Risks Outweigh The Benefits Of Vaccines

For many of years, parents have been dealing with the idea of having their child vaccinated or choosing not to vaccinate them at all. Some parents would argue about the different viewpoints of the vaccinations given to children. Some parents

“Another area that has been linked to vaccination status is provider’s lack of knowledge about the indications for and contraindications to immunization” (MDH, 2008 p. 18). Providers must have knowledge about vaccines before educating patients about it. Patients or parents of the child may delay vaccination due to lack of education about vaccines. A massive amount of parents have concerns about “vaccines may actually be the cause of conditions such as autism, hyperactivity, diabetes, multiple sclerosis (MS), and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)” ( MDH, 2008 p. 18). Parents still believe this even though scientist have showned that side effects are not related to these

People in the United States are urged from day one that vaccinations are important for the well being of their children and for everyone that your child may come in contact with. Recently, childhood vaccinations have been stigmatized as a negative process. Parents have become increasingly concerned about the effects and side effects of vaccinations. The problem being, that the infectious diseases that are being prevented for, are being forgotten about. Vaccinations have been doing their job in protecting us for so long that the infectious diseases are less scary than vaccination process itself (Austvoll-Dahlgren & Helseth, 2012, p. 271). Vaccinations are a preventative measure and one that will continue to be implemented in children for their individual safety and for the safety of the public. However, it is still the families’ choice whether or not they want to proceed with the vaccination process or not. Most vaccinations are going to be administered by a registered nurse, therefore, it is the role of the nurse to supply information, and answer questions when counseling families through this process. The goal is to make people feel as comfortable and as informed as possible so that they can make a decision on whether to submit to the vaccination process or not.

The most commonly cited reason why parents decide to not vaccinate their children is due to their belief that vaccines cause harm11. In a survey that looked at risk perception with vaccines, researches found that while 94% of individuals surveyed had vaccinated or plan on vaccinating their children, only 23% of participants had no concerns about the vaccines16. This reiterates the point that even though there are high rates of vaccination in the United States,

Vaccinations are not without controversy. Some parents worry about the possible side effects of vaccines can potentially harm their children.

“Sustaining high vaccination coverage among school-age children is vital to prevent outbreaks and avoid reestablishment of diseases that have been eliminated in the United States” (Zangger, 2017). Most of the articles found, stated a variety of issues involved with noncompliant parental decisions made about not vaccinating their children. Of these issues, to my attention, the main problem with compliance of vaccines comes from the lack of knowledge about adverse effects and contraindications. What parents are missing is the fact that these childhood diseases are totally preventable diseases. We also are seeing a lot of parents choose to use an alternative vaccination schedule (AVS) instead of what is recommended by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that leads to the same kind of issue (Committee on Practice and Ambulatory Medicine and council on the community, 2011). The studies show that parents have an increased likelihood of refusing to vaccinate due to the lack of education provided on the subject itself.

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.

Throughout the article, Hendrix evaluates the possible arguments of parents who turn down opportunities to vaccinate their children and later discusses methods to evoke better communication. For example, Hendrix states, “Some parents do invoke the herd immunity argument as a reason not to vaccinate, suggesting that it is unnecessary that they expose their child to the risk of side effects from vaccination if everyone else is vaccinated to a level that prevents the spread of illnesses” (2). While her stance calls for policymakers and health officials to consider the reasoning behind parental opposition to vaccinations, she also refutes

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 today’s society, the parents have a right to refuse or discontinue treatment. However, when parental decisions are not in the best interest of the child and potentially dangerous to the child’s health, health care practitioners have a responsibility to advocate for the child and challenge those decisions, as is the case with vaccinations.

Vaccines are important for preventing deadly diseases. If a child is not vaccinated against preventable diseases, not only is the child at risk but also the entire community is at risk. This would include newborns in the community who are too young to have been vaccinated, people who cannot receive vaccines due to medical reasons, and people who may not have responded to a vaccine. With more people opting not to vaccinate their children, there has been a rise in the outbreak of preventable childhood diseases such as measles in certain communities. The reason most parents decide not to vaccinate is due to being misled by the media and the internet (Daley, 2011). Our healthcare professionals must do a better job at communicating the counterarguments. Physicians must begin having a discussion with parents at a much earlier time than what the recent norm has been which is usually at the two-month check-up. If a discussion over

As a parent, there are countless tough decisions to make. Parents are responsible for their child’s well-being, which is intense pressure. They are obligated to decide what they think is in the best interest of their own child. There is also pressure from the media, and other parents, on how people should raise their children and what decisions are actually in the child’s best interest. One of the tough decisions that parents must determine is whether to have their child vaccinated or not. There is excessive disagreement about whether vaccinating children is beneficial or detrimental. There are also restrictions put in place by the government that encourage vaccines, such as children must have vaccinations to attend public school. However,

Many parents stress over the choice of deciding whether or not to vaccinate their children. The reason why deciding to vaccinate children is so difficult is due to the wide range of myths and side effects that are connected with vaccinations. Myths spread to parents all over the United States that the diseases don’t even exist anymore, rumors of vaccinations weakening a child’s immune system, and the risk of a child becoming autistic due to thimerisol in vaccinations. Side effects also scare parents out of getting their children vaccinated like brain damage, seizures, or allergic reactions, but then parents are pulled back to the thought of the possibility of

This topic is extremely significant to my audience because a growing number of parents do not vaccinate their children due to fear of side effects. Parents today have lost confidence in in the vaccination industry as a consequence of sensationalism brought about by false evidence published and the celebrities that latched onto that claim. Sadly, some people have taken to considering the strong opinions and may not research vaccinations before making decisions

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