Fears among parents that the current regimen of infant vaccinations involves too many vaccines too soon have reinvigorated the debate over childhood vaccine safety. In October 2007, Dr. Robert Sears published "The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child," which included an alternative vaccine schedule that would allow parents to delay or avoid many vaccines for their children.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has issued an updated childhood vaccination schedule. Along with those guidelines, they released an article that outlines their opinion of the safety and efficacy issues associated with following an alternative vaccine schedule. Dr. Paul Offit, lead author of the report, wrote in this article that "at the heart of the problem with Sears' schedules is the fact that, at the very least, they will increase the time during which children are susceptible to vaccine-preventable diseases."
Sears said he believes many vaccine experts are misinterpreting his work as "anti-vaccine," while his actual intent was to show parents how to immunize their children in ways with which they may feel more comfortable.