Vaccination And Herd Immunity

Many people in countries like the United States take vaccines for granted and do not appreciate the benefits that come with their country-wide, mandated use. Similarly, each year about “three million children die each year from vaccine-preventable diseases,” therefore the vaccines that people would love to have access to could be going to children in need (Greenwood). In less developed countries, people are lucky to get vaccinated for common diseases, and jump at the opportunity to get a vaccine. Due to the many who die because vaccines are not available, people need to accept the vaccines are a luxury. Vaccines are safe to give to children and prevent children from becoming part of the one in three million who die because they did not get

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.

Eighty to ninety percent of the population needs to be vaccinated to prevent the potential spread of a disease (percent depends on the infectiousness of the disease). Another valid reason to vaccinate oneself is to create a secure blanket of immune people to protect the unfortunate individuals without the choice of becoming vaccinated. The strategy of protecting others who have not received vaccinations is called herd immunity, which is a more essential reason to become vaccinated compared to only protecting oneself. Those who cannot receive vaccinations are people that have severe allergic reactions to the preservatives in vaccines and younger children. In a Ted Talk, Romina Libster explains the importance of herd immunity, “People who are

In healthcare, we are seeing an influx of children with diseases that were once eradicated by vaccinations. It does not help that in recent years many public figures, be it actors or politicians, have begun speaking out about the effects vaccinations potentially have on children. Whether they have done the proper research or not, their fame and notoriety brings about attention that most would not. So, what does the increase in non-vaccinated children mean to the rest of those that accepted the vaccinations. A closer look at immunizations for adults and children, the herd immunity that is in jeopardy, and the culture and reasoning of the anti-vaccination group may shed some light on the culture of anti-vaccination.

Between 1924 and 2013, vaccinations prevented 103 million cases of polio, measles, rubella, mumps, hepatitis A, diphtheria, and pertussis (Bailey). Vaccinating is “the process by which pathogenic cells are injected into a healthy person in an attempt to cause the body to develop antibodies to a particular virus or bacterium—successful creation of antibodies is referred to as immunity to the disease caused by the particular pathogen” (Introduction to Should Vaccinations be Mandatory). Popular conflicts regarding vaccination include the worry that this form of immunization isn’t natural, the idea that vaccination schedule for children in the U.S. takes away parents’ rights to make decisions for their children, and the concern that vaccinations aren’t safe for all children. Most doctors and scientists advocate for vaccinations in the name of herd immunity, protection against foreign diseases and prevention against pockets of disease outbreaks. Vaccinations should be mandatory for all children in the United States for who they are deemed safe and effective.

The renowned Founding Father, Benjamin Franklin, once recalled a time when his four-year-old son perished untimely due to smallpox, “I long regretted bitterly, and still regret that I had not given it to him by inoculation…” Although vaccines now replace inoculation practices, Franklin’s repentance is a cautionary tale to those who believe there is an repressed hazard within vaccines and therefore, refuse them. Termed as “Anti-Vaxxers,” there lies a community that declines the preventative medicine for their families on account wariness of ingredients, danger, or risk of developing an adverse reaction caused by the vaccination. Sadly, Anti-Vaxxers often form excuses for avoiding vaccines, which the CDC or Center for Disease Control incessantly

The last few decades have brought concern over the safety of routine vaccinations, leaving parents with a difficult choice; vaccinate their children and hope they will not develop complications or depend on herd immunity to protect them from various diseases. Herd immunity works on the basis that the majority of the population has been properly vaccinated, thereby diminishing the amount of potential carriers of a disease and protecting the unvaccinated individuals from coming in direct contact with a carrier (Fefferman and Naumova). What happens to unvaccinated people when they are exposed to these preventable diseases?

Before the first day of kindergarten most children are required to be up-to-date on vaccinations; this prevents the spread of communicable, life threatening diseases. From generation to generation, depending on how one is brought up, there is no question on whether or not to vaccinate. Many people have grandparents who remember the days of the polio and smallpox outbreaks and all the lives lost or changed during that era. One might think to themselves, “If there is a way to prevent a debilitating disease with a couple of shots, why isn’t everyone required to get vaccinated?” Some are just a little more skeptical: whether they’re cautious parents, conspiracy theorists, or they themselves have suffered from a side effect of a vaccine, they have a right to say no and in America that right is respected, in most states. That’s the beautiful part about a first world country, access to things such as vaccines.

In Amy Parker’s article she states that her mother was a health nut and had not allowed Parker to be vaccinated her whole life. (Parker 2013) During her childhood she contracted multiple illnesses such as measles, mumps, rubella, a type of viral meningitis, scarlatina, whooping cough, yearly tonsillitis, and chickenpox. (Parker 2013) Most of these diseases could have been prevented if her mother would have vaccinated her. She is a mother now and both of her teenagers are vaccinated. Parker states that since her children have been vaccinated they have rarely ever been sick or contracted illnesses. She is not a health nut like her mother was, and insisted on getting her children vaccinated as babies (Parker 2013). Parker has a strong argument and says, “If you think your child’s immune system is strong enough to fight off vaccine-preventable diseases, then it’s strong enough to fight off the tiny amounts of dead or weakened pathogens present in any of the vaccines. But not everyone around you is that strong, not everyone can fight those illnesses.”(Parker 2013) She thinks that by not vaccinating you or your children it is showing selfishness to the other people around you. If a person suffers from side-effects from a certain vaccine, than they are not damaged and people should not be scared of caring for others and getting vaccinated. (Parker 2013) She believes that no matter what kids, and even you yourself, should be vaccinated to help prevent the contraction of serious

The government should mandate vaccinations, and although it would sacrifice the liberty and choice for public health it would keep the well-being and health of everyone much more safe and away from the risk of disease. Most people agree that vaccinations should be mandated because of how being vaccinated keeps people safer in public environments since being vaccinated helps stop diseases from being spread, as proven by science, but people who do not agree with vaccination mandation most of the time will not even look at the signs pointing to the fact that mandating vaccinations could be extremely beneficial. “We simply do not know how to make people who are against vaccinations come around to trust and accept the science behind them"

The vaccine is often called the miracle of modern medicine, saving more lives than any other medical procedure in the world—however it’s also one of the most controversial.

Herd immunity is also known as (community immunity). This is when a large portion of a community is immunized to most contagious disease, most members of the community are protected against diseases so there is little opportunity of an outbreak. Even people who are not vaccinated like some infants, pregnant women get some protection because the spread of contagious disease is not a threat . All vaccines do have risks however the benefits outway the risks. Children need to be vaccinated to protect them against life threatening diseases. If a child get vaccinate most have short term mild side effects, such as fever, rash, redness and swelling at the injection site.

“Standard immunization currently averts an estimated two to three million deaths every year in all age groups” (“General Information”). Children along with adults should be vaccinated because these Inoculations prevent diseases, even deaths, from going around, along with keeping the environment a safer place. As people know, kids get vaccinated from the time born to about the time the child reaches teen years, although getting immunized does not precisely stop at any age. In fact, required vaccinations continue throughout the years. Of course these medical treatments must be tested in order to be given to anyone. In spite of the fact many people themselves argue that inoculations are not safe for children, others are thoroughly certain in

Vaccinations are a very controversial subject in the United States and it is very important that children are vaccinated. It is especially important for newborns to receive the few vaccines they can and even more important that the adults around them are vaccinated as well. Newborns are less likely to catch Pertussis if their mothers are vaccinated for Pertussis while pregnant and if the adults in their life are vaccinated as well. Pertussis, also known as Whooping Cough is a disease that causes rapid coughing fits that could lead to vomiting and exhaustion. Children under one could require a visit to the hospital. (Merino, N. 2015) There are many important reasons a child’s parent should choose to vaccinate, but most importantly parents should vaccinate to prevent the spreading of deadly diseases.

By not vaccinating, people allow the spread and mutation of diseases. While some people are not able to be vaccinated due to age or current health status, it is very important for those around them to still be vaccinated. If an infant cannot be vaccinated because they are too young for their bodies to know how to react to the vaccine, the people around the baby should be vaccinated in order to help that child grow up healthy until the child is able to get the vaccine. The same thing goes for those who are in poor health and are unable to get vaccinated (Fox and Brewster). Currently, there is an outbreak of measles in Minnesota among the Somali community. People in the community refused the