Thematic Analysis

The HPV vaccine reception has been similar to that of the hepatitis vaccine in that both are seen as an attack on morality, and are considered by some as a license for promiscuity. In the book Vaccine Allen quotes, ‘ “ If a 10- or 12-year-old is given a vaccine to protect against a sexually transmitted disease, then it’s implied they’d be engaging in risky sexual behavior,” said Pia de Solenni, director of “life and women’s issues” for the Family Research Council’ (433). The fact that HPV lives in the sexual organs and is spread by sexual intercourse or intravenous drug use has caused many parents to come to the belief that their children are not at risk. Some parents go so far as to suggest that if

| The author connects to the introduction by stating that technology will eventually be able to produce a vaccine.

“Why should I get vaccinated? It is just a waste of time and money. I never got vaccinated before and never will.” That’s what one of my colleagues said when he was asked to get vaccinated during the outbreak of SARS, severe acute respiratory syndrome, few years ago in Mongolia. Then, I had reasoned him that disease comes all of a sudden and it is more serious than he thinks. As reported on CDC, Centers for Disease Control, 40 percent of all American parents were refusing one or more vaccines for their children (Willrich 3). So it is clearly one of the most significant public health issues today. There are lots of people who hold the belief against vaccination because of several reasons. Even though there is a public notion that vaccine

This explains the theory of why parents choose the non-vaccinated route for their children’s lives and explains it why it’s a social issue and not just a personal choice.

Recently an anti-vaccination movement has sparked a worldwide discussion about both the safety of vaccines and the responsibility of people to vaccinate. Recent outbreaks of preventable diseases have caused both fear and anger from people on both sides of the issue. These same outbreaks have also served to cause significant political tension between those against vaccines, who do not want their right to choose compromised, and many proponents of vaccines, who are calling for mandatory vaccinations.

In the Frontline episode The Vaccine War, a progressively distressful debate ensues among many scientists and doctors within the public health system and an

The current issue I have selected to discuss is vaccinations. In particular, I will be addressing the anti-vaccination movement that has gained popularity in recent years and the contributing biases that influenced its emergence. One event stands out at as a major contributing factor to the growth of the anti-vaccination movement, the 1998 study by Andrew Wakefield that was published by the English medical journal, Lancet. This study claimed to show a connection between the MMR vaccine and autism. Even though it was just one small study, the media picked it up and it became hugely publicized.

Including what the short-term and long-term consequences are when vaccinations at taken. Nevertheless, “Health officials are quick to point out that the odds a child will die or become disabled from the diseases targeted by vaccines are far greater than being harmed by the vaccine,” concludes Koch (“Vaccine Controversies” 644). True, immunization may save a child’s life, but evidence to prove not being vaccinated will have drastic consequences is not

Although both writers agree on the dismissal of the mandated HPV vaccines each provides their own logic behind their beliefs. Using a different approach, Allen’s tone and diction in his piece differs of that of Adam’s article. Allen begins with an unbiased opinion on the case and opens his article with a previous case regarding mandated vaccinations, the Hepatitis B vaccine. The case is very similar to that of the HPV Vaccine and Allen uses this as a starting point to build up his reason in his work. Unlike Adams, Allen does not in any way relay to the reader his bias on the government in terms of the vaccines; he remains neutral and refrains from using loaded dialogue to attempt to inform the reader of his point. “It stands to reason that, without a mandatory vaccination, many of the girls who don’t get vaccinated will belong to the same groups that fall through the cracks of the patchy U.S

The educational session lasted approximately 50 including multiple discussions. The presenter began by introducing herself and sharing a funny story. The story was to entice the crowd and loosen everyone up. The quiet room busted into laughs and the presentation began to a great start. The presentation began with a review of the objectives stated above. A discussion was then had and participation was 100 percent. Everyone in the room had something to contribute. Prior to starting the discussion a disclaimer was made that this discussion would be in confidence and whatever was discussed during this session was to remain in the room. All residents willingly agreed. Feelings of nervousness, unknown, and worry were some common themes. Also some residents shared feelings of anger toward people who did not want to receive the vaccine. A discussion was the perfect

Let's say you are the parents of an 11-year-old little girl, she is your world. You take her to your doctor, your doctor instructs you of this vaccine to possibly prevent HPV. You think wow, what a great idea. You tell your doctor you need to go home and read more about it. Your doctor insists it is "perfectly safe" but you insist on doing your own research. You go home, and you come across story, after story of injured children from the vaccine. You stumble across a story that makes you stop and really think. A 12 year old girl from Wisconsin dies just HOURS after getting the Gardasil vaccine. Nothing had changed until she received the vaccine; she was perfectly healthy before going to the doctor and later she is dead (Sanchick and Sears).

More than ever vaccines are met with a high suspicions and very little education on the realities of vaccination success.

Furthermore, in discussion of antibiotic and vaccine treatment, one controversial issue has been the safety of these methods. On the one hand, Elizabeth Miller, a founding member of the World Health Organization, during a recent interview with BMC Medicine, argues that refusal of treatment poses risks to certain individuals who are vulnerable from weakened immune systems or are merely too young to have been treated for a disease, and it can have deadly effects (2). On the other hand, individuals skeptical about treatment contend that fighting illness naturally is safer than being at risk for “vaccine-induced disorders” and causing resistance to the

To the average individual, the word ‘vaccination’ means to prevent illness. Vaccinations have many advantages; they allow us to be less susceptible to a variety of illnesses and diseases. Many individuals believe that vaccinations should not be mandatory. However, the benefits from vaccinations greatly outweigh the risks from side effects. The judgments are factual and ethical and are supported by testing and research findings from multiple sources.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has declared the development of an AIDS vaccine its highest priority. However, in 1995 “NIH had spent only $100 million on vaccine research out of a total AIDS budget of $1.3 billion” and only $180 million of a projected $1.73 billion will be spent on vaccine research in 1999 (Lancet 1323). Most of NIH’s AIDS budget will be allocated to research on pathogenesis and therapeutics. Similarly, worldwide totals for public and private investment in vaccine development “totaled a mere $160 million in 1993, compared with an estimated $1.3 billion spent on other approaches to prevent HIV infection and about $5 billion spent on HIV-related health care” (World Bank 266). Although investments in education and behavior intervention strategies seem to be paying off in the United States and Western Europe, the same approaches to HIV prevention should not be expected to have the same success in developing countries, primarily for two reasons. The first being the fact that