to Bloomberg. They quarantined when sick, worked from home, kept apart when possible, and most chose the protection of vaccines over herd immunity when they became available.
Do You Have Questions or Concerns About Vaccines?
If so, let’s start the conversation. Call the Bucks County Health Improvement Partnership at 267-291-7882 or complete our online contact form.
Relapsing as You Quit Smoking
While you’re trying to quit smoking, or even after you’ve successfully quit, you may give in to the craving for a cigarette. When this happens, some people end up feeling like they blew it and just give up and go back to smoking regularly. Try to resist that reaction. It is common to slip up, and you haven’t failed. Here in Bucks County, our Smoking Cessation program will give you the tools to successfully handle a craving.
Slip vs. relapse
It is not uncommon for a smoker who is quitting to have a cigarette or two. Even after quitting, you may find yourself in the presence of a smoker and just can’t resist sharing a cigarette. You may be stressed and think “I really need a cigarette” and you give in. This is what we call a slip.
A relapse is when you go back to smoking regularly. Sometimes a slip can lead to a relapse, especially if you smoked many cigarettes a day. Sometimes just one puff is enough to unravel all your hard effort to quit.
When this happens, it’s understandable to be disappointed, but be gentle with yourself. Quitting any habit is difficult, and overcoming nicotine addiction is especially hard.
Reclaiming your freedom
Maybe you’re lucky enough to be able to only have that one cigarette and go back to being smoke-free. If so, congratulations! But many people need a little more help to continue on their journey toward a smoke-free life.
Every incident is an opportunity to learn and grow. Look at the situation and ask yourself what may have triggered the need for the cigarette. Was it the location? The people? The events? Did you really need it, or did you just want it? What were you thinking about when you took the smoke? This self-examination can help prevent you from relapsing.
But what if you have already relapsed? Don’t worry, you now know you can quit, it is possible for you, and you can do it again. Relapsing is now part of your journey, and it’s an opportunity to learn where you still need to become stronger, what situations you need to avoid, and what support you need to prevent it from happening again.
If you haven’t tried a smoking-cessation support group, try it now to help you finish your success story. We offer a free, 5-week Quit Smoking Program to help you. You can choose between an in-person or virtual group. If you already used a support group, don’t be embarrassed to join again! You will probably be able to help others on the journey because they will be able to learn from the lessons you share. And they will be more determined to cheer you on to a final victory over nicotine.
If someone you love relapses
What if it’s not you who relapsed but someone you love? Take these lessons to heart and don’t make your loved one feel shame. Try to remind your loved one why he or she decided to quit in the first place. Discuss the benefits of being smoke-free and find a support group to help your loved one succeed.
With failure comes progress. Don’t give up, join our Quit Smoking Program to give you the support you may need, and get back to being smoke-free.
Unlike Most Myths, Those About Vaccines Cause Harm
If you are confused about vaccine safety, please know that what you hear as sound bites are often myths. We grew up with myths. George Washington as a child, chopped down a cherry tree and admitted it to his father. Atlantis was an ancient, advanced civilization that sank into the ocean. Columbus discovered America. These falsehoods may confuse, but no one died because they believed George Washington could not lie.
Vaccine myths are another story.Vaccine use can save lives. One study estimates that in the first five months of their use, COVID-19 vaccines saved about 139,000 lives, according to the National Institutes of Health.
The COVID-19 pandemic was a perfect storm for vaccine criticism. Before it happened, a small group publicly opposed their use. Through social media and media outlets, they found a much larger audience of Americans frustrated by and skeptical of the government’s response to the infection. As a result, many of us who never questioned vaccine use before refuse to get them. This is a bad idea for these individuals and the community. Here are some vaccine myths and the reality.
Vaccines are a personal choice.
Yes and no. If you’re conscious and mentally competent, you decide what healthcare you get and don’t get, including vaccines. However, unless there’s an exemption, some workers in the healthcare field, members of the military, and children attending childcare or school in Pennsylvania must be vaccinated.
Smoking tobacco can also be seen as a personal choice, but you’re impacting others with second-hand smoke. Widespread vaccine use prevents some diseases. If they’re not used, it helps their spread and other people are harmed, just as tobacco smoke can harm someone not smoking. It may be a personal choice, but not using vaccines impacts more people than you.
Vaccines are toxic.
Depending on the vaccine and the person, a vaccine may be toxic. But, overall, they are safe and effective. The chances of a severe adverse reaction to a vaccine are tiny. On average, of a million people who receive vaccinations, one or two individuals may suffer a severe reaction, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. If all 13 million people in Pennsylvania received a vaccination, approximately between 13 and 26 people would have a severe reaction. In comparison, your chances of dying in a vehicle accident are about one in 93
If you have any questions or doubts about the safety of a vaccine, contact your healthcare provider to discuss the chances that you may have a serious reaction or complication if you use it.
I know what is best for my child.
You may know many things that are best for your child. You know their personality, how they might respond to a situation, and their likes and dislikes. Unless your child had a specific reaction to a particular vaccination, or you’re a healthcare professional, if you think your child will have a bad reaction or complication to a vaccine, it’s a pure guess, probably based on false information. If you have concerns about your child’s use of vaccines, talk to your pediatrician.
Vaccines cause harm.
Vaccines can cause harm, but it’s extremely rare. Generally, a child receiving a vaccine has less than a one-in-a-million chance of suffering a bad reaction, and the risk of permanent harm is even smaller. You probably expose yourself and your child to far greater risks without thinking about it. Injuries due to a firearm, swimming pool, or vehicle are far more likely.
Do You Have Questions or Concerns About Vaccines?
If so, let’s start the conversation. Call the Bucks County Health Improvement Partnership at (267) 291-7882 or fill out our online contact form
