Toxoid Vaccines

Herd immunity exists when the maximum amount of people are vaccinated, reducing the risk of infection for people at serious risk (i.e. immunocompromised adults, chemotherapy patients, or newborns). When fewer people are unvaccinated, a disease has fewer hosts to spread to. At this point, most states allow vaccination exemption for religious or “moral” conflicts in addition to medical reasons. People who exempt vaccines

Unfortunately, little progress has been made since then, as reports from 2015 show only 72.2 percent of U.S. children are fully vaccinated (KFF, 2017). Healthy People 2020 recommends a national goal of 80 percent to maintain herd immunity (Child Trends Databank, 2015). Despite the life-saving importance of immunization, these stagnant rates show that many mothers of U.S. children do not adhere to vaccination recommendations. These critics and skeptics of vaccines are a part of the anti-vaccination movement. Originating upon the discovery of the first vaccine in 1796, this movement has progressed for hundreds of years. Currently, through media and prominent anti-vax social figures, the public can easily be relayed messages of vaccine controversies rather than scientific facts. Falsehoods include perceived low risk of contracting vaccine-preventable diseases, “overloading” the child’s immune system, mercury in vaccines, reports of negative reactions after vaccination, and the infamously popular myth that vaccines cause autism (Mittenzwei, Morrison, & Williams,

Vaccinations play a very large part in the prevention of diseases spreading. When enough people, 95% according to the CDC, have been vaccinated, the other 5% not vaccinated are protected through herd immunity (Kluger). This term is often used in discussion with

“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

Immunity is our body’s way of preventing diseases. Newborn babies are immune to many diseases because they have antibodies that they received from their mothers in the womb. Throughout their first year of life, however, this immunity begins to go away. Vaccines contain the same antigens or parts of antigens that cause disease. The antigens in vaccines are either killed or weakened to the point that they do not cause disease yet are strong enough that the immune system produces the antibodies that lead to immunity. Through vaccination, a child is developing immunity without suffering from the actual disease that the vaccine prevents (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). It is strongly supported by large organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Physicians and the Centers for

Herd immunity is essential in a community where people are unable to be vaccinated. The greater the quantity of people that are immune to a disease, the lower the chance of someone who is vulnerable contracting said disease. Whooping cough is an excellent example of a vaccine that strongly relies on herd immunity. With whooping cough, babies are particularly at risk of infection, therefore it is essential that immediate family members such as the; mother, father and grandparents are all immunised before coming into contact with the

The original definition of herd immunity pertained to the protective effect that ensued when a population contracted and recuperated naturally from infections. Natural immunity lasts a lifetime whereas vaccine generated immunity does not. There is no question that a disease outbreak can happen in a non-immune population, if a virus is introduced there, but the notion of herd immunity as it is erroneously applied to vaccines is being used to maneuver using disinformation and fear to compel the public into consenting to receive vaccinations contrary to their uninformed will.

“Vaccines teach your immune system by working in the same way and mimicking a natural infection” (“Vaccines Save Lives…”). If vaccines were brought to a halt due to fear of what could happen by taking them, then as the Centers for Disease Control has stated, “Diseases that are almost unknown would stage a comeback” (“What Would Happen…”). By protecting oneself from infectious diseases, each person is lessening the chances of spreading it to others and lessening the chance for an epidemic (“What Would

When a majority of a community is vaccinated against a contagious disease such as measles, most members of that community are also protected because there is little chance of an outbreak occurring. This also protects those who are not eligible to receive these vaccinations such as young infants, pregnant women, and those who aren’t able to receive vaccinations due to health reasons. Herd immunity protects you, your mother and father, your aunts and uncles, grandmothers and grandfathers, sons and daughters, your friends, and your neighbors.

Herd immunity – a demonstrated % of a population that is immune to a disease, innate or acquired

Herd Immunity is the idea to determine whether vaccinating of a significant portion of a population (or

Known as ‘herd immunity’ or ‘community immunity,’ there lies an indirect protection of unvaccinated people when a large group of people is vaccinated against a certain disease. Therefore, if children are vaccinated against a disease, they are also protecting their family and friends. Additionally, according to Vaccines.gov, if enough people are vaccinated against a disease, about 80% of a population or less, the entire community has a lesser chance of getting the disease (Page 3). In other words, when a large age group of people, children, are vaccinated and therefore immune to disease, everyone else is protected as well indirectly. Furthermore, as well as unintentionally protecting peers who chose to be unvaccinated, children who are vaccinated are also protecting the subset of people that do not have the option to become vaccinated. There lies a small subset of people who cannot be vaccinated due to a variety of reasons including undergoing chemotherapy, or having severe allergies, HIV/AIDS, or even Type One Diabetes. The protection of these people is herd immunity (Epidemics: Opposing Viewpoints page 117). Concluding, by immunizing all youth, the compromised also become better protected as a whole. Also, one example of the representation in the introduction of of herd immunity is the pneumococcal vaccine. After the introduction of the

Vaccinations occurs when a health provider purposefully administer a virus or a bacteria into the body through injections. Vaccines only contain a small amount of weakened virus. This procedure gets done in order to prepare the bodies immune system for future infections. The immune system can recognize the virus and determine the right tactic to destroy it, before it takes a toll on the body. Exposing the body to a virus can potentially save it from getting harmed from diseases like the whooping cough, chickenpox, influenza, polio, and many more life threatening illnesses. Even with the minor and infrequent side effects from vaccinations, several parents refrain from vaccinating their children. They do not want to put their children’s lives at risk and would rather take the chance with the diseases that may occur without the proper vaccinations. The negative effects of vaccinations are simply too risky for

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)

The term "herd immunity" first appeared in a paper published in 1923, entitled “The Spread Of Bacterial Infection - The Problem Of Herd Immunity" (Topley & Wilson, 1923). Herd immunity refers to the protection of populations from infection, which is brought about by the presence of immune individuals (Anderson & May, 1985). Herd immunity occurs when the proportion of people in a population that has immunity to a pathogen is so high, the pathogen cannot find enough susceptible hosts to infect and consequently can no longer survive (Coico & Sunshine, 2015).