Pros And Cons Of Vaccination

​Over the past decade, the concern among parents regarding the safety and effectiveness of childhood vaccinations has become a concern in the United States and other countries around the world. A survey of physicians showed that 89% of the physicians who were surveyed reported at least one refusal of childhood vaccinations by parents each month (Gowda & Dempsey, 2013). Other researchers have noted that as many as 77% of parents have concerned about one or more of the childhood vaccinations that are recommended for children (McKee & Bohannon, 2016). However, organizations such as the World Health Organization (2017) note that not only are childhood vaccinations safe, the reduction in children receiving childhood vaccinations has brought back diseases such as measles that had been completely wiped out in the United States. It is clear that there are opposing viewpoints about childhood vaccinations that need to be understood and examined to determine which side has a better argument.

Since their first introduction in the late 1700s, vaccinations have been a controversial topic of discussion. Vaccines are a safe and effective way to prevent the spread of disease. Although we can attribute the eradication and control of many diseases to vaccinations, there are still many Americans who are refusing to vaccinate their children based on their belief in a few unfounded fears. Most of these fears that the anti vaccine community believes are centered around the health risks involved with the practice of vaccinating. The majority of these fears have been disproven through extensive research. With the continued research and innovations of the

This response will describe my answers to the question: “If you are a doctor, what will you say to a patient who refuses vaccines like the patient Ofri encounters? Will there be any difference in what you say depending on whether the patient is an adult, or an adult refusing for their child?”. In Ofri’s article, she described her encounter with an adult patient who refused to receive an annual flu shot. She narrated the conversation between her and her patient and included her attempt to correct misconceptions the patient had concerning vaccinations while also respecting the patient’s view and ending with the claim that the most she could ask for is for the patient to walk away and think about the vaccine.

Choosing to vaccinate or not vaccinate children has become a large topic of contention between parents and medical personnel. Rates of non-medical vaccine exemptions for children entering public school continue to increase across the country. This increase has coincided with a resurgence in outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases, or VPDs (Lynfield, 2014, p.1). There are a variety of reasons why a family might apply for a non-medical exemption and the validity of these exemptions varies from state to state. Regardless of the justifiability of an exemption, growing numbers of non-vaccinated children entering school will increase the prevalence and mortality from VPDs (Lynfield, 2014, p.2).

The disadvantage those with religious and philosophical beliefs have due to mandatory vaccination laws is not the only proof vaccines should not be forced, as other anxieties regarding vaccinations are prominent amongst parents. II. Parents strive to do what is the best for their children, and the idea of sticking their babies with weak or dead disease-causing germs at nearly every check-up raises many questions. A. One of these questions reflects fear of too many vaccines being administered to children at such a young age. B. Parents who are anti- vaccinators, forgo or delay certain vaccines, or are vaccine- anxious all express a common fear; children are given too many vaccines for too many diseases at too young of an age, and they are administered too closely together.

Controversy concerning the risks of vaccinations will always exist. As is the nature of a preventative intervention, it is difficult to rationalize giving a completely healthy child an injection that is known to have varying degrees of sides affects5. Additionally, these injections are to provide immunity to children for diseases that have an extremely low risk of circulating within a population. Since these vaccines have been able to protect so many individuals from experiencing these dangerous infections, most parents do not even have personal experiences regarding the impact of these diseases. As such, many parents do not see the vaccine-preventable disease as a threat to their child. This often causes parents to not fully understand the risk their child has for contracting a disease and the subsequent danger of a vaccine-preventable disease infection verses the potential side effect of a vaccine which is normally only mild to moderate discomfort for their child15.

For years, universal childhood vaccinations have been a deliberated and debated topic among much of the population. Those who are in support of vaccination, including healthcare providers, believe that vaccinations are not only in the best interest of each child’s health, but also in the best interest of the public’s health as a whole. Many vaccine supporters also believe that the benefit of vaccinations outweigh the risks associated with them (Song, 2014, p. 542). Those who are not in support of vaccinations, or display hesitancy regarding them, may not perceive the continuing need for them or may decline them for various other reasons. Anti-vaccinators are also typically concerned with the safety of vaccinations and believe that the risks associated with them may be greater than their benefit (Song, 2014, p. 542). This paper will focus on discussing some of the ethical issues arising from childhood vaccinations, it will apply ethical principles such as autonomy and beneficence to the issue, and it will explore the role of the nursing profession and ethical standards by which they abide.

Childhood immunizations start the moment a baby is born (if the family opts to go the vaccination route). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2016), from birth to

Vaccinations are safe and they work. There are many parents who choose for their own reasons to ignore Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations to vaccinate and exercise their right to not do so. They run the risk of having their child suffer or even possibly die when they opt-out to having their child vaccinated. Today in the United States, outbreaks of vaccine-preventable disease are often traced to susceptible children whose parents have claimed an exemption from school or child care immunization regulations (CDC, 2014).

Should children be vaccinated? This is a question that has been a hot topic for some time now. All children should be vaccinated. We often ask “Why should we have our children vaccinated”? There are pros and cons to vaccinations. Vaccinations will reduce the risk of illness, provide a safer environment, and keep the parents from worry as much. In some cases, people think they cause more harm than anything.

Many also worry that vaccinations are too traumatizing for children. Many children do fear visiting their doctor because they know that at some point there is a chance they will have to endure being stuck with a needle. On average a child who follows their vaccination schedule will receive 49 shots or oral vaccinations by the time they turn 18. This combined all adds to concern that exposing the child to pain and possible disease is not worth the risk.

Credibility Statement: My mom is a pediatric nurse practitioner, and has always made me to get all of my shots and vaccinations. Over the past few weeks, I have spent a considerable amount of time reading up on this topic.

In wealthy countries, diseases have drastically reduced through the last few decades with vaccines (Harmsen 1). Although this progress is successful, there are thousand parents who believe that their children do not need vaccines. This cause several problems to society. These children would be at

Despite vaccinations being credited for the control and elimination of several childhood diseases, there are still many critics who raise concerns about the necessity of vaccination. In a national study of parents performed in 2000, 19% indicated they had “concerns about vaccines” whereas in a subsequent survey performed in 2009 this number had risen to 50%. There has also been a rise in non-medical vaccine exemptions that has occurred over the last several years. In a 2010 national survey of physicians, 89% of respondents reported at least one vaccine refusal by a parent each month (Dempsey & Gowda, 2013). Opposers argue that making school vaccination mandatory is against their right to make personal medical decisions. They feel that the government has no place to force parents to vaccinate their children if the parents decide it is not in their child’s best interest. Many parents are disagreeable about the multiple vaccinations received at one time, which results in possible pain and discomfort for the child. Another argument against vaccination is the safety and efficacy of vaccines. Critics are concerned about the unknown risks vaccines pose to children. Some parents noted their child acquiring a “high fever” or beginning to “act different” after the administration of a vaccine. There is a belief that there is a connection between the measles vaccination and autism. Another theory is that the influenza

For many, the subject of vaccinations is a controversial topic in which everyone’s beliefs and experiences differ greatly from person to person. Some people believe naturally developed immunity is a better alternative than vaccinations; whereas others are adamant that vaccinations should be mandatory.