Children Should Not Receive Scheduled Vaccinations

We must not forget how catastrophic disease was in the 17th century. Many people, especially children died early deaths because their bodies just could not fight those diseases. We live in a time and age where vaccines are available to help us fight off diseases that once killed so many. I truly believe that vaccines are essential in maintaining health in human populations. “The number of young children who are not fully vaccinated for preventable diseases has been steadily increasing over the last decade” (Daniel A. Salmon)”. With so many more parents claiming nonmedical exemptions, from what was once routine vaccinations, they are not only leaving their children vulnerable to diseases, but everyone that the unvaccinated child comes in contact with; From the classmates and teachers of these children, as well as other people and children in their community. Vaccines are necessary, and the risks of not being vaccinated far outweigh the small risks associated with vaccination. Preventable diseases can cause permanent disability and death. There has been no correlation between vaccines and developmental disorders such as autism. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, “most childhood vaccines are 90-99% effective in preventing disease” (Vaccines ProCon.org)”. Vaccines are beneficial for everyone’s protection. Child Vaccinations should be mandatory.

Childhood vaccinations have not been a topic of controversy until recent times. Due to the recent outbreaks of diseases that were thought to be eliminated, people are now investigating vaccinations. State representatives and Congressional people have even gotten on the bandwagon to emphasize the importance of vaccinations. Many states already require children to be vaccinated before entering school, but states allow religious, medical, or personal exemptions. Getting rid of these exemptions would be beneficial to not only parents and children, but also to members of society. Having children vaccinated at a young age when the immune system can respond correctly to vaccines will benefit the future health of children. Children are more at danger at a younger age to catch infectious diseases. Vaccines are a safe way to prevent the child from getting sick. “Proponents say that vaccination is safe and one of the greatest health developments of the 20th century”

The recommended vaccinations for children entering kindergarten are 4 doses of diphtheria, tetanus toxoid, and acellular pertussis (DTaP), 2 doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, and 2 doses of the varicella vaccine. The national Healthy People 2020 goal for kindergarten vaccination rates is 95%. Although the majority of states report vaccination rates at or near the goal, clusters of non-vaccinated groups can develop in some communities (Seither, 2014, p.1). Anthropological studies showed that the higher rates of non-vaccination correlated with outbreaks of diseases for which children typically receive vaccines. In reaction to numerous outbreaks related to higher rates of non-vaccinated children, California and other states introduced legislation to make it more

In the United States, the law states that vaccinations are required for children entering school unless they have a valid reason that prevents them from receiving the vaccinations. Starting when children are born, they begin the regimen of vaccinations that continue throughout their adolescent years and adulthood. Each year children receive a variation of shots to protect them from the illnesses they will encounter in the world, especially once they attend school. The most common reasons parents forego getting their children vaccinated are religious beliefs, medical exemptions, and personal beliefs. Due to the rising number of parents declining to get their children vaccinated, the number of outbreaks of preventable diseases has increased. The question is now should parents/guardians be forced to vaccinate their children?

There is a lot of debate about whether if vaccines should be or should not be mandatory for all children or if their use should be up to the parents of the child. Part of the issue for many parents it the sheer volume of vaccines mandated by various government agencies. Based on the recommendations of these organizations, a child can receive “no less than 69 doses of 16 vaccines” (children-vaccines). With so many vaccines being given many parents question why so many children are sick or have various developmental or learning disabilities. In fact, one child out of 6 has a learning disability, one out of ten is asthmatic, and one out of 50 has some degree of autism. This means that almost 30% of children in the US have a significant disability

The idea of increasing the rate of vaccinating children at an early age during the twentieth century is what makes it unquestionable. A lot of diseases such as poliomyelitis, hepatitis A, and hepatitis B have been killing infants and causing a rising percentage in the infantile mortality. Some of the diseases such as polio, and diphtheria have been discarded completely while other diseases have not. However, vaccination has helped due to the fact that it has been contributing to decreasing the effect of the disease. For instance,

Children can easily transmit illnesses to one another due to poor hand washing, uncovered coughs, dense populations and other factors. When children aren’t vaccinated, they are at increased risk for disease and can spread disease to others in their classrooms and communities. This includes babies too young to be fully vaccinated and people with weakened immune systems due to cancer or other health conditions.

I believe that practices should NOT be allowed to dismiss patients because they choose not to vaccinate their children. I believe THAT IT IS A PARENT’S RIGHT TO DO WHAT THEY FEEL IS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THEIR CHILDREN REGARDLESS TO HOW OTHERS AGREE/DISAGREE. A PRACTICE SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO TELL A PARENT “WELL IF YOU WILL NOT HAVE your baby VACCINATED in MY PRACTICE THAN I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PROVIDE MEDICAL CARE TO YOU.” The biggest key is education, EDUCATION, EDUCATION AND TO GET TO THE ROOT AND EDUCATE ON THE FEAR, and MYTH AS TO WHY THE PARENT(S) REFUSES VACCINATION. It may be time-consuming but educate the family on each vaccine, what it protects against….. that mother is not realizing that vaccinating that young child is preventing

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.

Vaccinations are considered to be the greatest health development of the 20th century. Because of advancements in medicine, vaccinations are becoming a widespread medium in the prevention of disease. They have provided the eradication and immunity to many deadly diseases such as smallpox, polio and rubella. Although there is no law that mandates the vaccination of children, they are necessary to prevent the infliction of disease and harm. By making the decision to vaccinate their children, a parent has the potential to save their lives.

When children are confined to a small area, germs have a better chance of spreading quickly. In our daycare centers, we see a lot of runny noses and coughing. Suppose you didn’t vaccinate your child. What do you think will happen? The environment is not safe for anyone. The child who is not vaccinated, has a greater chance of becoming ill before everyone else because, he or she is not vaccinated. We never know what our children may come into contact with.

When children who have been vaccinated do contract a disease, despite being vaccinated against it, they usually have milder symptoms with less serious complications than an un-vaccinated child that gets the same disease. It is true that some children who receive vaccinations may still become ill when exposed to other disease-ridden children. Research shows that 70-90% of the entire population must be vaccinated to attain “herd immunity”, “the resistance of a group to attack by a disease to which a large proportion of the members are immune.” (Farlex, 2012) When herd immunity is accomplished the spread of the disease can be averted throughout. If all parents were to take proper responsibilities and keep their children’s immunizations up-to-date, herd immunity would be achieved against all 16 of the major life threatening diseases.

Parents all across the United States have an issue with vaccinations for their children. Parents as of today do not have the option whether or not to immunize their children. These vaccinations are potentially harmful for children, but they also help and prevent life threatening illnesses. Parents should be allowed to choose to vaccinate their children because at times, the vaccine might harm the child, and because the parents simply just have right.

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

“Standard immunization currently averts an estimated two to three million deaths every year in all age groups” (“General Information”). Children along with adults should be vaccinated because these Inoculations prevent diseases, even deaths, from going around, along with keeping the environment a safer place. As people know, kids get vaccinated from the time born to about the time the child reaches teen years, although getting immunized does not precisely stop at any age. In fact, required vaccinations continue throughout the years. Of course these medical treatments must be tested in order to be given to anyone. In spite of the fact many people themselves argue that inoculations are not safe for children, others are thoroughly certain in