The Epidemic Of The Measles Vaccination Essay

Before a child is able to attend school they are required to get the measles vaccination, but lately there have been some controversy on the vaccination. In this paper I will be explaining what the measles vaccination is, benefits of the vaccinations, and cons of the vaccination.

Whether or not to vaccinate your children is a very controversial topic. Most doctors are neither 100% for or 100% against vaccines, but somewhere in between. People like Andrew Wakefield have falsified info and lied about vaccines for their own agendas and caused many people to think negatively of vaccines. There are side effects that can occur, but most are not serious. To me, vaccination is similar to the seat belt situation. Many people are against wearing seat belts because they have heard of seat belts causing serious injury/death in car accidents. Although seat belts often do cause bruises, they rarely cause death. More of the time than not, a seat belt can prevent injury and save your life. But even though there is a very small risk of dying because of a vaccine or a seat belt, there are still people that are against them. In my opinion, the pros outweigh the risks and I do believe kids should be vaccinated for

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

According to the CDC (2014) vaccinations are one of the best ways to put an end to the serious effects of certain diseases, some that can be deadly. Parents who choose not to vaccinate their children are not just gambling with their child’s life, they are also gambling with the lives of others. It is always better to prevent a disease than to have to treat it after it occurs. People with weakened immune systems are not as strong such as pregnant women, newborns, cancer patients, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive people, transplant recipients, and the elderly are also affected by the choice not to vaccinate.

An outbreak of the measles in the United States has sparked controversy in the autism world today. Contrary to previous theories, the measles vaccination is not a leading component to the cause of this disease. One in sixty-eight children in the United States are entering this world with Autistic Spectrum Disorder today, a thirty percent increase from the one in eighty eight

In December of 2014, an outbreak of measles, which started in Disneyland, resulted in nearly two hundred people being sickened across the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The highly contagious respiratory disease spread for three months. Among those who contracted the illness, one developed severe pneumonia and multiple organ injury, while another suffered acute respiratory distress syndrome. So, why did an illness, which was purportedly eliminated sixteen years ago, experience a surge so dramatic that it caused more cases in 2014 than in the five preceding years combined? According to the CDC, the outbreak could be boiled down to one simple reason: “The majority of people were unvaccinated.” So while the California measles outbreak is a thing of the past, the fight to increase compliance with vaccinations continues. Although the benefits and safety of vaccinations are undisputed by the medical and scientific community, there are still sizeable groups of “anti-vaxxers” who refuse to vaccinate their children. These groups spread misconceptions, sometimes unknowingly, and become even more influential when coupled with the power of the internet and social media. Therefore, in order to increase compliance with routine vaccinations, the misconceptions of parents should be targeted, and legislation should be changed in order to prevent leniency and loopholes regarding vaccine exemptions.

Exposing a child to a virus or disease strand, no matter how small the dosage, is frightening. There are multiple complications that come with it but I believe that the benefits outweigh the costs. Vaccines have saved the world billions of dollars and have been the reason behind the decline of deadly diseases such as smallpox and measles. Some parents are against vaccinations because they feel as if the outcomes are unreliable. Parents should get their children vaccinated because it helps lower the infections and diseases related to mortality rates, is a smart financial investment, and is considerate to the lives of those around them.

In Michelle Fox’s article, Expect measles outbreak to continue, says doctor, Dr. William Schaffner, Vanderbilt University’s School of Medicine, says that the outbreak will continue for some time because there is a sufficient number of unvaccinated children to continue the spread of measles. According to the CDC, there have been 84 cases of measles and 67 of those have been linked to the outbreak at Disney. Dr. Schaffner also reiterates that measles can be brought to the United States from overseas. If someone from another country comes here with measles and is around unvaccinated children, there is potential to spread the disease.

It is almost too easy to say that vaccination should no longer be allowed. There are so many dangerous ingredients in them and this story about a mom and her kids getting vaccinated is the perfect example of why parents should not get their kids vaccinated. Her son, Harley, is 2 months old, and her daughter, Ashlee 2 years old, were getting taken to the doctors to get vaccinated. The only thing wrong with Ashlee is she had a cold. Harley was given his first DPT, polio, and Hib shots, which are shots that babies get when they’re born. Ashlee received her first Hib and MMR and DPT and polio shots. After they were vaccinated they went home and took a nap. Not long after Harley woke up and thighs were all red and not long after Ashlee woke up and fell because she couldn’t walk. Her mom took her to the hospital, leaving Harley with a babysitter. Eventually her mom came back to her son screaming and screaming until he fell asleep. For the next 10 days Harley had barely eaten or slept and on that day he passed away. After they looked for all the possible things that could have happened and the doctors for starter, marked Harley as a 5 week old baby when he was

Immunization is very important to the safety and health of everyone, especially children. Whether on not to vaccinate is the big question here. The only reasonable choice to make is to vaccinate. Immunization is not bad; moreover, the choice to not receive shots is dangerous. The choice to vaccinate your child could be a choice of either life or death. Vaccines are safer and easier than many people think. Immunization can protect from loss of time and money due to hospitalization, and can save future generations. Becoming educated on vaccinations and how they work will save lives one day.

Another good reason to allow your child to receive a vaccination would be so that disease does not become an epidemic illness. It could possibly spread and hurt the ones around you. Even though the vaccinations have a part of the disease, it allows your body to fight that small part of the virus. Some people might have strong values and are deeply passionate about them to the point where it can cause damage. Being too passionate about their values it may lead to judgmental attitudes during tough times (Potter & Perry, 2013).

Measles Measles is a very uncomfortable and contagious disease also known as rubeola or morb and can lead to very serious body complications and are most likely to be spread through a developing country Measles has an easy group of symptoms to read. After about 9 to 11 days of being infected, including a fever over 38 degrees centigrade, discomfort, illness, lack of wellbeing, runny nose, dry cough, sore and red eyes, watery eyes, sensitive to light, red spots on the inside of the mouth and red blotches on the skin, face and hair line Measles is followed by an infection due to the horrible rubeola virus. The virus survives in the mucus of the nose and throat of an infected person. The disease stays contagious for around 4 days before the disease

be less likely to be infected by the virus(Carson-DeWitt). Antibiotics are only given to the patient if

Since this vaccine debate, “about 40 percent of American parents today has chosen to delay certain vaccines or outright refuse to allow their children’s physicians to vaccinate their children with one or more of the recommended or mandated vaccines” (Largent). As the rates of being vaccinated go down, it is putting not only that child in danger but also the whole community. Diseases that were once gone are on the rise.” A 2013 study published in the journal Pediatrics reports that California’s worst whooping-cough outbreak, which infected more than 9,000 people (Rothstein)”. Also “the CDC reports that from Jan. 1 to Feb. 28, 2014, 54 people in the U.S. have reported being infected with measles” (Sifferlin).

Parents, whose babies were exposed to measles, were so frightened with this outbreak that they started looking for pediatricians. Some parents even had to take leave from their work to get their babies vaccinated and keep them safe. Also, some families were asked not bring their infected babies into the crowded area by their pediatricians. Clinics started running low on vaccines due to more babies were being vaccinated at the same time causing a major shortage of vaccines. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) infants should get their first measles shot at the age of 12 to 15 months and if they are traveling to other countries than at the age of 6 months (Szabo, 2015). One of the pediatricians Jay Gordon said that measles outbreak changed parents’ opinion and he was receiving many calls for vaccine consultations. He also said, “People are viewing the vaccine differently. The people in the pharmaceutical industry must be thrilled” (Szabo, 2015). According to Szabo, studies have found 40% of parents do not vaccinate their children at all or on time due to some myths about vaccines (Szabo, 2015). I do not believe such myths because I know that vaccination is for our safety. I suggest parents to consult specialist for more information regarding vaccination and its side effects. Parents should understand life is more valuable than some myth for their children.