The myths behind getting your child vaccinated

Most children are required to have up-to-date vaccines, but the government also allows families to opt out for reasons of conscience. This can leave kids open to deadly diseases.

Peter Hotez, doctor of the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development and professor the Baylor College of Medicine said if your child has no medical reason to avoid vaccines, it's a bad idea.

"We're going to see a return of serious and sometimes even deadly childhood infectious diseases," Hotez said.

Hotez said the most vulnerable children aren't even old enough to go to school yet, but they can still be exposed to illnesses.

"We're in a very dangerous situation where we can start seeing measles outbreaks at any time," Hotez said.

He said babies under a year old could die from illnesses like measles. But with Texas ranking among states with the lowest vaccination rates, a sign, Hotez says, of a growing distrust of vaccines among the public.

He mentioned the false belief that vaccines are linked to autism, a theory that has actually been proven false in scientific studies. Hotez guarantees this cannot happen.

"We've learned so much now about what autism really is and how it begins prenatally, well before kids are ever vaccinated," Hotez said.

Autism happens to connect two of the things he's most passionate about – his work as a scientist and as a dad.

His daughter Rachel has autism, so he's never been more dedicated to fighting against this false belief.

"Just like a child has a right to be — if they're in a car, to be in a car seat or a safety belt — they have a fundamental right to be protected against deadly diseases by being vaccinated," Hotez said. "It's not a choice, it's a requirement as a parent."