Moder Modern Medicine

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 top on the list of 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century (Jackson 643). Vaccinations have been extremely successful in eliminating and containing many deadly diseases, such as smallpox and polio, by providing the public with immunizations to keep themselves healthy against these very scary and potentially fatal illnesses. Mandated vaccinations for children in the united states has remained a highly debated and hot topic as many argue the freedoms of these children and their parents is being compromised by the notion of mandated immunizations and vaccinations to attend public and private schools. The founding documents of our country support these feelings, but many disagree as the greater good of the public would be largely at stake if exposed to a possible risk of contagion due to a preventable human to human transmittable disease. Vaccinations are mandated by school districts in every state as a method to protect the children, and the public as a whole when statistics show 100% effective elimination of certain diseases like smallpox. Many believe that vaccinations are responsible for eliminating these deadly diseases, while opposing views believe that better sanitation, hygiene, and the introduction of antibiotics is solely responsible for containing these outbreaks. Why would parents choose not to vaccinate and protect their children? Though there is evidence that supports both of these perspectives, there is a factor that remains untouched, the

There appears to be an alarmingly large group of people that don’t mind exposing their children to serious harm; in recent years, many adults have decided against vaccinating their children. This is unusual, as vaccines are non-lethal, very safe protection for children; they are even cost-effective for their parents and are considerably safer for the entire family when these children are vaccinated routinely (Prosser, 1548). Jennifer Hamborsky of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention essentially describes vaccination as the administration of antigenic material to stimulate an individual 's immune system to develop adaptive immunity to a pathogen- and vaccination

In healthcare, we are seeing an influx of children with diseases that were once eradicated by vaccinations. It does not help that in recent years many public figures, be it actors or politicians, have begun speaking out about the effects vaccinations potentially have on children. Whether they have done the proper research or not, their fame and notoriety brings about attention that most would not. So, what does the increase in non-vaccinated children mean to the rest of those that accepted the vaccinations. A closer look at immunizations for adults and children, the herd immunity that is in jeopardy, and the culture and reasoning of the anti-vaccination group may shed some light on the culture of anti-vaccination.

A person’s health can be one of the most important aspects in their life. When thinking about what can help one to remain healthy, vaccinations come to mind. Vaccinations, to many people, are a necessity to remain healthy. I know when I was younger I hated to get a shot, but when I think about it today I am glad my parents made me get them. My mother was a nurse, so she knew the importance of vaccinations. Unfortunately, in todays’ society some parents think vaccinations can be more harmful then helpful, therefore refusing to vaccinate their children. The articles “How Vaccines Protect Us All” by Harrison Wein and “Beliefs About Childhood Vaccinations is the United States: Political Ideology, False Consensus, and the Illusion of Uniqueness” by Mitchell Rabinowitz, Lauren Latella, Chadly Stern, and John Jost both talk about vaccinations as the main point. While both of the articles talk about the importance of vaccinations and how they should be required, the first article by Harrison Wein talks more about how vaccinations protect the community and the second article by Rabinowitz et al. talks about how parents have the control of their children’s vaccinations. However, both articles prove readers to believe vaccinations can help keep children safe and healthy.

“In 2011 alone, 1.5 million children died [worldwide] from diseases preventable by currently recommended vaccines” (“Immunization” 2). The magnitude of this tragedy is in part caused by the fact that some of those children simply weren’t reached by organizations like UNICEF, which aim to vaccinate children (“Immunization” 2). However, there are other reasons for the recent deaths and epidemics—such as the whooping cough epidemic of 2012, with 48,000 cases nationally in the United States—involving vaccine preventable diseases (McClay 1).

Vaccinations have been created to prevent outbreaks of communicable diseases. When everyone, or even just a majority of the population, receives the vaccine, a phenomenon occurs called herd immunity. Herd immunity protects both the individuals who received the vaccine and those that could not: infants, elderly, HIV patients, and those with weakened or compromised immune systems (“Mandatory School Vaccinations: The Role of Tort Law”).

In her book, On Immunity An Inoculation, Eula Biss takes the reader through the magical journey of parenthood and the immense fear that comes with it. She provides insight into a pre- and post-birth outlook on the world, specifically focusing on the controversial topic of vaccination. Her optimism of the future and parenthood that she shares is quickly morphed into a world of germs and fear when her son is born directly before the H1N1 pandemic of 2009. She is immediately plunged into the world of vaccination fear – mothers discuss what chemicals are in the new vaccine and weigh the risks vs benefits of attempting to give their children a small dose of immortality. This introduces the books main theme of “private vs. public”, “natural vs. unnatural”,

The United States has a problem and its name is “anti-vaccination”. To combat this and the risk it presents to the general public 's health, the California state legislature has passed a law which is a monumental step forward in the quest for worldwide health. For decades, vaccines have been dramatically reducing the rates or even ridding whole continents of deadly diseases, the likes of which were previously thought a normal, albeit horrific, part of childhood. In recent years, a growing number of parents have decided to forgo the doctor-recommended schedule of vaccinations in favor of late or no vaccination at all.

Vaccinations are a luxury of which many members of the modern first world do not often recognize the significance of. It has been a few generations since society has seen the devastation that can come from severe communicable disease. Those that lived through the horror of epidemics like measles, smallpox, polio and more were either too young to have realized the true gravity of what was happening around them. Those who survived to die of natural causes and are no longer here to remind us of that time. This lack of remembrance, however, does not erase the past. Diseases such as these devastated countries all around the world; thousands of children were killed due to a complete lack of prevention or protection. Only when vaccinations came about for each of these maladies did society finally escape the awful times. Despite the impact that was clearly made by these preventative measures, parent’s of today’s generation refuse to vaccinate their children. In response to misguided celebrities voicing distrust in the benefits of vaccinations, false studies linking developmental disorders to shots, and more, the number of guardians wary of giving their kids these injections grows. While research disproving the validity of these reports and studies has been published several times over the years, the news seems to fall more and more on deaf ears. This results in an increased group of individuals who leave their children and the rest of the world vulnerable to a resurgence of the most

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.

Throughout history, it has been shown that vaccines make a significant impact on the health of our communities and “administration of these vaccines led to dramatic reduction in the number of cases of, as well as deaths from smallpox, polio, diphtheria, pertussis, measles, mumps and preventable diseases” (Jacobson, 2012, p.36). Generally, those involved in campaigns for and research in these preventable diseases attribute vaccines for children as the main contributing factor to the overall decline in diseases such as measles, mumps, smallpox and pertussis (Jacobson, 2012). In the public health setting, there are many issues that threaten the health and safety of the public, not just in the local community but the nation and world-wide. One such issue, surfacing in public health, is the issue of vaccinations; those who choose to vaccinate, those who choose not to vaccinate and those who do not

Now, many once-forgotten diseases are reappearing. TIME Magazine reported that “In 2014, the U.S. experienced a major outbreak of measles that totaled 383 cases and was primarily spreading among an unvaccinated Amish community in Ohio.” (Measles Outbreak) The number of cases of these diseases is going up when it can be easily prevented. Worldwide, “Measles is one of the leading causes of death among young children even though a safe and cost-effective vaccine is available.” (World Health

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”).

Ragan & Duffy (2012, p.23) have also shown high immunization rates have resulted in a substantial decline in vaccine preventable diseases, particularly vaccination has eliminated smallpox worldwide. In addition, in a study by Bawah, Phillips, Adjuik & smith et al (2010, p.95) found that vaccination has resulted in a large and statistically significant reduction child mortality. The risk of dying for children younger than five who are fully immunized is reduced by more than 70% compared with those who are not immunized or partially immunized. Moreover, research by Dawson (2011, p.1032) also suggests that vaccination is a vital intervention in reducing illness and death rates in children and he estimated approximately 2.5 million deaths could be prevented each year by vaccination. In addition to personal immunity Vaccination programs also bring herd immunity which ensures even greater protection for the community from communicable diseases. The level of vaccination required to provide herd immunity varies with virulence and transmissibility as well as vaccine efficacy. While vaccinating