Children Vaccination Research Paper

Hendrix, Kristin S., et al. "Ethics and Childhood Vaccination Policy in the United States." American Journal of Public Health, vol. 106, no. 2, Feb. 2016, pp. 273-278. EBSCOhost, doi:10.2105/AJPH.2015.302952.

In the last several years, increased vaccination exemptions have resulted in multiple outbreaks of preventable viral diseases in the state of California. In response to school-wide quarantines and the threat of exposure to previously eradicated illnesses, recent legislation amended California state vaccination laws to reflect strict mandatory vaccination requirements. This paper explores the components of the California Senate Bill 277, implications for the public school system, and legal challenges to implementation of this Bill.

Children come into the world defenseless and vulnerable. The lifelong health of a child begins with what type of defense can be built up. Childhood vaccine schedules are the first step in healthcare for children. A vaccine schedule is a calendar with a combination of vaccines at set intervals and ages for children to receive from birth to six years old *******. The recommended combination of vaccines on the schedule minimizes the amount of times a child needs to get vaccines. Maximizing the number of vaccines a child receives at a time guarantees by school age, the child will meet requirements for enrolling in school. The childhood vaccination schedule was created to be beneficial for children.

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”

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

“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.

People in the United States are urged from day one that vaccinations are important for the well being of their children and for everyone that your child may come in contact with. Recently, childhood vaccinations have been stigmatized as a negative process. Parents have become increasingly concerned about the effects and side effects of vaccinations. The problem being, that the infectious diseases that are being prevented for, are being forgotten about. Vaccinations have been doing their job in protecting us for so long that the infectious diseases are less scary than vaccination process itself (Austvoll-Dahlgren & Helseth, 2012, p. 271). Vaccinations are a preventative measure and one that will continue to be implemented in children for their individual safety and for the safety of the public. However, it is still the families’ choice whether or not they want to proceed with the vaccination process or not. Most vaccinations are going to be administered by a registered nurse, therefore, it is the role of the nurse to supply information, and answer questions when counseling families through this process. The goal is to make people feel as comfortable and as informed as possible so that they can make a decision on whether to submit to the vaccination process or not.

Current vaccination rates in Queensland and Australia have dropped as parents have become more and more confused as to the real benefits and risks of vaccinations due to a plethora of information and misformation found on the internet. This essay will provide scientific information in support of immunization and include what a vaccination is, benefits of vaccinations, risks of not vaccinating, vaccine side effects and common misconceptions regarding vaccinations.

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,

Creating a world free of potential disease and infections in order to protect our youth and for the future eradication of disease sounds like a dream. Nonetheless, goals like this make educating our community about facts and benefits of immunization therapy a pertinent issue. Many times, it is difficult to discern exactly what is indeed a fact. That in turn makes vaccinating a difficult decision; especially when it is pertaining to our children or those we deeply care for.

Childhood vaccinations have profound effects on both the child and the society. For every child that is vaccinated, 33,000 lives are saved and 14 million cases of diseases are prevented (Nicastro & Rejman, 2012). Smallpox has been completely eradicated through vaccinations, the rubella immunization has nearly eliminated the harmful effects of deafness and blindness created by the congenital rubella syndrome, and the stereotypical gait, leg braces, iron lung and associated infections created by polio are no longer prevalent due to the polio vaccination (Ferbach, 2011). Fortunately, today’s generation has never had to witness the devastating effects of these highly contagious diseases.

The article in the textbook concerning child vaccinations touches on the importance of vaccines and some of the reasons why children aren’t vaccinated. Vaccinations are very important to prevent diseases; the injection is a small dose of inactive virus to allow the body to guard itself against the disease. Some common beliefs are that children who are vaccinated are at risk of chronic illnesses which the textbook reveals that these illnesses have no correlation to the vaccinations. Another reason why children aren’t vaccinated is due to income, poverty levels affect the children who are not vaccinated because the families cannot afford them.

Many parents have been contemplating between vaccinating their loved ones because media outlets are bringing the topic to question. Some parents believe the ‘herd immunity’ can resist many illnesses when babies are not routinely vaccinated. As early as 1545 history has shown deadly cases of illness and death with the lack of vaccination exposure. The first case of small pox was identified around the early 1500’s and many people died because a cure was not discovered. The first small pox treatment was determined in 1684. Throughout history many adults and children have died of different diseases and because of such epidemics it has engineered the motivation to find cures for the future. The history of vaccines has proven that outbreak prevention

Immunizations were created to keep children and adults healthy and safe. Edward Jenner administered the world’s first vaccination known as the smallpox vaccine, which had killed millions of people over the centuries (). Jenner administered the vaccine on an eight year old boy who he exposed to the fluid of a cowpox blisters, the boy developed a blister which eventually went away. Jenner then exposed the boy to the smallpox disease and the boy did not get sick, this led to the smallpox vaccine and the drastic decline in the smallpox disease. Fast-forward three centuries later and the small pox diseases is eradicated do to people receiving the vaccine. Immunizations are extremely important to the world’s overall health. Babies and children are most vulnerable to disease because they are son young and their organs and bodies are growing at a rapid rate. It is important for children to be immunized against vaccine preventable diseases such as: rubella, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough), and a host of other diseases. High vaccination coverage has significantly reduced vaccine-preventable disease morbidity and mortality worldwide, especially among children (Baggs et. al., 2011). While some people focus on the cons of vaccinations, there are many pros to children receiving vaccinations.

The Center for Disease Control describes vaccines as the greatest development in public health since clean drinking water. For several decades, vaccines have saved countless lives and helped eradicate some fatal diseases. The push to do away with vaccines will not only endanger our youth, but our society as a whole. Vaccination is needed to maintain a healthy balance within our country. Vaccines provide the immunity that comes from a natural infection without the consequences of a natural infection. Vaccinations save an ever-growing amount of lives every year. The Center 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 (“Vaccine ProCon”).