Auditing The Benefits And Drawbacks of Total Immunization
On April 16, 1850, many people were relieved to know that the polio vaccination became required in all US schools. At this time, doctors and medical researchers did not think that now requiring one vaccine would create such a ripple affect, as well as so much controversy. Now, in the twentyfirst century, vaccinations are one of the medical fields strongest defenders of health and have created the ability for the body to become immune to viruses and diseases that have been known to kill hundreds of thousands of diseases such as polio, smallpox, hepatitis, H1N1, the flu, and many more. Now that vaccines have become such a crucial part of the research process for physicians, this has
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This battle is still in progress and has become a debate between medical professionals, religious groups, and the states’ citizens. Due to the many factors that play into the process of immunizing citizens, the decision to enforce total immunization before entering school, childcare facilities, the work force, etc. has become an uprising issue between whether we still value a persons right to choose, or if the benefit of the greater good should now trump principle.
From state to state, the laws and requirements of vaccinations for students and workers fluctuate. So as of right now, there are no definitive vaccinations that are nationwide for citizens. While all states and the District of Columbia allow exemptions from the requirements for medical reasons, 19 states allow exemptions based on parents’ personal beliefs. Several recent outbreaks of measles, pertussis, and varicella
(chickenpox) have been traced to groups of unvaccinated children in states that allow
‘personal belief’ exceptions and homeschooling exceptions. On February 4, 1991, U.S
Congress passed a bill allowing all homeschooled students the opportunity to fill out a form exempting them from any required vaccinations for students in their state. By allowing a sectioned group of students have the ability to refuse any vaccination stirs up the point of arbitrary. The point of vaccinations is so that diseases can be prevented and also the
Mandatory vaccination is an extremely controversial topic because it violates constitutionally protected right to practice religion and personal beliefs in the absence of the true health emergency (First Amendment of the Constitution). The new law destroys the individual rights of parents to make voluntary decisions in the best interest of their children in the health care decisions and diminishes the role of parents in upbringing and educating their children (Skov).
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.
For this round, I will be making three points: firstly, that vaccines are safe and effective, and secondly, that the government has a responsibility to protect its citizens—even if it may result in less opportunities for people to choose personally, and finally, that vaccination should not be a choice since herd immunity means that one’s decision not to vaccinate can affect others as well.
Can you imagine life without vaccine? In the reading "Not Being Vaccinated is not Acceptable" by David Ropeik argues that we should all get vaccinated because it’s necessary. Vaccinations are designed to help us go through our daily everyday life. A vaccine is a modern type of medicine that has been added to the world early on in life to prevent us all from diseases. It is called a modern medicine because of how many lives it has saved throughout the world. The earliest documented examples of vaccination are in the 17th century from India and China, people infected with smallpox were used to protect against the diseases. Vaccine have become better, to where they are safer for the human body. Vaccinations protect you and everyone around you, saves public money, protects future generations and it’s reliable.
With all of the technology improvements and advances we are able to fight and protect more effectively against ermiging diseases.
Vaccination is widely considered one of the greatest medical achievements of modern civilization (Harvard Law School, 2007). Childhood deaths from infectious diseases were commonplace less than a generation ago; however they’re now increasingly rare due to vaccines. In order to be effective at eliminating communicable diseases, vaccines must be administrated to a sufficient level of people in the community. However, there has been plenty of controversy over the morality, ethics, effectiveness and safety of immunization. It has been argued in the past whether laws should be introduced that render some vaccines obligatory for all children (Singer, 2009). These objections may lead to an unacceptably high number of exemptions, which can compromise vaccination programs and leave the population susceptible to outbreaks. Parents argue that it is they who should have the ultimate decision-making right on whether or not to vaccinate their children. Whereas nurses and health care officials oppose that view on the grounds that by making vaccination rates in children incomplete, we expose all children to contracting the vaccine-preventable diseases. The most recent Australian Childhood Immunization Register coverage report illustrates that 92.1% of children aged 12 to 15 months have been fully immunized in Australia (ACIR, 2014). A survey was conducted for the Mansfield community to analyze and identify the factors which prevents them from vaccinating their children.The
In the 1850s the first school vaccination requirement were enacted to prevent smallpox. Federal and state efforts to eradicate measles in the 1960s and 1970s motivated many to mandate policies. By the 1990s, all 50 states requirement for children to be enrolled in school must receive certain immunizations and if these requirements were not met than children were not allowed to be enrolled in school (Center for Disease Control Prevention, 2010). For example, in the state of California, private public school or daycare cannot admit children unless vaccinations were received for all ten of the diseases. If the California Department of Public Health implements a requirement for vaccination parent can be allowed to obtain personal belief exemptions that would allow parents to opt out of vaccination for their children if form is filled out by healthcare professional that states vaccinations were countered to personal beliefs. This law has not been implemented as of yet but should be in 2016. The healthcare of policy decision in laws can have an influence on individuals based on the decision that are made. Health care policy and issues can affect providers and patients in many different ways. Stakeholders’ in the policymakers for vaccination main concern is the safety and health of children so the implement exemptions of laws from concern about vaccine
Today, thanks to state laws that required all children to be immunized before attending school, there aren’t many unvaccinated adults. However, there are individuals who still believe that vaccinations are not effective and may cause adverse effects. Although public health history has demonstrated the immense benefit of vaccines, compulsory vaccination is still not free of controversy. Thus, some states allow medical, religious, and even philosophical exemptions from immunizations (“Disease Eradication”,
The decision of whether or not to make childhood vaccinations mandatory can rile up deep emotions in both parents and people arguing their rights. The side that makes
"In the United States, the childhood immunization schedule recommends that children receive approximately 15 vaccinations by 19 months of age, and it specifies ages for administration of each vaccination dose" (Luman, Barker, McCauley, & Drews-Botsch, 2005, p. 1367). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a vaccine is "a product that produces immunity therefore protecting the body from the disease" (Vaccines and Immunizations, 2015). Currently, there are many individuals advocating for and opposing the effects of the administration of vaccinations and immunizations in the United States. There are both legal and ethical issues surrounding the controversy, which include both deliberate and exogenous reasons not to vaccinate, and the mandatory nature that is required by many schooling districts and places of employment. Within this paper, I will discuss some legal implications surrounding vaccination, ethical debates that are current in the topic, as well as my point of view regarding immunizations and vaccinations.
“Prevention is better than cure.” This common statement could not relate any better than it does with the controversy surrounding the morality, effectiveness, and safety of childhood immunizations. The major argument is whether or not laws should be established to declare vaccination mandatory for all children. “The US food and Drug administration (FDA) regulates all vaccines to ensure safety and effectiveness,” (ProCon.org, 2012) therefor there should not be any reason to risk the health of any child. Vaccinating our children not only ensures their safety but also that of their future to come.
On the other hand, drawbacks to having mandatory vaccinations include the occurrence of potentially fatal side effects. According to the CDC, vaccines all carry a risk of causing anaphylaxis, an allergic reaction that can be life threatening (Centers for Disease Control, 2015a). Based on the National Vaccine Information Center, each individual vaccine has its own associated risks (National Vaccine Information Center, 2015b). Reactions that may be linked to a recent vaccination include rash, paralysis, high fevers, fatigue, memory loss, breathing difficulties, and excessive bleeding (National Vaccine Information Center, 2015b). All of these reactions need to be taken into consideration when determining whether it is worth exposing a child
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.
There are many positive effects of setting policies for mandatory vaccinations in the United States. One of the biggest is herd immunity. Herd immunity is the idea that if enough individuals in a community are vaccinated the community as a whole benefits. The first benefit is that these individuals are individually protected from these diseases, which decreases the chance of an outbreak. This leads to the second benefit, which is that those that are unable to get vaccinated are protected from the disease by a large margin. This is discussed in the article as some individuals who are unable to get vaccinated which include pregnant women and immunocompromised individuals. Those who are able to receive these vaccinations protect them. As stated in
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.