Essay On Childhood Immunization

The argument encompassing whether or not parents should vaccinate their children is ongoing. It is a very interesting matter to learn about and I possess some strong feelings about the case. This issue interests me because there are parents who don’t have their children vaccinated, and there are parents who do have them vaccinated. But all these parents share one particular quality: they all would like for their kids to be safe.

Cause: Whooping Cough, also known as Pertussis, is a highly contagious disease affecting the respiratory system (nose, throat, lungs and airways) and is caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. The ‘whoop’ from the cough derives from the deep breaths at the end of each bout of coughing. Whooping cough is very infectious and affects individuals of all ages.

Immunizations are essential components in the primary and preventive care setting to ensure a healthier population. Immunizations are aimed to prevent illnesses such as Tetanus, Diphtheria, Varicella, Hepatitis A, Influenza and Pneumonia to mention a few. Upon their discovery and implementation, vaccines have aid to decrease the incidence of infectious diseases, which were once the leading causes of death in the country and around the world. Despite their validated benefits; amongst the adult population, there are existing misconceptions related to immunization usefulness and effectiveness resulting in an unacceptably low adult vaccination rates and unmet vaccine recommendations. Consequently, leading to approximately 40,000-50,000 preventable death and an increased spread of communicable illnesses("Adult Immunization:

Pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by a bacterium, Bordatella pertussis. In 2010 it affected 27, 5501 individuals and was responsible for 262 deaths in the United States. Bordatella pertussis colonizes in the cilia of the respiratory tract3 producing uncontrollable coughing with paroxysms (fits) followed with a high pitched intake of air creating a whoop sound, posttussive emesis (cough induced vomiting), and exhaustion.3 These symptoms can last up to 10 weeks.3 Adults can transfer Pertussis to infants who are not fully immunized, subsequently, they are at a greater risk and may have serious complications from Pertussis including pneumonia and death.4

were common. Prior to the first licensed measles vaccine in 1963, hundreds of thousands of measles cases were reported annually in the U.S. In 1958 alone, there were more than 750,000 cases. A decade later, in 1968, that number fell to about 22,000, according to an analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Childhood vaccinations have replaced common childhood illness as a “rite of passage” for many young children. Many parents, at the recommendation of their physician, diligently bring their children to the doctor every couple of months for what are thought to be important and safe vaccinations.

The CDC states that whooping cough is caused by bacteria known as Bordetella pertussis. These bacteria attach to a person 's cilia, or tiny hairs, that line the upper respiratory tract. They then release a toxin that causes damage to these cilia as well as swelling to the respiratory tract.

Since the beginning of vaccines, science has accomplished a great deal of change by eliminating several formerly fatal childhood diseases or illnesses in a world where immunization of young children is across the board. It is very important for our parents to give our children vaccines because vaccinations were made to help people live out their everyday life and beneficial to those that are surrounded by people that are vaccinated. Diseases such as measles, small pox, hepatitis B, diphtheria, rubella, and polio have been contained or eliminated in developed countries with active immunization campaigns. There has not been a single reported case of small pox since roughly 1979. With the large changes that vaccines have done to our world, this

Here are some numbers: since birth through age six years old at least fifteen types of different vaccines, up to four inoculations for each type are administered to children (Appendix A).

Whooping cough (pertussis) is a serious, transmissible respiratory infection that is caused by the Bordetella pertussis bacterium. The disease is characterized by cold symptoms at first and develops to prolong coughing with a whooping sound made due to heavy breathing, sneezing, running nose and low body temperature. The disease is airborne and spread when an infected person sneezes or coughs and the close person breathe in the air. The disease mainly touches infants who are below six months old and children who are between 11 to 18 years of age whose immunity against the disease is dwindling, as its effectiveness lasts for four years. A number of Fallsburg Elementary School kids are in this age bracket, hence are likely to contract the disease.

“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.

Prior to the modern era of childhood immunizations, parents would have been surprised at the thought that future generations would be able to protect their children from many of the most serious childhood infectious diseases. The development of immunizations is fairly recent, but one of the greatest successes in medical history. Most parents in the United States understand how imperative childhood immunizations are, but there are some parents that still chose to not have their children immunized against these lethal diseases. For some, the justification for denying these immunizations come from a religious perspective, but for most the decision is more commonly made out of ignorance or misinformation such as myths of side effects and long term effects of these vaccines. Many parents to not know the history of these fatal diseases and what parents had to fear when they did not have the option to vaccinate their children. After all, there was a time when diphtheria was one of the most feared childhood diseases, claiming more than 10,000 lives a year in the United States during the 1920s (CDC, Diptheria, 2016). In the 1940s through the 1950s, polio paralyzed and even took the lives of children by the thousands. At one point in time, the measles affected nearly a half-million US children every year. Almost everyone in the United States got it at some point during childhood—and it sometimes caused complications such as pneumonia and encephalitis (CDC, Measles (Rubeola), 2016).

Starting in late 1994, the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program is a major privilege program that provides states with free vaccines for disadvantaged children. These vaccines are supplied by clinics and doctors that essentially register for the VFC program. By providers registering for the program, these clinics and doctors’ offices must conform to certain standards set by VFC as well as the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) (Richard Kent Zimmerman, 2001).

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”).

The pros and cons of children immunization is my topic because being in the medical field it is my duty and responsibility to educate parents about the vaccinations which child is receiving and be able to explain to the parents what the vaccination is for and how to protect their child from illness or deadly diseases. According to MedlinePlus website the meaning of immunization (vaccination) is a way to trigger your immune system and prevent serious, life threatening diseases.17