Anti-Vax Doctor Facing Loss of License

Posted: Sep 13th, 2016 at 12:00AM - by e7 Health

Dr. Bob Sears, famed Anti-Vaccination doctor and author of The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child, has been charged by the California State Medical Board with "gross negligence" after writing a vaccine exemption letter for a toddler. This complaint could cost Dr. Sears his medical license.

The exemption letter, which was written in 2014, prescribed that a two year old boy was not to receive any more vaccinations after the child's mother told the doctor that the toddler had become limp "like a ragdoll" and lost urinary function for 24 hours after previous vaccines. The accusation states that Dr. Sears did not obtain any medical history or conduct any medical examinations on the child, and instead wrote the exemption based on the mother's word alone. The California Health Board has accused that by doing so, Dr Sears has placed the child, his family, and future contacts at risk of preventable communicable disease.

This is not the only time Dr. Sears has caused controversy in his practice. Dr. Sears has been criticized before by fellow pediatricians for his vaccination practices he uses with his patients. The doctor offers delayed vaccination scheduled to patients without informing the parents about the safety and testing associated with developed vaccine schedules and without fully informing his patients of the dangers of the diseases that the vaccines are meant to prevent. Dr. Sears defends his stance on this subject by stating he is offering the parents an alternative that they are more comfortable with. Current vaccine schedules undergo years of clinical testing to develop schedules that work safely and are most effective and are approved by the CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics. Patients who do not follow the approved schedules may receive less protection from the vaccines.

California recently signed a bill into law that revoked a parent's right to use personal and religious beliefs as an excuse to not have their child vaccinated. This affects children in public and private schools as well as childcare in the state of California. The law was passed in response to California's high level of unvaccinated children and the risk that it imposed on public health. This means that the only way an unvaccinated child can enter into the school system in California is to have a medical exemption like the one provided by Dr. Sears.

Make sure that your children are all caught up and on schedule with their vaccinations. Not sure which vaccines your children need? Call us and schedule an appointment today to meet with one of our medical staff to make sure your children are fully protected. If your children are under four years of age, make sure to call your child's pediatrician to check if they are up-to-date.