The Effects Of Drug Vaccination On United States Citizens Essay

Many infectious diseases that once quickly spread and easily killed have been controlled or eradicated due to vaccinations. The efficacy of vaccines in reducing morbidity and mortality, particularly in children, is undeniable. Per the World Health Organization, childhood vaccinations prevent approximately 2-3 million deaths per year worldwide (WHO, 2016). In the United States, the value of immunizations is clearly displayed by comparing pre-vaccine era morbidity/mortality rates to post-vaccine era in regards to vaccine-preventable diseases. For example, prior to the diphtheria vaccine in the 1920’s, 206,000 people annually contracted the disease resulting in 15,520 deaths (History of Vaccines, 2009). However, between 2004 and 2014, only

Despite significant progress in the fight against preventable disease, millions still die needlessly each year. According to UNICEF, originally known as the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, a vaccine preventable disease is responsible for 2 million fatal infections worldwide each year. About 75% of these deaths occur in children under five years of age. (N) In more vivid terms, UNICEF notes that vaccine-preventable diseases kill a child every 20 seconds. (D) Due to high rates of childhood vaccination, the United States has experienced a dramatic reduction in such deaths. A comparison of the years 1950 and 2010 clearly illustrates the benefits of vaccinations. During this 60-year period, deaths from diphtheria reduced from 410 to 0, tetanus from 336 to 3, pertussis from 1,118 to 26, and polio from 1,904 to 0. Measles deaths dropped from 468 in 1950 to 0 in 2008, the last year a United States death rate was recorded. It’s not surprising that vaccinations have been touted as one of the top ten health achievements of the 20th century by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Vaccines have had an undeniably positive impact on society, and are considered to be one of the most effective ways of protecting oneself and others from harmful diseases. Due to vaccinations, smallpox has been officially eradicated since 1980 and polio has been reduced to scarce singular incidents (Bt.cdc.gov, 2007; Immunise.health.gov.au, 2015). Similarly measles has been eliminated within Australia since 2014, however the

Failure to immunize people impacts negatively on a country 's growth as it is a health burden to the public. This is because most people are left with chronic disease conditions that are difficult to manage; as such infections require complex and costly care. It is imperative to note that there are many barriers to enhancing the use of adult vaccination among people. The low rates of vaccination indicate the existence of limited public and provider knowledge on the issue of immunization. Other issues include existence of different economic constraints and infrastructure to support the program. Adult immunization is undervalued by the public and healthcare providers as very little information is known about its benefit.

“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).

The world has many problems. Society has trouble finding adequate protection against the elements, each other, and many other adversities. We cannot fix every problem. We fail to completely survive natural disasters, catastrophes, and even basic problems. We can’t even feed ourselves. However, there is one major problem that mankind is beginning to solve. Vaccines are changing the world. They are becoming vital to our well-being. Vaccinations should mandatorily be administered to all children, especially those in our school system.

Many children in the USA remain unvaccinated and that could put a large number of people at risk. Throughout history, communicable diseases have proven to be a scourge on society, claiming millions of lives, especially the most vulnerable of humanity….

During childhood we are given vaccinations and as we get older we are given more. These vaccinations are to help our bodies protect us against various strains of diseases and viruses. Now in the twentieth century there are multiple crippling diseases that are almost if not already extinct. All of this is due to vaccinations and public health recommendations. To have the health system we have today we first had to create and develop public health, bring this entity into our decade and then continue to manage the framework to benefit the requirements of today’s health topics.

The debate on the safety of vaccines affects every household, whether they are for or against them. Most doctors and public health officials find the idea of a parent not getting their children vaccinated immoral and potentially catastrophic (Cronin, 2007). Not receiving immunizations puts others who cannot get vaccinated at risk. Although America’s disease rate has dropped, other countries may have higher numbers of unvaccinated vaccines, showing that polio or smallpox can be spread through traveling to foreign countries or from foreigners themselves (Cronin,

Vaccine Preventable Disease: With the increased rate of vaccinations, the occurrence of viral diseases has dropped, and as a result so has the rate of people dying from these diseases.1 This has influences other factors of public health, the life expectancy has increased and the infant mortality rate has dropped as fewer infants

Ragan & Duffy (2012, p.23) have also shown high immunization rates have resulted in a substantial decline in vaccine preventable diseases, particularly vaccination have eliminated smallpox worldwide. In addition, in a study of Bawah, Phillips, Adjuik & smith etc. al (2010, p.95) found that vaccine exhibit large and statistically significant effect on child mortality. The risk of dying for children younger than five is reduced by more than 70% among those who are fully immunized, compared with those who are not and partial immunization also prevents mortality. Moreover, research by Dawson (2011, p.1032) also suggest that vaccination is vital intervention in

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

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

With immunization, a country’s growth can be boosted, as immunization makes economic sense. Though there are some challenges in being able to vaccinate all target children, UNICEF has made major initiatives and major progress.