Childhood Vaccinations Should Be Mandatory Essay

Between 1924 and 2013, vaccinations prevented 103 million cases of polio, measles, rubella, mumps, hepatitis A, diphtheria, and pertussis (Bailey). Vaccinating is “the process by which pathogenic cells are injected into a healthy person in an attempt to cause the body to develop antibodies to a particular virus or bacterium—successful creation of antibodies is referred to as immunity to the disease caused by the particular pathogen” (Introduction to Should Vaccinations be Mandatory). Popular conflicts regarding vaccination include the worry that this form of immunization isn’t natural, the idea that vaccination schedule for children in the U.S. takes away parents’ rights to make decisions for their children, and the concern that vaccinations aren’t safe for all children. Most doctors and scientists advocate for vaccinations in the name of herd immunity, protection against foreign diseases and prevention against pockets of disease outbreaks. Vaccinations should be mandatory for all children in the United States for who they are deemed safe and effective.

Not only will vaccines save children, it will save parents time taking off and money spent on doctor bills. In the articles, “Should Any Vaccines Be Required for Children?”, the

Vaccination has strongly integrated into modern medicine, and several generations have grown up without being exposed to epidemics of rubella, whooping cough, measles, etc. However, during the recent decade an anti-vaccine movement has emerged, powered by the complaints and claims of parents in on the internet and videos associated with the supposed specific effects of vaccines. Many mothers choose not to immunize their kids, or refuse from certain vaccinations.

In light of the recent resurgence and spread of diseases such as measles and whooping cough, the argument of mandatory childhood vaccinations has arisen. These outbreaks have been caused mainly by unvaccinated children. Parents’ fears of immunizations and the effects of their ingredients has compelled the parents to refuse to give the vaccines to their children. Yet, the inoculations are there to protect their children and people around them from contracting or spreading diseases. Even though there is a fear that vaccinations could cause autism, child vaccinations should not be a choice because vaccines are proven to very rarely have adverse effects, they stop diseases and/or possible epidemics, and an unvaccinated child is at risk of obtaining and spreading disease.

Over the years, there has been much controversy surrounding the subject of childhood vaccinations. With differing opinions, many are in favor about childhood vaccinations being required for children. Children vaccinations have been proven to be an effective means of preventing serious effects, including fatalities, from childhood illnesses yet there is still controversy over whether the risk of side effects from the vaccines outweighs the risk of contracting diseases. The belief behind mandatory vaccinations has been linked to people wanting vaccinations to be required for children because it will prevent the spread of childhood diseases, but there are still questions and concerns around why childhood vaccinations should be required. Questions surrounding this topic are: why should vaccines be required, are there any serious risks involved in vaccinating your child, and should children be turned away from school if they do not have vaccinations? There is also the question of should these vaccinations be mandatory or should this solely be a choice that the parents of the child should make? In order for us to be able to take our stance on the subject, we need to examine the answers to the question.

Vaccines prevent more than 2 million deaths each year. People argue the benefits and the drawbacks of vaccinations, and whether it should be mandatory for children or not. However, every individual has a different perspective and views the issue from different aspects. For instance, scientists, doctors and nurses may have a different viewpoint than some parents regarding vaccines. Vaccinations should be mandatory for children for these three reasons: prevents children from getting serious diseases, proven safe ingredients are used for children’s vaccines, and it saves children’s health for a long time with a low cost.

“Prevention is better than cure.” This common statement could not relate any better than it does with the controversy surrounding the morality, effectiveness, and safety of childhood immunizations. The major argument is whether or not laws should be established to declare vaccination mandatory for all children. “The US food and Drug administration (FDA) regulates all vaccines to ensure safety and effectiveness,” (ProCon.org, 2012) therefor there should not be any reason to risk the health of any child. Vaccinating our children not only ensures their safety but also that of their future to come.

Parents should be forced to vaccinate their children no matter what the circumstance. There are multiple reasons why parents should vaccinate their children. If a person does not want their child getting diagnosed with a viral disease, than why would they not want to vaccinate them? This seems like an issue that should not even need to be discussed because of the extremity of the consequences of not getting a child vaccinated. Without vaccines, epidemics of vaccine-preventable diseases would return (What Happens When You Don’t Vaccinate). This research paper will discuss many upsides and downsides of vaccinating children.

Over the past decade the debate concerning the safety and necessity of childhood vaccines, as well as the correlation between vaccination and autism, has been overwhelming the media and the minds of conscientious parents. While freedom of choice is valued above all else in this country, when it comes to vaccination, blindly following the anti-vaxxer rhetoric puts at serious risk the health of many, especially the most vulnerable citizens. Immunization is a safe method to prevent many common infectious diseases and has been proven to be extremely effective in morbidity and mortality prevention; and a full course of medically recommended vaccination should be mandatory for all school-age children who do not have

Imagine a bioterrorist infected the United States with smallpox, and even though there is a vaccine, thousands will still die just because it wasn’t mandatory to receive the vaccine. Vaccines have been used throughout history. The CDC, or the center for disease control, recommend getting different vaccines for children under 6. Some vaccines have almost completely eradicated the disease, like polio or smallpox. Vaccines have been used throughout American history. George Washington used the basic principle of vaccines to help build his soldiers immunity to smallpox. The question at hand is; should vaccines be mandatory? A vaccine is a shot meant to build up a person’s antibodies to a disease so they can become immune. Vaccines should be mandatory for two reasons, they have proven to be effective, and it is for the greater good.

One thing that vaccines can do is help save children 's lives. "most childhood vaccines are 90%-99% effective in preventing disease.”(Vaccine Safety) Which in return has helped save millions of children 's lives over the years. The Centers for Disease Control estimated that 732,000 children in the United States were saved from death and 322 million cases of childhood illnesses were prevented between 1994 and 2014 due to vaccination. (Bahar). It 's plain and simple vaccination has been proven countless of times

Vaccines are 90-99% effective in preventing disease. There is also a decrease the chance of an outbreak when a large portion of the population is vaccinated. Vaccination would greatly decrease sickness in largely populated areas. From 1994 to 2014, about 322 million children were prevented from childhood illnesses and 732,000 children in the United States were saved from death because of vaccines. Every hour about 285 children are saved and 2.5 million saved every year because of how successful vaccines perform against preventable diseases. Consequently, when vaccinations are given to young children and infants over two decades, it prevents 21 million hospitalizations, 332 million illnesses, and 732,000 deaths. When patients received the measles immunization, death from measles was reduced by 74%. Vaccines have saved so many lives and continue to save lives everyday. You never know if it might have saved someone important to

As a child, everyone remembers having to get shots. My first memorable experience with shots came at age four. I didn’t understand why I needed shots. All I knew was this sharp thing was going to be stuck in my arm and it was going to hurt. Before I got my four year old shots I received my first set of vaccines, vaccines that people are now claiming are dangerous. Research shows that vaccination rates fell. MMR (mumps, measles, and rubella) vaccine rates dropped from 93.5% to 90.6%, tetanus, whooping cough and diphtheria rates dropped from 87.2% to 85.4% in 2009. (Kluger) Why are vaccination rates dropping so significantly? Pediatrician Dr. Robert Frenck says “Very articulate, very good-looking movie stars or personalities … are giving

Furthermore, there are beneficial reasons for embracing vaccinations for one’s children. Children are especially vulnerable to disease because their immune systems have not yet developed, and getting a serious illness can have

We have all raised our eyebrows when the person sitting the row behind us starts coughing, and not just the “soda went down the wrong pipe” cough, but the real, mucus breaking, uncontrollable hacking. Likewise, many of us have also tried to not get too close to the person with the visibly red, irritated nose and the constant sniffling that comes with the absence of a tissue. As a society, we tend to be conscious of the threat of contracting a disease, but regardless of these common concerns, opposition to mandated vaccinations for school-attending children continue to be raised. The effectiveness and overall safety of vaccines have repeatedly been questioned by society (especially when it comes to vaccinating infants and young children), and some studies have possibly even shown the danger of certain vaccinations. However, upon closer examination, it is clear that vaccines have prevented more disease and have improved the overall health of the United States, and consequently, should—with few exceptions—continue to be mandated in our school system.