This article originally appeared onThe Defenderand was republished with permission.
Guest post byBrenda Baletti, Ph.D.
“Cocooning” — the practice of requiring family members and caregivers to get vaccinated before visiting a newborn — should be “left to the caterpillars,” according toDr. Robert Malone.
Public health officials and vaccine advocates firstintroduced the practice in 2004as a way toprotect infantswho are too young to be vaccinated, particularly against pertussis orwhooping cough.
However, cocooning lacks scientific backing.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recognized for more than a decade that the practice doesn’t appear to work well. CDC researchers concluded in 2016 thatcocooning“is costly, is plagued with implementation challenges, and has uncertain effectiveness.”
TheCDC’s vaccine advisory panelreported in 2011 that it was “an insufficient strategy to prevent pertussis morbidity and mortality in newborn infants,” yet continued to recommend it.
Today, the CDC puts more emphasis onmaternal vaccination. While the agency still recommends cocooning, it also notes that it may not be sufficient to protect infants.
However, theAcademy of American Pediatrics(AAP) still pushes the practice, and even takes it further, recommending cocooning, not just for pertussis or whooping cough, but also for otherillnesses, including flu and RSV.
The AAP also recommends that young children shouldn’t kiss babies and that families should continue the cocooning strategy even after infants get their ownvaccinations.
Source: The Vigilant Fox
