Childhood Immunization: Annotated Bibliography

An argument against vaccines is the lack of education available to the public. “In addition our society is poorly educated on risk and probability thinking that if we don’t fully understand that harm cannot be completely prevented does more harm than good to the public” (Poland, Jacobson). Another concern is the failure of public health officials to properly educate not only providers, but also the public most importantly, about the many benefits of vaccines. The public health system has also failed in developing a proper monitoring system for vaccines.

This article is eight years old and was available for release on Sunday July 01, 2007 at 12:01 am Eastern Daylight Time. The articles does not show of any updates after its release. Unfortunately this article was posted on 2007, it is considered to be outdated. Generally five years old is the cutoff point between current and past material. Since this article received its information from a secondary source the data that currently shows may have changed from its original content from date published.

Vaccination is a complex topic that has proven to be so contentious that most people have decided that they either support vaccination or oppose it, with neither side willing to even entertain the idea of meeting in the middle or finding common ground. On one side, those who oppose vaccinations do so for a variety of reasons, but most of all they do so because they think vaccines are dangerous or ineffective. Many of the opposed defend their anti-vaccination position by citing studies linking vaccines to autism and other debilitating side effects, or by voicing concerns over vaccines containing unsafe ingredients that may harm vaccinated children. Also questioned is the effectiveness of vaccines, if they are even needed, or even why vaccinating matters if those who are vaccinated are so confident that vaccinations work. On the other side of the fence, the people who support vaccinations believe that, due to the benefits of vaccines far outweighing any associated risks,

Parents are bombarded with information when it comes to their children and their children’s health and it happens the moment they are born. One main question they face off the bat is whether to immunize or not. For children ages 0-18, the CDC recommends vaccinations against 16 diseases, many of which could result in devastating illnesses and even death. Several injections coupled with several possibilities of severe reactions, pain, irritation, itching, ect. But through extensive, heavily monitored research and effectiveness, and evidence-based science illustrating the improvements and protection of the community it is clear that their benefits outweigh their risks. This paper will outline why the decision to immunize is one less

The study was a systematic review of scientific papers selected by a search of the SciELO, Cochrane, MEDLINE, and LILACS-BIREME databases. Among the 2169 articles found, 12 studies proved relevant to the issue and presented an evidence strength rating of B. No publications rated evidence strength A. Seven of the studies analyzed were prospective cohorts and 5 were cross-sectional studies.

Often debated, with strong convictions on each side, timely immunizations for children do more good then harm. Over the last few years, a phenomenon has come to our door steps. It used to be that all parents would immunize their children, without fail, because doctors told them to. In the past, the only non-immunized children were the children with health deficiencies. These children depended on the “herd” mentality. However, times are changing and parents are choosing to not immunize their children mainly based on these reasons: the possibility of them getting autism, parental lack of education about immunizations and lastly they believe that the illnesses that children are being immunized against are gone and immunizations are no longer needed.

There are many reasons why parents should and should not vaccinate, however, and the “why’s” far outweigh the “why not’s”. A few reasons why include that it saves lives and it can reduce the spread of the disease, or eliminate it altogether. However, some unfortunate happenings of vaccination, is the miniscule chance that the vaccine doesn’t work, or has devastating side effects, such as anaphylactic shock.

Over the year 2014, there were 1,737 reported cases of hospitalization, disability, deaths or life-threatening illness because of vaccinations. You might think that that’s a lot but let’s compare that to the 2,701 children who were affected in the year 2009. Childhood vaccines are a growing problem all around the world. The purpose of this essay is to let you know the benefits and risks of childhood vaccines, along with why some parents say “no.”

This literature review discusses the benefits and risks associated with vaccinating children. The researcher collects five articles that were deemed appropriate for the topic and analyzed using databases and limitations. The articles were analyzed and categorized by the risks and benefits that may be discussed throughout the article. The findings showed what the researcher collected as important information from the five articles. For instance, vaccinations will prevent an estimated 322 million illnesses, and 21 million hospitalization. While other articles talk about the risks that accompany a vaccinations such as anaphylaxis which is a rare occurrence. The results showed how there are benefits that accompany vaccinations but risks were found and recognized that should be discussed with parents. In conclusion, as long as parents have both sides of the research they can determine what will be best for their children and make educated decisions. As doctors it is their duty to make sure patients understand both the risks and benefits of vaccinations.

Before offering and giving children vaccinations, they are tested and reviewed by doctors, healthcare officials, and scientists. Although serious side effects are rare, there are some that follow vaccinations. The benefits following vaccinations are greater than the possible side effects for most to all children (Five important reasons to vaccinate your child”). The vaccine for the chickenpox has a higher risk of dangerous side effects than the actual disease. Some are starting to say that vaccines cause permanent disabilities like autism, but that is not the truth. Changes in autism and vaccine use have been compared in studies and there has been no connection between the two found. The ingredients that they put on vaccinations are safe for everyone, especially children. (Reasons to vaccinate”). Vaccinations are also quick. Children can fight off a certain disease when they have gotten the vaccination. The vaccination will help their body fight it off better. A child is at an increased risk of catching the disease and have a harder time fighting it off if they are not vaccinated against it (Why vaccinate your kids?”). Some doctors 100% support vaccinations, and others argue that vaccinations cause more problems than they are supposed to fix, but there is research that backs up the doctors who support it. Research proves the safety of vaccinations and the good that vaccinations

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The decision whether or not to opt for childhood immunizations can be extremely difficult for parents. Although there is extensive scientific evidence suggesting that the objective benefits of childhood immunizations outweigh the risks, there are also anecdotal reports, including “scare stories,” suggesting that immunizations can cause great harm in some instances. It is understandable that, for a parent, any potential risk to a baby is of great concern. Some parents may object to immunization on religious or philosophical grounds, some may object to what seems to be a painful assault on their child, and others may believe that the benefits of immunization do not justify the risks to their child. Parents should however consider the fact that

This study among others has lead parents to begin to question whether they should immunize their children or not. There are many people who feel that the immunizations do more harm than they do good. These same people believe that the diseases for which vaccinations are given are not something that they have to worry

Childhood immunization is very important to an individual and the society. I remember when I was young and my mother taking me to the local clinic to be vaccinated. My siblings who are a couple of years younger than me, I do recall when mother used to take them to the clinic to be vaccinated as well. Back then I didn’t understand the importance of vaccination until I was in high school. Childhood immunization is vital to the individual and society health: Immunizations can save your family time and money, Vaccines are cost effective, Immunization protects future generations.

Immunizations have made large advancements over the last century. Long gone are the days where people within the United States remember or have seen the devastating effects polio, measles, or epiglottitis can have on children. Complications from these diseases are far worse then the complications from vaccines. Vaccines have helped eliminate many diseases, and perhaps this is a reason that parents who are against vaccines are less worried about the devastating diseases and more concerned of how the vaccine can affect their child. Parents who are refusing to vaccinate their children are putting other children and the community at risk. So why are they refusing to vaccinate?