In recent years, the word "vaccination" has been a cause of heated discussions for many parents across the country. While the vast majority of mothers and fathers support vaccinations for their children, a growing number of parents have chosen to opt out.

Even parents who decide to vaccinate their children tend to question whether or not they should. If you're among them, we commend you! Questioning is not a bad thing; you're just taking the first step toward making an informed decision – and you're not alone.

"A lot of people have a lot of questions, and they were afraid if they asked certain questions about vaccinations they would be pushed into the corner and labeled as someone who was uninformed," said Emmy-award-winning director, Sonya Pemberton, in an article about her PBS documentary, "NOVA: Vaccines-Calling The Shots." "We should ask questions about medicines, and vaccines are a form of medicines. These are healthy, normal questions and people shouldn't feel pigeon-holed. It's not us versus them, and it's not a debate."

MountainStar Ogden Pediatrics physician assistant, David F. Castro, has a lot of practice answering questions about vaccinations. Here are six of the most frequent queries from new moms and dads and Castro's answers for each of them:

1. I've heard that vaccinations can cause problems… Why should I expose my child to those risks?

First, Castro wants new moms to know that the benefits of childhood vaccinations far outweigh any risk.

"Certainly there are risks," Castro said. "However in my 30-plus years of practicing medicine, I'm aware of only one child who had any a significant complication after a vaccination."

The truth is vaccine side effects are extremely rare. According to the CDC, in most cases, they are minor and go away within a few days.

2. What about autism? Several celebrities say that a vaccination caused their child to become autistic.

In recent years, vaccinations have been front and center as the suspected reason for the increasing number of children diagnosed with autism. This trend was started by a study published in 1998 by British surgeon Andrew Wakefield and 12 colleagues. It suggested that the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine was the cause of autism.

After a dozen years of investigations, additional clinical research, and studies of more than 25 million children, the original study was retracted in 2010. Further, Wakefield et al. were found guilty of deliberate fraud following a journalistic investigation. To this day, there is no credible medical research linking autism and vaccines.

3. Why do my kids need vaccinations if most other people are immune?

A lot of people have a false security based on their understanding of herd immunity. The common misconception among parents is that most of the people in their communities are immunized, so their children don't have to be.

But Castro explains that this is not true. More than 90 percent of people have to be immunized to achieve herd immunity. So many people have leaned on other people's immunity that we're already way below that 90 percent mark in a growing number of communities when it comes to MMR vaccinations.

That's a matter of great concern because measles is highly contagious and can cause serious complications or even death. This viral illness was basically eliminated in the Unites States by the year 2000. Due to decreased vaccinations in children since that time, we had an outbreak in 2014 that affected 288 young people. Fifteen percent of them had serious complications that led to hospitalization.

Further, measles and other preventable diseases are not entirely eradicated globally and are all too common in some developing countries. They are really "just a plane ride away." This fact increases the possibility of your child being exposed to a disease carried to your community by someone from another country.

4. It seems like new vaccinations come out all the time; are they all necessary?

"I tend to favor older vaccinations over newer ones," Castro said. "I don't recommend every new vaccine, only those that are tried and tested. Take the chicken pox vaccine for example. Most people don't know that it was studied overseas for 30 years prior to coming to America. It was not brand-new when it came here."

Castro also noted that while the chicken pox vaccine is safe and effective, some parents choose to purposefully expose their children to others with the disease instead. This is not a good idea because it sets children up for an extremely painful case of shingles later in life. It is important to note that while it is possible to get shingles from the vaccine, the risk is significantly lower than getting shingles from a natural infection.

5. Why is it so important to immunize children before they start school?

According to recent research conducted by the CDC, it is estimated that vaccinations will prevent more than 21 million hospitalizations and 732,000 deaths among children born in the last 20 years.

Getting vaccinations before school starts also reduces the chance that a child with a disease causing an outbreak. A large congregation of schoolchildren is the perfect place for an outbreak to start and rapidly spread throughout a community.

6. Where can people turn for the most up-to-date and credible research on immunizations?

• American Academy of Pediatrics
• CDC Immunization website
• immunize.org
• voicesforvaccines.org
• World Health Organization
• PaulOffitt.com

The decision to vaccinate children is one that we encourage parents to make in an informed manner, with full knowledge of the benefits and risks involved. Do your research so that you can rest assured that the decision you made was the right one. If you have questions about vaccinations, don't be afraid to ask your doctor or healthcare professional.

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