Nonvaccinated Children in Public Schools

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.

Parents face many different decisions when raising a child; some decisions are trivial, and others can be controversial. Whether or not to vaccinate a child is one of the most controversial choices. So controversial, in fact, that there is a political conversation of making immunizations a requirement. Many people support the movement of making vaccinations mandatory. Proponents argue that vaccines save lives, vaccine-preventable diseases have not been eradicated, and vaccines protect herd immunity. Many people also disagree with the possibility of required vaccinations. Opponents argue that vaccines cause harm, immunity by vaccinations is inferior to natural immunity, and government policies should not dictate personal medical choices.

Although the negative claims behind anti-immunization stances are deceptive and discredited, some parents find it difficult to accept that vaccines are necessary and safe. Many of these reasons are due to personal or religious beliefs that have persuaded parents to bypass immunizations for their children. Consequently, health officials are seeing disquieting rises of diseases that are easily preventable. The CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) has reported hundreds of measles cases in the United States in 2011, the largest number in 15 years (Ben-Joseph, Elana). Essentially, almost all of these cases were in individuals who had not received a vaccine shot. Also found in the article was that a great amount of the quarrel over the shots comes from a 1998 study that tried to connect autism to a type of vaccine that defends against measles. However, there has been no scientific evidence that a vaccine or a combination of any of the shots induces autism. Undoubtedly, the doctor that wrote the article, calling vaccines a “deliberate fraud” ,lost his license for not submitting any evidence of his claim and causing people to neglect shots for that year. Sadly, due to that article, 1 in 4 parents still believe that vaccines are

Unfortunately, little progress has been made since then, as reports from 2015 show only 72.2 percent of U.S. children are fully vaccinated (KFF, 2017). Healthy People 2020 recommends a national goal of 80 percent to maintain herd immunity (Child Trends Databank, 2015). Despite the life-saving importance of immunization, these stagnant rates show that many mothers of U.S. children do not adhere to vaccination recommendations. These critics and skeptics of vaccines are a part of the anti-vaccination movement. Originating upon the discovery of the first vaccine in 1796, this movement has progressed for hundreds of years. Currently, through media and prominent anti-vax social figures, the public can easily be relayed messages of vaccine controversies rather than scientific facts. Falsehoods include perceived low risk of contracting vaccine-preventable diseases, “overloading” the child’s immune system, mercury in vaccines, reports of negative reactions after vaccination, and the infamously popular myth that vaccines cause autism (Mittenzwei, Morrison, & Williams,

To Vaccinate or not to vaccinate, has been a question many parents in America have been asking themselves for years. Some parents believe that it is their right to decide if their children will be vaccinated; while some states believe that all children should be vaccinated. There are logical and illogical reasons for this argument. There should be a federal law that requires parents to vaccinate their children because it will lower the number of deaths, benefit those children who have lower immune systems, and it can get rid of some diseases all together in the future.

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”

Vaccines have saved many children from sickness, death and have terminated a large part of infectious diseases in the world. That being said, whether to immunize or not is the ongoing question parents face each day. On one hand, questions are raised about the safety of some vaccines because of rare but serious adverse effects that have been attributed to them. On the other hand, vaccines are known to help prevent death and serious illnesses. Hence, this paper explores the pros and cons of children's vaccines.

President Carter took initiative and created a program for prevention, “The administration’s program had two main goals: to immunize 90 percent of all children against seven preventable infections by October 1979, and to establish a permanent system to ensure the full and timely immunization of the 3 million children born each year.” Measles has been terminated before as an inconvenience, but vaccine supporters stressed that measles could have many dangerous side-effects including encephalitis, deafness, and brain damage. Mumps was also transformed from a “mild” disease to the childhood with alarming difficulties. Male sterility and mental retardation were main concerns. Elena Conis argues that the beginning of the mumps, measles, and rubella vaccine by Merck in 1971 ensured that American children would be vaccinated against the mumps, but she does not believe that a profit-seeking pharmaceutical company duped Americans into vaccinating their children. Rather, she argues that the concern about the declining birth rate made the possible complications of the mumps seem more serious. During this as well, an alarm about rubella-induced birth defects increased support for the rubella vaccine. Fascinating enough, both the mumps and rubella vaccination was not promoted towards the groups that needed it. Younger children were vaccinated because they were an easier target. “As state health boards and legislatures began taking steps to mandate the hepatitis B vaccine for infants, kindergarteners, and seventh-graders, many instead attributed these steps directly to the Vaccines for Children Program.” Also, because universal childhood vaccination could eventually protect the entire

The start of the vaccine was the year 1855 when the smallpox vaccines were mandatory for the school children. The state of Massachusetts passed the first U.S. law, mandating vaccination for the school children. This practice continues still today. Now in this modern age that the newborn baby receives 49 vaccines by the age of 6. Indeed, vaccines have saved a number of lives until today. This is one of the best action taken place for humanity. Moreover, the majority population doesn’t recognize in general that vaccines have toxins in them. For this reason, a certain population gets side effects through receiving vaccines. According to CDC data, there are about 30,000 cases of adverse reactions per year in 2015. The stories of those individuals injured by vaccines are incredibly moving. Accordingly, we need to take a look closer to this issue of our society.

Certainly, supporting the use of immunization at a young age for children is a practical strategy to maintain their health and wellness. Thanks to parents who choose to immunize their children on a voluntary basis, the public health is protected, and there is a reduction in the spread of infectious diseases across the Untied States. Jane Lemons reports, “Although the vast majority of Americans continue to vaccinate their children, studies have found that as many as 1 in 10 parents are delaying or forgoing some or all recommended vaccines for their children” (169).

Over the years, there has been much controversy surrounding the subject of childhood vaccinations. With differing opinions, many are in favor about childhood vaccinations being required for children. Children vaccinations have been proven to be an effective means of preventing serious effects, including fatalities, from childhood illnesses yet there is still controversy over whether the risk of side effects from the vaccines outweighs the risk of contracting diseases. The belief behind mandatory vaccinations has been linked to people wanting vaccinations to be required for children because it will prevent the spread of childhood diseases, but there are still questions and concerns around why childhood vaccinations should be required. Questions surrounding this topic are: why should vaccines be required, are there any serious risks involved in vaccinating your child, and should children be turned away from school if they do not have vaccinations? There is also the question of should these vaccinations be mandatory or should this solely be a choice that the parents of the child should make? In order for us to be able to take our stance on the subject, we need to examine the answers to the question.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the problem that will be addressed with my proposed solution. It will describe the history and overview of the issue both medically and publicly as well as the current status of public and political opinion. Three problems will be identified in the course of this paper as well as support to show the true application of these problems. Finally a solution is proposed and discussed after a summarization of the problems.

This paper examines the controversy surrounding the public health issue of vaccinations in children. Following a careful review of the literature surrounding this issue, the possible reasons for and implications of having a large percentage of the population who remains unvaccinated are discussed. Possible interventions and purposed interventions for resolution of this problem are discussed and conclusions are drawn based on what it learned from the literature.

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.

Vaccinations are one of the modern era’s most notable medical advances. They have shaped our society in ways that are easily forgotten, eradicating diseases that once posed a threat to the United States and protect the world against ruthless diseases that kill mass amounts of people. Vaccinations not only protect individuals, but also society as a whole and should be required for everyone attending school, regardless of philosophical or religious beliefs. The only exception for not receiving vaccinations should be given to those who would suffer more harm than good as a result, such as cancer patients, those with weakened immune systems, or those with allergies to the ingredients.