Mandatory Immunization Requirements For Children Essay

While supporting the voluntary immunization for children and defending the right to have information regarding the risk involved with vaccines, the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) oppose the elimination of or possible barriers of entry to obtain Non-Medical Exemptions. In an effort to reduce vaccine related injuries and/or death and support those who do not want to receive vaccines due to personal, spiritual, or religious beliefs, the NVIC supports the right to Non-Medical Exemptions. The primary purpose of this paper is to analyze the safety, efficacy, and economic burden of vaccines, as well as the right to choice in regards to Non-Medical Exemptions.

Everyone in the United States who is not apart of a religious group--in which vaccination will infringe upon their beliefs--should receive vaccinations to ensure the safety of American citizens. For instance, when one schedules an annual physical, he/she may immediately think of vaccines. Young children may whine and teenagers may gripe. “Do I really need a shot mom?” One grumpy teenager or child might ask. The mother, in a typical setting, will say yes. The parent will not reply yes because they wish to hear his/her child complain about a sore arm for the next three days; no, the parent allows the nurse to administer the shot because the vaccine is recommended. In fact, vaccines have been a proven and effective way to protect the human race against diseases. With the intention of preventing diseases, listening to recommendation by qualified physicians and nurses could mean the difference between life and death for other children.

According to the most recent statistics, 1 in every 20 kindergarten students have not had the proper vaccinations required of school age children (PBS). All 50 states prohibit students who lack proper vaccinations from attending public, and many private, schools (CDC). However, exemptions to this rule are made if the vaccination requirement conflicts with the religious beliefs (effective in all 50 states) or philosophical beliefs (effective in 19 states) of the parents of these children (CDC). The number of parents with “philosophical beliefs” against vaccinations has increased dramatically over the past century. These beliefs however are based solely upon the influences of rumors from the media and not from the scientific or medical community. Parents are afraid to vaccinate their children due to falsified beliefs that vaccinations cause other health problems, contain life-threatening ingredients, and are unnecessary in today’s society.

California’s recent decision to ban all religious and personal vaccine opt-outs raises the question, should vaccines be made mandatory in every state? All of the states allow medical exemptions, 48 allow religious opt-outs and 20 of those 48 states also allow personal belief exemptions (Haynes A.2). The new legislation will begin in the “2016 school year…and will affect more than 80,000 California students who annually claim personal belief exemptions” (Mason and Willon A.1). California now joins Mississippi and West Virginia as the only states that do not allow personal or religious vaccine opt-outs. According to Dr. Paul Offit, “it is a great day for California’s children. You’re living in a state that just got a littler

According to the Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (2009), 31% of parents agreed that they should have the power to refuse from having their children from being vaccinated in order to enter the public school system (654-659). A reason is many parents still believe that vaccines can lead to other serious

Immunizations have saved millions of lives over the last hundred years. Currently vaccination rates are at their highest in the United States. Most vaccinations are given during infancy through adolescents. Infants especially are more susceptible to infectious diseases; this being the reason it is so important to guard via immunization. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention immunizations help prevent disease from spreading and protect infants and toddlers against threatening difficulties of diseases such as polio and measles.(2004) Data compiled by the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) states that children today now receive as many as 49 doses of 14 vaccines before they reach age six, this is about 12

Humans have suffered at the hands of disease throughout many years in history. The bubonic plague killed nearly two thirds of the European population. However, science has come a long way and we have developed intelligent medicine to prevent diseases like the Black Death from happening again. Today, many diseases can be prevented through a series of vaccinations. Although, there is a major controversy surrounding the effectiveness and safety of vaccination. Many parents refuse to vaccinate their kids in fear of the health issues vaccinations might inflict. Others believe that immunizations interfere with the natural course of life. Governor Brown recently signed a bill that abolishes personal and religious belief exemptions regarding immunization

Legislature plays a crucial role in protecting the interest of public health, although no vaccination policy exist at a federal level, each individual state has compulsory laws that mandate certain vaccines for children (Escobar 268). Escobar describes, three types of vaccine exemptions that may be offered by the state, according to their own stipulations, which include medical, philosophical, and religious exemptions. Medical exemptions are granted to immune-compromised children, in which vaccines can pose a danger of illness, and or adverse reactions if vaccinated (268). Philosophical and religious exemptions are not considered detrimental and may or may not be granted. The controversy in these exemptions, are related to increasing the

allowing a sectioned group of students have the ability to refuse any vaccination stirs up

In the United States of America, children receive more vaccinations than any other developed country. It is recommended that 26 shots be received by the time a child reaches the age of one year old (CDC). In comparison, Sweden and Japan require only 12 vaccinations. In the 1960’s, there were several new immunizations introduced to the general public for protection against infectious diseases such as DPT, polio, measles, mumps and rubella. Today, vaccines have become far more commonplace, with many being funded

The article that I chose to reflect this issue is from KTVU, and it discusses how the rates of non vaccinated children has increased in California school systems, despite the laws that California has placed to reduce this issue. These laws state that with certain medical exemptions from doctors, parents could avoid getting their children vaccinated. The exemptions previously included religious beliefs, allergies, and philosophical ideals, yet recent updates to the laws now exclude religious beliefs and philosophical ideals. Nevertheless, statistics show that 10 percent of kindergarteners had medical exemptions, but only three percent of those children actually had medical reasons for not tolerating vaccines (Bender). This has occurred because according to the law, doctors aren't required to state why a child cannot receive a vaccine. Consequently, even children without allergies were able to be

Immunization via vaccines has been a hot topic of debate in recent years. As with many issues advocates for and against vaccines can be found. The problem that has been identified is that Nevada is one of many states in the country that is considered to be more lenient on vaccination requirements for school aged children. The Nevada school system will take medical and religious exemptions when it comes to vaccinations. All fifty states and the District of Columbia grant medical exemptions to immunization requirements (Blank, Caplan, & Constable, 2013). While medical exemptions are a rational reason as to why children cannot receive certain vaccines the question that is being asked is: whether or not religious exemptions are a good enough reason to not have a child vaccinated? These exemptions can cause an increase in acquiring and

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.

Imagine two children; one who has been completely vaccinated, and the other has never been vaccinated. Both children fall ill from the same virus, but the child who had been vaccinated fully recovers, while the child who was not passes away due to complications. That child’s life could have been saved if the child received the proper vaccinations. Ever since the invention of the Smallpox vaccine more than two centuries ago, there has been an abundance of controversy over the morality, ethics, effectiveness, and safety of vaccinations and immunizations. It has recently been argued whether laws should be introduced that render some or all vaccines mandatory for all children. Parents, health care specialists, nurses, teachers, and children

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