California Code 39-4801 Research Paper

[Vaccinations have lowered the death rates of Americans over the years. According to McNeil “in November 2007, death rates for 13 diseases that can be prevented by childhood vaccinations were at all-time lows…nine of the diseases, rates of hospitalization or death had declined more than 90 percent. For three…death rates had dropped by 100 percent” (Paragraph 3). This study shows that vaccinations are beneficial to children. With these vaccinations, children will be less exposed to these diseases, which will prevent them from spending time in the hospital or in some cases dying.

There are many arguments that people have developed and built upon that are convincing me of the importance of the vaccinations. The benefits of vaccinations really were shown when “The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimated that 732,000 American children were saved from death and 322 million cases of childhood illnesses were prevented between 1994 and 2014 due to vaccination” (Huffington). This is proof right in front of our eyes that vaccinations are working for some children. Something that saves 732,000 lives is a very important asset. Also, I think that it is critical to take into account the 322 million children that were saved from sickness. These 322 million children were kept from getting an illness that could be life threatening or even just uncomfortable. No matter the severity of the sickness there is an importance in the prevention of these diseases. Another intriguing argument for the continued use and importance of vaccines is that “most childhood vaccines are 90%-99% effective in preventing disease” (AAP). With a 90%-99% success rate it shows that it is so important to receive a vaccination because of the dangers of the diseases. In fact the 90%-99% effectiveness has “save[ed] 2.5 million children from preventable diseases every year” (Shot@Life). This direct correlation between these two arguments makes this side of the topic even more compelling. Another statistic that creates a realization that there may be more to vaccinations than we see on the

Parents have the power to solve the issue but still choose not to. Even if a parent wanted to vaccinate his or her child, it could still become sick because a child that was old enough to receive their vaccinations wasn’t vaccinated. People also argue that the ingredients in vaccines are harmful and toxic. There are toxic ingredients in vaccines, but they are harmless in the amount that is given to the child. In fact, children receive more aluminum from breast milk then they do vaccines. Finally, vaccines save the government copious amounts of money in societal cost. Between 1994 and 2014 the government was estimated to save around 1.38 trillion dollars in societal cost including savings from preventing lost productivity due to disability and early death. Similarly, the Unites States saves about 27 dollars for every one dollar invested in the DTaP (Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Whooping cough) vaccinations.

The United States will certainly experience increasing numbers of cases filed in the US Court of Federal Claims (Vaccine Court) (Newton 2013, 336). The costs incurred include employing additional lawyers and judges and paying damages awarded in any lost litigations. In addition, a government fear of potential lawsuits may initiate changes in FDA regulations, which perpetuates increased vaccine costs due to higher regulations and monitoring to produce “safer and more effective” vaccinations. Consequentially, the pharmaceutical industry will increase research and development costs resulting in more expensive governmentally distributed vaccines than previously reported. The many costs depicted above makes a mandatory vaccination policy a poor investment if the numerous potential benefits are not

Vaccines save 2.5 million kids every year. Childhood deaths from measles has gone down 74% due to vaccination. The article “Should Any Vaccines Be Required for Children” quotes the Centers for Disease Control who states, “732,000 American children were saved from death between 1994 and 2014 due to vaccination.”The author quotes the Center for Disease Control who states, “322 million cases of child illnesses were prevented in the same years due to vaccination.” Vaccines save millions of kids every year.

Not only have the vaccinations created a healthier community as it avoids preventable diseases, it also reduced healthcare costs exponentially; 9.9 billion dollars in direct costs are prevented and 33.4 billion dollars of indirect costs are avoided as a direct result of immunizations (Nicastro & Rejman, 2012). Given these facts, it is surprising to see that 85% of healthcare providers that see children have

According to the Encyclopedia of Family Health, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared vaccinations to be one of the top on the list of 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century. Vaccinations have been extremely successful in eliminating and containing many deadly diseases, such as smallpox and polio, by providing the public with immunizations to keep themselves healthy against these very scary and potentially fatal illnesses. Mandated vaccinations for children in the United States has remained a highly debated topic as many ague the freedoms of these children and their parents is being compromised by the notion of mandated immunizations and vaccinations to attend

From January 1st to April 24th of this year, 166 people from 19 different states and the District of Columbia were reported to have measles in the U.S. (“Measles Cases and Outbreaks, 2015). This recent outbreak has sparked a conversation in the media about whether or not parents should be required by law to immunize their children. Even though no mandatory federal vaccination law currently exists, all 50 states require children to be immunized before starting public school. However, all 50 states issue medical exemptions, 48 issue religious exemptions, and 19 issue philosophical exemptions (“School Vaccination Requirements,” 2011). Proponents of vaccinations argue that vaccines are safe and one of the greatest public health developments of the 20th century. They state vaccines are saving millions of lives and are preventing illnesses like rubella, diphtheria, smallpox, polio and whooping cough. On the other hand, opponents of vaccinations argue that children’s immune systems are capable of fighting most infections naturally and injecting questionable materials into a child, or any person for that matter, may cause deleterious side effects. Although many counterarguments regarding the efficacy of vaccines are valid, others are not supported by evidence. Overall, the benefits of vaccines far outweigh any risks.

In the United States, vaccinations have prevented ninety five percent of childhood diseases and created broader protection through herd immunity (Orenstein, Atkinson, Mason & Bernier, 1990). Herd immunity is achieved when a high enough percentage of a population is vaccinated as to protect the entire demographic. To demonstrate the cost effectiveness of childhood vaccination a 2005 study that compared the economic impact for children ages twelve to twenty months who received the Hepatitis A vaccine and those were left unvaccinated. “Without childhood vaccination, the approximately four million children in the 2005 birth cohort would be expected over their lifetimes to have 199,000 Hepatitis A virus infections, including 74,000 cases of acute Hepatitis A and eighty two deaths, resulting in one hundred and thirty four million dollars in Hepatitis A-related medical costs and productivity losses” (Rein, Hicks, Wirth, Billah, Finelli, Fiore & Armstrong, 2007). This cost savings is the result of vaccination for one childhood disease; one could only imagine the savings that are achieved by vaccinating for multiple

In the United States, vaccines are estimated to save 42,000 Americans each year from harmful diseases. Vaccines have been around for about 1,000 years and parents have disputed whether or not vaccinations should be mandatory or their own personal decision. Some parents believe that without vaccinations other children and adults are putting others at risk for diseases. But some parents disagree and think that they simply don’t do anything to help prevent diseases.

Currently, schooling districts in the United States require children to obtain vaccinations parents can enroll them for schooling. In spite of this, many children bypass this requirement by procuring an exemption. At the center of the argument for compulsory vaccination laws lies the desire to keep the population healthy. History has proven vaccines ability to do this, by eradicating deadly childhood diseases such as, smallpox, polio, and measles. I believe that not only are compulsory vaccination laws constitutional, they also serve to maintain public health. In order to argue these points, I used scientific research, United States law, and history, including previous Supreme Court cases.

There are many diseases that are preventable with the use of vaccines such as measles, pertussis, polio and rubella. In the United States, Massachusetts became the first state to mandate vaccinations for children upon entering school in 1855. Since then each state has added or amended various requirements of the vaccination schedule. However, various exemptions exist to override vaccinations such as religious reasons, or medical reasons where a vaccination might interfere with a child's weak immune system or cause an allergic reaction. Parents may refuse to give their children particular vaccinations in some states, but it is advised that they first speak to a health care provider in order to understand the implication of their decision.

Massachusetts, 197 U.S. 11 (1905)). The court stated that it was a common belief among physicians that vaccines were a harmless method of effectively preventing the spread of disease (Goodwin, Chemerinsky 2016). Seeing no harm in vaccines and wanting to prevent outbreaks such as smallpox, the Supreme Court easily decided that the rights of an individual could be suspended if the reason being in the “interest of the common good” (Beltz, 2015). No one person should be able to jeopardize the community because of a personal decision. The final decision of the court allowed each individual states to make their own laws regarding exemptions from vaccinations, but not forcing them to provide exemptions (Beltz, 2015). The ruling also implied that starting mass compulsory vaccinations could only be done if an immediate threat of an epidemic could be identified (Goodwin, Chemerinsky 2016). Being that Jacobson v. Massachusetts was the first Supreme Court case pertaining to compulsory vaccinations, this case has acted as precedent for many similar cases following (Beltz, 2015). Many opponents of the rulings of this case introduce the argument that since Jacobson v. Massachusetts was decided more than one hundred years ago, that the case no longer is relevant with the technological and medical advances that are utilized in today’s society (Mariner, 2005). During the time period of Jacobson v. Massachusetts, many differences with today’s society present themselves. The Federal

Vaccination has revolutionized medicine. It is one of the most significant health development of the 20th century. Vaccination can save lives, protect future generations, and provide economic benefits for society. The American Academy of Pediatrics says “most childhood vaccines are 90% to 99% effective in preronting disease. According to shot@life vaccines save 2.5 million children from preventable diseases every year. UNICEF estimates that $6.2 billion could be saved in treatment costs if vaccines were more prominent in the world’s poorest countries. The CDC estimates that children vaccinated between 1994 and 2014 have yielded net savings of $1.38 trillion in “societal costs.” Vaccinated mothers protect their unborn children from viruses that

Great post! Immunization is such a controversial issue. A recent article from ncsl.org stated that since the 20th century immunization is one of the most cost-effective public health achievements. Immunization not only protects the individuals, but the population as a whole, especially those with immune system disorders who cannot be vaccinated. Each state plays a significant role in determining the policies surrounding immunization. Lawmakers face many policy issues related to vaccines and immunizations including school requirements and exemptions, vaccination financing, and vaccine safety.