Edward Godino
12/03/17
Professor Cunningham
Vaccination - Lives saved one shot at a time
Vaccinations have been and still are a point of contention, causing a lot of parents to debate whether children should be immunized or not. Diseases that have been eradicated for decades are now resurfacing in direct relation to parents opting out of inoculating their children. By making this choice, parents are putting children that are not their own at risk of infection. This choice, whether due to religious beliefs or inaccurate information that a vaccine could cause a seizure, autism, or death is actually creating preventable deaths. Basic research would indicate that infants get infected from other children who haven’t received vaccines causing hospitalization. Vaccinations against deadly disease save 2 to 3 million lives every year. Studies have shown, time and again, that the benefits of immunizing children far outweigh the risk of not immunizing them. Edward Jenner is considered the founder of vaccinations, in 1796 Jenner inoculated a 13 year old boy vaccinia virus (cowpox) and demonstrated a immunity to the small pox virus. The first official smallpox vaccine was created in 1978, over the 18th and 19th century the immunizing of the masses lead to the global eradication of the smallpox by 1979. Before 1995 when the chicken pox vaccine was licensed millions people were annually infected and would in turn be hospitalized and in some cases people would die from
In the past, Americans did not have much say in their own health care. In today’s time, with the advent of new health-care bills and peaked interest in personal well being, Americans are now anxious to determine for themselves what they need to maintain their own and their loved ones’ health. However, there are still government-regulated requirements for people of all ages in regards to keeping the general public healthy. Vaccinations have always been a topic of contention in regards to younger children, but have been a staple of health for older adults. In fact, college requirements for vaccinations are mandatory, and failure to get the proper vaccines before college starts could result in holds on college students’ accounts or delays in
Should children be vaccinated? This is a question that has been a hot topic for some time now. All children should be vaccinated. We often ask “Why should we have our children vaccinated”? There are pros and cons to vaccinations. Vaccinations will reduce the risk of illness, provide a safer environment, and keep the parents from worry as much. In some cases, people think they cause more harm than anything.
Why immunize? That seems to be an issue that has been presenting itself in today’s society. There is a lot of research backing the importance of immunizations, but it seems people still have their doubts, causing quite a bit of controversy over the topic. Some feel that vaccines can cause more harm than good. Some feel it will be a gateway for causing adverse effects and conditions. A world without vaccines would be full of illness and diseases. Thanks to vaccines a lot of diseases are almost gone from the U.S. today. According to CDC, in 1979, Japan decided to reduce their pertussis vaccinations and as a result they suffered a major epidemic resulting in 13,000 cases of whooping cough and 41 deaths. In 1981 they
a new law was passed in 2014 that you need have had certain shot in order to go to public school. The shots that you need to have are HPV, Meningococcal, and TDAP. All those shots that are required are now free. With getting the shot you can prevent between 2-3 million deaths a year. What options do parents have when it comes to vaccanting there kid's
The invention of the vaccine is considered one of the greatest medical achievements in the past century. Vaccinations have been used to combat and even eradicate many deadly illnesses. They protect children and adults against a number of infectious and dangerous diseases, including measles, small pox, flu etc. Vaccinations is not only beneficial to the person immunized, but also protect the community at large. When almost all members of a particular population gets immunized, infectious diseases cannot take root (Offit, Paul. 2011). So, when a healthy child or adult refuses vaccinations, it puts others at risk and makes it more difficult to fully eradicate a disease (from article attached to task sheet). This is the main ethical dilemma we face with regards to vaccinations: Do the benefits of vaccinations for public health justify overriding individual freedom?
There are many groups in society that strongly disagree with immunisations and feel that they are not beneficial. These people therefore refuse to get immunised and remain unimmunised. A worker in a retirement home states that colleagues of hers ended up having time off of work after the flu vaccine. “The flu vaccine was introduced as a free vaccine to health care workers 21 years ago and I chose not to have it and I ended up working overtime, filling in for people who had gone off sick after having had the flu vaccine – and that included all management staff. Some of them got quite sick. Last year our bosses went off sick about a week after they had had their flu shots while I remained well.” She continues to remain in good health although being exposed to these diseases, although she is not immunized she has not become unwell. She is a strong supporter against immunisation, and continues to stand by her opinion, even in a vulnerable work environment. She also states that she believes, through experience that the vaccines are causing more harm than good, “the practice of vaccination has caused far more harm than if those wielding the needles would have left well alone.” She also recalls many people having reactions after receiving the flu vaccine. Including one colleague who had a sever reaction where she states; “One…said she started feeling sick immediately after getting the vaccine. She developed a headache which got worse over the day. By the next day her eyes
Vaccines, do we as a society really think they're safe? Your child just got a vaccine at her 2-year-old appointment. You ask if she will have any reactions in which the doctor said she’ll be fine. She wakes up in the morning with a high fever, throwing up and just miserable. You then put the pieces together, she is having a reaction to yesterday’s vaccine.
On January 1, 2016, the state of California passed a law that requires every student entering into a public school, charter school, and private school would need a vaccination too enroll (EdSource, 2016). Understanding this law and how it affects school children is important. This information is important to school officials with enforcing the California State Vaccination Laws before enrollment. Deciphering why some parents feel vaccinations are safe, and others find vaccinations dangerous and deadly but the state of California had the final decision.
From 1976 to 2002 the number of cases of pertussis has risen from 1,010 to 8,276 (Stimola, 59). This is just one example of a disease that is reoccuring more often due to failure to vaccinate children at a very young age. Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, affects babies and young children. It causes them to develop a very distinct cough, but other symptoms are very similar to that of the common cold. Immunizations or vaccines are made up of weakened strands of a virus that can no longer cause harm to the human body, but can assist in building antibodies to prevent people from contracting a potentially deadly disease. Some can not receive vaccines due to allergy or resistance to a specific component. Immunizations are a crucial component of public health. They prevent infectious diseases from breaking out and potentially causing an epidemic. Although vaccines are approved by the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, some still opt out of them. Immunizations are so important that some doctors refuse to see patients who refuse vaccines to protect themselves as well as other patients within the office (Garrett). Exemption from vaccination has been on the rise within the last decade more than ever.
The concept of vaccination is considered one of the best medical accomplishments of the modern world. Many fatal diseases have been reduced or eradicated due to vaccination. According to the National Academics Press, “Next to clean water, no single intervention has had so profound an effect on reducing mortality from diseases as has the widespread introduction of vaccines”(Adverse Effects of Pertussis and Rubella Vaccines). Vaccines improve the quality of life for humans. The immense success of immunization may lead people to disregard the advantages of inoculation and center their attention more on the risky side effects. Furthermore, some have blamed vaccines to be unnecessary and dangerous to the human body. Due to the success and the concept of vaccination, most people do not feel the need to think that vaccination is a discretionary technique for medical treatment.
Before 1796 the human population did not know about vaccines and had suffered losses from an illness that are irrelevant today. Illness had whip out civilizations because of how contagious it was. Since the inventions of vaccines, it has caused less death and allowed humanity to evolve. It has also opened the door for science to understand how virus and how the human immune system works. The vaccine is a method to force the immune system to work, by exposing the virus to the body. When a community gets vaccinated it creates a thing called herd immunity, which is when someone with the disease is contained by people that are immune to it. Many health organizations say that vaccines are safe, and that the media has shown in 2014-2015 that people were convinced that they cause autism. They are safe because the positive effects outweigh the negative ones. Vaccines can be expensive, but there have been many organizations that provide free vaccination and in the long term it will save people time and money. The vaccines will provide protection for the future generations because it will no longer be a treat to humanity. The virus can evolve so vaccines will always be needed, so since scientist can adapt to the new virus and find the cure. In history, people would line up to get a vaccine like people trying to buy the new iPhone. It is silly the people would fear vaccines because the ingredients have been tested. The thing with vaccination is that if not given before the individual
In recent years, the vaccine and anti-vaccine issue has hit major headlines. As of July 2016, California law states “Public elementary schools and secondary schools cannot admit children unless they are immunized against 10 diseases: diphtheria, Haemophilus influenzae type b (bacterial meningitis), measles, mumps, pertussis (whooping cough), polio, rubella, tetanus, hepatitis B and chicken pox.” Children with medical conditions such as immune-system deficiencies and allergies, confirmed by a physician, can be excused from immunization. (Perkins) California does not stand alone, all 50 states have some variation of this law. Despite the law, should these vaccines be a requirement to enroll in public school? Vaccines build your body's immune system so that, in the future, it's able to fight against a specific disease. Having children vaccinated early on in their academic careers is beneficial to all of society.
Vaccination is a vital primitive measure in order to protect oneself as well as others. Vaccines help prevent illness, and have caused a wipe down of illness like polio. Many people avoid getting vaccinated due to the risks, however, the risks do not even compare to the risk of not getting vaccinated. Getting vaccinated is encouraged so individuals don’t pick up anything while traveling and bring it back to the US. They can spread illness to more vulnerable individuals like infants and cancer patients. Many also believe that that ‘natural’ immunity works better, however the results of not getting vaccinated could be of greater concern. The government doesn’t necessarily have a say in whether a child gets vaccinated however, schools do require immunization records in order to preserve the student body from a chance of getting an disease. There are however ways to get out of taking vaccinations for school needs, however this probably won’t be the best idea. Getting immunizations offer more of an insurance of safety for the student body, as well at the community.
Worldwide, 19.5 million infants did not receive vaccinations in 2016; this means that there were 19.5 million unprotected, vulnerable, newborn babies just born in 2016 (Immunization). To put this into perspective, the population of New York in 2016 was approximately 19.5 million (Census); this means that there is the same amount of unvaccinated babies in the world as there were people in the whole state of New York. Although concerned parents argue that it is their right to choose whether their child should receive vaccinations because they believe that they are unsafe and against their religious beliefs, vaccines need to be required by governments and strictly enforced, with no exemptions. Currently in all fifty states there are religious exemptions to vaccinations, however what is shocking is that leaders in many major religions have stated that vaccinations are not a violation to their religion. According to the National Catholic Reporter, they say that Catholics “must not reject immunizations and sacrifice the common good of public health or their children's well-being”(Madden). In Judaism and Islam leaders have spoken out and said that the pork gelatin in vaccines is not considered oral consumption, and both religions encourage vaccinations for the common good of the community (Blumberg). Another reason parents decide not to vaccinate their child due to their belief that they are unsafe because of false studies and the fear of rare
Vaccinations hold a long term history throughout the world with a clear reason for their enduring existence. Paul Offit and Charlotte Moser claim in their book, Vaccines & Your Child: Separating Fact from Fiction, “vaccines provide the immunity that comes from natural infection without the consequences of natural infection.” They believe looking at the source and examining the origins of vaccines help people better understand their purpose and use. The late 1700s introduced the first vaccine by physician Edward Jenner attempting to cure smallpox (Offit