Mark Zuckerberg Shares Photo of Newborn Daughter at Vaccination Appointment

The Facebook CEO's photo with newborn daughter, Max, has sparked a debate.

ByABC News
January 11, 2016, 1:27 PM

— -- A photo posted by Mark Zuckerberg of himself with his newborn daughter at the doctor’s office has reopened the conversation on childhood vaccines.

Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, posted the photo on his own Facebook page Friday with the caption, “Time for vaccines!”

The Force Is With Mark Zuckerberg's Baby Max

The photo of Zuckerberg's newborn daughter Max dressed in a colorful onesie, received more than three million likes, thousands of shares and an opportunity for commentators to weigh in on the vaccine debate.

“I think it gives new meaning to that saying, ‘The shot heard ‘round the world,’” Dr. Jennifer Ashton, ABC News’ Chief Women's Health Correspondent, said today on “Good Morning America.” “Clearly Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Dr. Priscilla Chan, are following the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendation to vaccinate their baby on schedule.”

Zuckerberg, 31, and Chan, a pediatrician, announced the birth of their first child,Max, on Dec. 1.

“We need to remember, Dr. Chan, this beautiful baby’s mom, is a doctor, she’s a pediatrician,” Ashton said on “GMA.” “Clearly she is practicing what she preaches.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children receive their first round of vaccination shots around the time of their two-month pediatrician visit.

Ashton, a practicing Obstetrician-gynecologist, recommends that parents turn to their child’s pediatrician if they have questions about the vaccination schedule.

“They’ll counsel, explain and advise and they will say what’s recommended and when,” Ashton said of pediatricians. “So many parents worry, if they miss a dose, do they have to start from scratch?"

"The answer is no but I will say probably the biggest tip I can give? That vaccination record is gold, so bring it with you," she said. "Get copies of it because every single school and every single camp your child goes to, basically for life, will need that documentation,” she said.

Zuckerberg is currently home with Max after electing to take two months of paternity leave from Facebook following his daughter’s birth.

Zuckerberg and Chan announced a pledge at the time of Max’s birth to give away 99 percent of their Facebook shares over time to the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative LLC. The new organization will take on lofty goals, including connecting the world, reducing poverty and curing disease.

“They have the wealth, the fame and the platform to share their message. We know that they are global philanthropists and particularly interested in global public health,” Ashton said on “GMA.” “They’ve given $25 million to the CDC to fight Ebola so again ,for them, public health is personal.”