Dr. Paul Thomas, a retired pediatrician who practiced for 35 years, spoke with CHD.TV Director Polly Tommey about questions many parents wrestle with: Do unvaccinated children get sick more often? When is hospital care really necessary? How should parents handle disease outbreaks, childhood fevers and family pressure to vaccinate?
Thomas, who no longer holds a medical license and now describes himself as a family coach, reflected on his career, his break from mainstream pediatrics and what he observed firsthand as more parents chose not to vaccinate.
Thomas said he walked away from conventional pediatrics after witnessing repeated vaccine injuries.
He recalled seeing “four kids in a row over four years regress into severe autism after vaccines,” an experience that changed his outlook permanently. “Once I saw vaccine injury, I couldn’t unsee it,” he said.
When Thomas stopped following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule, the four other pediatricians at his practice told him the decision was unethical and effectively forced him out.
He opened an integrative pediatrics practice, where the number of parents opting out of vaccines steadily increased year after year. “The percentage of parents choosing not to vaccinate at all was just growing and growing,” Thomas said.
‘As more and more kids were unvaccinated, I had fewer and fewer sick visits’
Unvaccinated children “can and do get sick,” Tommey said. Thomas agreed. But he said the illness patterns in his practice surprised him.
“What I saw in my practice in the real world was, as more and more kids were unvaccinated, I had fewer and fewer sick visits,” Thomas said.
Tommey described how many parents of healthy, unvaccinated children still worry about worst-case scenarios — particularly illnesses like measles or whooping cough. They also worry that because they didn’t vaccinate their kids, doctors and hospital healthcare workers will be hostile when they bring their children in for treatment.
Many families steer clear of hospitals because of the “awful” way unvaccinated children are treated, she said. Thomas agreed, saying hospital staff often treat parents who don’t vaccinate “as if they’re a bad parent.”
Thomas encouraged parents to look beyond hospitals by seeking out like-minded pediatricians in their communities. He suggested asking friends for recommendations and calling medical practices directly, and asking, “We’re looking for a new pediatric practice and we want to know if you have any pediatricians that will support families who don’t vaccinate.”
Nine out of 10 offices will say no, but “that one out of 10 — that’s your spot,” Thomas said.
Whooping cough vaccine ‘is failing terribly’
Thomas said 2025 is shaping up to be one of the worst years for whooping cough in decades, but he rejected claims that unvaccinated families are to blame.
“It’s not because of the unvaxxed,” he said. “It is because the vaccine is failing terribly.”
According to Thomas, the DTaP and Tdap vaccines do not provide lasting protection. People who received those vaccines are “more likely to get whooping cough multiple times” than those who developed natural immunity, he said.
He also said severe outcomes are rare. Deaths typically average one to four per year nationwide, and they happen in both vaccinated and unvaccinated populations, he said. Deaths are “probably more likely to be in the vaccinated,” he said.
Public health agencies often label children “unvaccinated” simply for being behind on the schedule, regardless of prior doses, Tommey said.
There are effective treatments for whooping cough. Thomas cited vitamin C protocols discussed by Dr. Suzanne Humphries, author of “Dissolving Illusions: Disease, Vaccines, and The Forgotten History.”
Vaccinated caregivers put babies at ‘increased risk’
Tommey raised concerns about infant deaths following DTaP vaccination, calling the shot “so dangerous.”
Thomas agreed that the vaccine’s risk-benefit analysis is skewed. “You are far more likely to die from the vaccine … than you are from whooping cough,” he said.
He criticized messaging that highlights infant deaths from pertussis while failing to examine vaccine risks.
“You hear these stories that babies are dying from whooping cough,” Thomas said. “That sounds horrible. And if there’s a vaccine that could prevent that, why wouldn’t you do that? Right? That’s the logic. But then you’ve got to look at the flip side. Well, how safe is that vaccine?”
Thomas also challenged the idea that vaccinating adults protects infants, saying vaccinated caregivers are more likely to contract and transmit whooping cough. “The chances of your baby getting infected by a vaccinated person are much higher than they are from an unvaccinated person,” he said. “The data is clear.”
As for grandparents being urged to get boosters, Thomas said the risk outweighs any benefit. “Grannies will do anything for the grandkids, but there’s no benefit. It’s actually increased risk,” he said.
Giving kids Tylenol after a vaccine is ‘magnifying the toxicity’
Thomas sharply criticized the routine use of Tylenol in infants, particularly in conjunction with a vaccine.
He said pediatricians routinely advised parents to give Tylenol before and after shots — advice he now sees is harmful. Tylenol interferes with glutathione production, which he described as the body’s “major detox molecule.”
“You inject the toxins, and then you give a product that’s going to prevent that child, that baby, from getting rid of the toxins. So you’re magnifying the toxicity,” he said.
Thomas said he advises all families — vaccinating or not — to remove Tylenol from their homes.
He also emphasized that fever itself is not dangerous. “Fever is good. Fever means your immune system’s working,” he said.
He recommended intervening only when fevers rise above 103 or 104 degrees and children become lethargic or super irritable. He encourages parents to use cooling methods like wet washcloths instead of medication.
‘You’ve got a precious cargo … don’t vaccinate while you’re pregnant’
Thomas urged pregnant women to avoid all vaccines, including Tdap, flu, COVID-19 and RSV shots.
“It’s insane to activate the immune system while you’re pregnant,” he said, linking immune activation to miscarriage and long-term neurodevelopmental issues.
He encouraged mothers to trust their instincts. “You’ve got a precious cargo,” he said. “Don’t vaccinate while you’re pregnant.”
Risks outweigh benefits for Hep B, Hib and pneumococcal vaccines
Thomas dismissed the Hep B vaccine as unnecessary for children, saying it is potentially relevant only for people who are sexually active or using dirty needles. He described the vaccine as “very dangerous,” citing its aluminum content. He said he would never take it himself.
“The Hep B’s always been nonsense and ridiculous. It’s all toxicity, no benefit,” he said.
On DTaP, he said diphtheria is virtually nonexistent in the U.S., tetanus deaths in children are unheard of and pertussis risks are outweighed by vaccine harms. For severe wounds, he said targeted treatment — such as tetanus immune globulin — is sufficient.
“If tetanus was so dangerous,” millions of unvaccinated kids would be dying. “They’re not,” he added.
Thomas also said the Hib vaccine no longer targets the strains causing current illness. While Hib once caused severe disease, he said today’s cases are rare and largely unrelated to the vaccine strain.
Regarding pneumococcal vaccines, Thomas acknowledged that children can die from pneumococcal infections but argued that the vaccine poses a greater risk than the disease, which he said is treatable.
Speaking out against vaccines has cost Thomas financially. He estimated he forfeited “millions” by abandoning high-volume vaccination practices and ultimately giving up his license.
But he said the tradeoff brought peace. “What a blessing to know what you’re doing is right and to have no doubt about it,” he said.
Watch Dr. Paul Thomas on CHD.TV here:
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