78 Doses?!: A Critical Review of the Childhood Vaccination Schedule

78 Doses?!: A Critical Review of the Childhood Vaccination Schedule

In 2025, most parents are surprised to learn there are 78 vaccine doses that are recommended to their children from birth to 18 years of age. Contrast this to the mid-1980s, when there were only a few doses recommended. In the last few decades, the childhood vaccination schedule has become more expansive, leading to children receiving more shots than ever before, starting on their first day of life. Justifiably, parents are becoming increasingly wary of injecting their children with so many vaccines and are questioning the necessity of these extensive schedules when these diseases should be declining. For example, in 1962, the CDC recommended only three vaccines for children. By 1983, this list grew to include 11 shots, and by 2019, it expanded to 54. In 2025, it is up to 78 vaccine doses. Let that sink in! This surge in vaccine recommendations happened without significant outbreaks or an increase in hospitalization rates for these vaccine-targeted diseases. Critics argue that the expansion of the vaccine schedule seems driven more by pharmaceutical interests than by genuine public health needs. In the book, “ 78 Doses!?: A Critical Look at the Childhood Vaccination Schedule ”, Dr. Kureshi delves into the most recent research into each childhood vaccine, and explains the real necessity of each dose, as well as the health risks that most pediatricians will not tell you. For example, is the Hepatitis B vaccine really necessary for newborns, given there is virtually zero risk of infants being exposed to the virus? While the CDC's childhood vaccination schedule is not law, many states use it to create their vaccine mandates, often adopting it fully and turning federal guidance into state law. Since proof of vaccination is required for school attendance, most parents feel they do not have a choice when it comes to questioning or declining vaccination for their children. Since 1986, there has been a 400% increase in chronic diseases among American children, with estimates that over 60% of all children suffer from at least one neurodevelopmental disease. While there is no direct evidence that childhood vaccination is responsible for this surge in chronic health issues, there is a hard to miss correlation that follows the timeline of increased vaccination and needs to be further evaluated. This book aims to ignite this conversation, to critically examine the reasons behind this extensive vaccination schedule, and to challenge the assumption that more is always better.