Multiple studies have shown an increase in the local risk of vaccine-preventable diseases when there is a geographic region of people refusing vaccination. For example, in Michigan, there was a significant correlation documented between geographic regions of nonmedical exemptions and pertussis outbreaks. In Colorado, the county-level incidence of pertussis and measles in vaccinated children from 1987 through 1998 was associated with the frequency of exemptions of vaccinations in that county. School-based outbreaks in Colorado have been associated with increased exemption rates; the mean exemption rate among schools with outbreaks was 4.3%, as compared with 1.5% for the schools that did not have an outbreak. High vaccine coverage, particularly at the community level, is important for children who cannot be vaccinated, including children who are too young to be vaccinated and those who have medical contraindications to vaccination. These groups are more at risk for infectious diseases than the general population of children and depend on the protection provided by the vaccination of children in their environment.
Studies have reported the importance of parents' concerns about vaccine safety when they decide against vaccination. Underimmunization was associated with negative perceptions of vaccine safety. Although there are stipulations about the safety of vaccinations, they are considered safe for children. Many government and national organizations such as the Center for
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.
Vaccines are safe and a crucial component of childhood and community health. They do not just protect the children of America, they protect those who cannot receive vaccines, because of severe allergies, and weakened immune systems from other diseases. So, to keep them safe we need to make sure that everyone else is fully immunized. There are a lot of specific groups in America, who cannot receive vaccines, including newborn babies, who are too young to receive vaccines. According to CDC, 10-20 babies die each year, because of contracting a vaccine preventable disease (7). This is from the babies encountering children and adults who have decided to not only risk their own health, but the health of someone else’s child. “As long as the majority of children receive their vaccines, we will be able to maintain our current level of disease control. However, should the level of community protection drop to the point where the viruses and bacteria travel unimpeded from person-to-person, from school-to-school, and from community-to-community, we instantly return to a past era when epidemics were an accepted part of
Many parents choose not to vaccinate their children because of the risks that can develop from the vaccine. However, if parents choose not to vaccinate their children, they are putting each person around them at risk from contracting a dangerous or deadly disease(CDC 2). They also think that because of the disappearance of the diseases, there is no point to vaccinate their children. For example, one out of 30 children with measles develops pneumonia. For every 1,000 children who get the disease, one or two will die from it. Thanks to injections, we have few cases of measles in the U.S. today. However, the disease is extremely contagious, and each year, dozens of cases are imported from abroad into the U.S., threatening the health of people who have not been vaccinated and those from whom the vaccine was not effective(CDC
It is human nature to want to understand the risks of vaccinations, especially when the benefits of that vaccine are invisible. It will never be known how many times people might be exposed to a vaccine-preventable disease, and how it could affect the immune system. There is sufficient data to help adults, and parents, weigh out the pros and cons of getting vaccinated. The benefits of preventing a disease with a vaccination can far outweigh the risks of not getting get. There are skeptics out there that believe vaccinating your child could give them neurodevelopmental issues, such as Autism. There is no scientific proof to back up this theory. Getting
The debate over vaccinations continues to dominate the public health domain, with parties on both sides of the aisle taking a strong stance in their views. On one side, there are critics that identify personal reasons or beliefs to utilize exemptions from vaccinating a child. On the other side, there are advocates who recognize serious illnesses and diseases that societies could be exposed to and promote vaccinations to aid in preventing the spread of such infections. Understanding the concerns raised from both sides, my perspective on this issue must side with that of scientific-based evidence. There are numerous studies from various public health organizations and researchers that validate childhood vaccinations supporting preventable
As a parent immunizations for a child are always a big decision. Most parents decide to vaccinate their children without a second thought, while some struggle with if the positives outweigh the negatives, negatives sometimes being serious side effects, and sadly there are some parents that simply cannot afford to vaccinate their children or do not have the necessary resources. There are many communities worldwide that do not use immunizations, due to religious reasons or a lack of resources. (Miller, 2006) These communities see many negative health complications due to people and children not getting vaccinated. Countries with vaccine programs have seen a decrease in preventable diseases due to the vaccines given to children at early
Almost everyone in the world cares and wants the best for children, whether it be their own or not. Most people also want the best for society. But the question is, why would some of these same people deliberately cause the suffering of children and jeopardize society just because they do not believe in vaccination? Vaccinations help save lives by building immunity to deadly diseases, but people are willing to risk lives just because their political beliefs or religious beliefs or skepticism keeps them from vaccinating their children. To make sure everyone in the community is safe from certain diseases, the government needs to make most vaccinations mandatory for every child. There are already a few state mandates regarding vaccinations
Three reasons why it is important for people to get vaccinated are vaccine preventable diseases have not gone away, vaccines will keep you healthy, and your family and coworkers need you.
For some, going to get a vaccination can be a simple task. For others it can be the last thing in the world to do. Just waiting patiently to get a sharp and thin object to pierce them can really mess with some people's minds. In other words, they have belonephobia, which is the fear of needles. Though being scared, it can be very dangerous to not get the vaccination you need.
Dragging out the pet carrier, stuffing an annoyed pet inside, driving to the vet and getting a shot or two. This is a normal part of owning a pet, that has to happen every so often. While the pet is getting checked for any injuries or areas of concern, the vet will go over any out of date vaccinations. Usually, the pet will get the vaccinations the same day, or the owner will schedule a date soon. Vaccinations are essential to keeping a pet healthy. At face value, this seems simple enough, but new groups within the pet owner community are starting to boycott all vaccinations. Many believe that vaccinations cause the diseases they are supposed to prevent, and that vaccinations are not necessary for pet health.
In contrast, a positive aspect of many people having vaccinations is herd immunity. Herd immunity is the occurrence where a large proportion of a specific population is vaccinated to provide them immunity, and as a result, it also gives some protection to the people of the population who have and yet developed immunity. This happens as the a large group of vaccinated individuals are protected from a virus and creates difficulty for the it to spread because there is only a small percentage of the population left that could be infected by the disease. It is a very crucial aspect of immunity for the community as the people who cannot receive vaccinations (i.e. people with weak immune systems, very young children and patients who are too ill)
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).
Over the past few decades, immunizations have saved more than a billion lives and prevented countless illnesses and disabilities in the United States. Vaccine-preventable diseases are still a threat today. These diseases can be passed on to those who are not protected by vaccines, resulting in hospitalizations and deaths every year (Common, 2015). But there is still a small number of people who continue to fight mandatory immunizations, and refuse to abide by the immunization schedule. It has been shown that refusing to follow vaccine protocols can result in disease outbreaks such as the December 2014 measles outbreak that began at Disneyland (Koch, 2000). Even though in
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
Vaccines are one of the health measures that have produced the greatest benefit and continue to produce humanity, prevent diseases that previously caused major epidemics, and deaths. Vaccines are very effective and safe medicines. No advance in medicine has managed to save as many lives as vaccines, thanks to them diseases perceived as threats cease to exist or highly diminish. (Lenselink, et al., 103-107) Their safety is very high and they are the pharmaceutical products that are required higher safety standards: all vaccines currently administered have clearly demonstrated their efficacy and safety. However, it is important to take into account different issues in order to minimize the risk, on the other hand very low, of side effects.