America is known to be the land of the free. Free to worship ones religion without persecution, free to practice ones customs without judgment, and free to achieve ones dreams without restriction. The question is; where does this freedom reach its limits? What if our freedom of choice negatively impacts another person? The recent outbreak of the measles at Disneyland in California in January 2015 questions the limits of freedom in the US. A total of “51 measles cases linked to Disneyland” were reported in the outbreak (Ellis, et al). The outbreak was “spread among those who had not been vaccinated against the virus. Overall, 82% of those infected in this outbreak were not vaccinated, either because they're too young or because they elected not to be” (Ellis, et al). Some parents choose not to vaccinate their children with MMR vaccine that prevents against Measles, Mumps, and Rubella because they believe that the vaccine may be more of a dangerous than the disease. However, the choice not to vaccinate not only affects the susceptible child but also …show more content…
Getting the recommended vaccinations is essential for public health and safety, especially in this global world as vaccinations are an effective way of reducing and even eliminating diseases. “Before widespread vaccination, measles caused an estimated 2.6 million deaths each year. Since the measles vaccine was introduced in 1963, ongoing measles transmission was declared eliminated from the U.S. in 2000” (Immunize For Good). The extreme reduction in cases in the US after the vaccine was distributed is evidence of the effectiveness of the vaccine in preventing the measles. Even if there is a slight risk associated with the MMR vaccine, the vaccine is still the safer choice when choosing to vaccinate one’s child for both the child and for the population as a
Vaccinations; it’s an intimidating word. Imagine your child being stabbed with needles containing diseases just because your pediatrician said it helps. While a good portion of the audience here today can understand this issue, my question is why are vaccinations such a problem? More specifically, what are the altercations of religious exemptions to vaccines? While it seems to be a personal issue, the choice to or not to vaccinate affects the lives of everyone in your community. All I ask is that you keep an open mind and listen to the information I will present today in hopes that you will better understand vaccinations and the necessity for mandatory vaccination.
All around the world, human lives are being lost due to preventable diseases whose spread could be slowed through immunization. As such, I am proud to, as Pro, support legislation that would make immunization mandatory.
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.
The introduction of vaccinations has been a controversial issue in both developed and developing nations around the world. Despite the benefits of immunizations, some parents refuse to vaccinate their children, which has caused healthcare providers to implement vaccination mandates and intense educational sessions. Is there a middle ground between ensuring the safety of children and preserving parental choice? How can we implement effective methods of communication between vaccine-hesitant parents and healthcare providers without imposing on freedom of choice? Ensuring transparency between vaccine-hesitant parents and health officials aided by resources dependent on a country’s socioeconomic factors can help promote the success of
What if your child was dying? What if nothing the experts tried worked? What if your only choice was an untested drug? What would you do then? These questions, while hypothetical to many people, are the reality of others. The snake oil man of olden days could be compared to medical marijuana dispensers today. Many view medical marijuana as something adults should not partake in let alone children. Others see it as perfectly fine, comparing it to alcohol or tobacco products that need some monitoring, but not much. Giving it a medicinal purpose seems to make marijuana more authoritative.
A wise Welsh man once said, “An apple a day, keeps the doctor away.” But, can that also be said about immunizations? According to the Medilexicon medical dictionary, “an immunization is the action of making a person or animal immune to infection, typically by inoculation.” The Merriam-Webster Dictionary provides a more technical definition of immunizations by defining them as “the creation of immunity usually against a particular disease, treatment (as by vaccination) of an organism for the purpose of making it immune to a particular pathogen.” Most people feel that immunizations are a very important part of a health care regimen and should be mandatory for the majority of individuals. But over the past several years, questions have
Anti-vaccination movements are hurting children and the people surrounding them. On the contrast, there is a pro-vaccination movement to advocate for those who cannot protect themselves. However, this movement is diminishing due to skewed facts in the media. This only comes back to haunt the parents who do not vaccinate their child, and the people who cannot be protected against it. Using vaccinations can irradiate diseases that have evolved over the years, saving millions of lives, and giving peace to lives lost from the disease (Jacobs, Charlotte DeCroes).
Skipping vaccinations may not be the leading cause of death in the children of the United States, but it can cause quite a few problems for them as they grow and others around them. Vaccinations are important for many reasons such as preventing diseases, allowing medical advances, and it protects future generations to come. Ultimately, vaccinating your child can save many lives.
The Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the virus responsible for cervical cancer. It is one the most common viral sexually transmitted infections. A vaccine was approved in 2006 that is effective in preventing the types of HPV responsible for 70% of cervical cancers and 90% of genital warts. Proposals for routine and mandatory HPV vaccination of girls have become sources of controversy for parents of school-aged youth, legislators, members of the medical community, and the public at large (Cooper et al. 2010).
Millions of lives have been saved thanks to a global effort to vaccinate for deadly diseases. Peter Yeo reports “Immunizations have saved more children than any other medical intervention in the last 50 years” (Reforming the U.N. 118). Yet, a new trend for parents is opting out of vaccinating their children for personal beliefs or religious exemptions. Although, the majority of Americans believe vaccines protect children, and conclusive evidence has proven vaccines can prevent the spread of deadly diseases. Still, a few parents believe vaccinating children is not essential for their health, additionally, they believe an increase in mandatory vaccines has insufficient scientific research to prevent serious medical side effects.
You and your significant other have just found out that you’re pregnant. You will carry the baby for 9 months and you will protect it with your own body, but what happens after birth? What kind of protection should you provide them with? The question is to vaccinate, or to not vaccinate? First off, let’s start with what a vaccine is. A vaccine is a substance that produces antibodies and provides immunity against one or many diseases. A vaccine is made up and prepared with the disease that causes it, its products, or a synthetic substitute. It’s treated to act like an antigen without producing the disease. So to simplify this, patients are injected
Keeping yourself healthy can be done in a number of ways, but the most important few would be: eating healthy, check-ups, exercising, and vaccines. A vaccination is considered to be the most beneficial and protected precaution you can take. Less than 50 percent of all Americans got vaccinated in the 2017 flu season. The reasons to actually get vaccinated could include the money you waste on missing work/ medical bills, to getting friends and family sick, but a main concern is not what the vaccine is preventing, but what it is doing harmful to your brain and body. In studies starting in the 1990’s, people started to believe vaccines could be causing Autism in young kids.
During the 20th century, the infectious disease death rate decreased from 800/1000 deaths to less than 100/1000 deaths. This is mainly due to the introduction of immunisation. Vaccination has clearly prevented millions of deaths over the last century; nevertheless, the anti-vaccination movement has grown significantly in recent years. Some of the reasons why people join this movement include the belief that vaccines don’t actually work, the belief that vaccines are unnatural and therefore unhealthy and the belief that vaccines contain toxins that cause bodily damage and neuropsychiatric problems (eg. Autism). This essay will discredit the beliefs associated with the anti vaccination movement through infectious disease statistics,
Since this vaccine debate, “about 40 percent of American parents today has chosen to delay certain vaccines or outright refuse to allow their children’s physicians to vaccinate their children with one or more of the recommended or mandated vaccines” (Largent). As the rates of being vaccinated go down, it is putting not only that child in danger but also the whole community. Diseases that were once gone are on the rise.” A 2013 study published in the journal Pediatrics reports that California’s worst whooping-cough outbreak, which infected more than 9,000 people (Rothstein)”. Also “the CDC reports that from Jan. 1 to Feb. 28, 2014, 54 people in the U.S. have reported being infected with measles” (Sifferlin).
Vaccines have always been a controversial topic, to whether they are required all the way down to what they are composed of. It has been an ongoing battle since the 1970s and continues to make headlines even in this year of 2015 with the measles outbreak from Disneyland. Even now, many still believe that vaccinations can cause autism and choose not to vaccinate their children for that reason or another. Vaccinations are critical and need to be required for children before entering public schools.