California pediatrician put on probation to exempt the child from all vaccines

A pediatrician from Southern California was put on probation this week after writing letters four years ago that exempted a child from all childhood immunizations. But the doctor maintains that he has "done nothing wrong".

Dr. Bob Sears, a virulent critic of mandatory vaccinations, will be under surveillance for 35 months following the decision of the Medical Board of California.

The pediatrician of Orange County, California, is accused of failing to obtain detailed medical history before writing the letters of 2014, which he wrote after the 2-year-old mother described the adverse reaction of the child to a previous vaccination, according to officials.

The doctor said that he ended up taking more than a year to receive the boy's medical records, Sears said he took the boy's mother to the word when she said that her son had lost urinary function and that he had "become limp" in response to previous vaccinations, reported the Los Angeles Times

. "Is not it my job to listen to my patients and believe what a parent said happened to her baby? Is not that what ALL the doctors are doing? with their patients? " Sears writes in a post on Facebook. often the only evidence we have – as doctors, we must trust our patients, just as our patients trust us to seek their best interest. "

He accepted a settlement with the state medical board on Wednesday, because" it was likely that I would get a probation anyway ", and to avoid going to trial, the report said: "After all, I do not want a child to receive medical treatment that could cause further harm. I will, first of all, do no harm, every time, "he added in his post, referring to a famous medical phrase.

Sears can continue to practice medicine, but will have to follow an ethics course

During his probationary period, he must also be supervised by another licensed physician, reported the Orange County Register.

The council also requires that Sears notify all locations where he practices in "This is not a banal decision, it's not a slap in the hand," said Dorit Reiss, a law professor at the University of California at Hastings, in New York. Times, July 27. "It really limits his ability to practice.

Rebecca Estepp, part of an alternative vaccine advocacy group, supports Sears.

"Many parents, including myself, are relieved that Dr. Sears is continuing his practice. and continue to serve his patients who rely on him, "Estepp told the Times

." Probation is the most common punishment for doctors in California accused of wrongdoing. "

But Sears said that four new cases were pending against him: [traduction] "It seems like there's an attempt to keep me on probation for the rest of my medical career," wrote Sears on Facebook

. , the state medical board withdrew 57 permits, while putting 197 doctors on probation in the last fiscal year.