...Pertussis is a highly contagious and vaccine-preventable acute respiratory infection caused mainly by Bordetella pertussis. This organism is a gram-negative, fastidious, pleomorphic bacillus, and the cause of whooping cough has remained one of the main 10 causes of death in infants in the world (A,B). Pertussis can occur at all ages, but the severity is higher among young infants who have not completed their immunization schedule (C,D). Although the disease has been decreased following the introduction of whole cell pertussis vaccines (WPVs) in the 1950s, many studies have described re-emergence of pertussis during the last decade (E,F). Therefore, pertussis has not yet been eradicated due to the following criteria 1) the difficulties related...
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...Modern medicine provides people with the ability to protect themselves from the world’s most fatal diseases. Merely a century ago, it was not uncommon for a child to die as a result of diseases such as polio, pertussis, and tuberculosis. Today, it is highly unlikely for a person to contract these diseases, let alone die from them. However, refusal of vaccinations has been increasing throughout the years due to the anti-vaccination movement. This movement declares mandatory vaccines unconstitutional and vaccinations overall as the cause of autism. Unfortunately, the anti-vaccination movement is becoming increasingly popular due to individuals’ unfounded fears and imagined consequences associated with the idea of purposely inserting a disease into one’s body. However, despite one’s beliefs, vaccines are essential not only to a person’s well-being, but to the health of those around them. Mandatory vaccinations do not cause autism; rather, they save lives while upholding values of...
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...agendas that brushed aside a generation of children. Notwithstanding all the evidence, one in four Americans still believes that vaccines cause autism (Gross, 2009). Because of this lack of trust in vaccinations, the US saw the largest outbreak of measles in 2008, a disease that was declared eliminated in 2000, due to decreased rates of vaccinations (Ratzan, 2010). Mumps and whooping cough also made a comeback. By 2007, over 5,000 parents of children with autism had sued for compensation. One case in November of 2007 solidified beliefs that vaccines cause autism. The Department of Health and Human Services acknowledged that vaccines had aggravated a preexisting disorder in a baby girl, which caused “regressive encephalopathy with features of...
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...informs you about the disease pertussis or whooping cough as others may call it. This disease has been around for a very long time and even though there has been a vaccine for over 50 years, this disease seems to still be a problem. Experts are always working around the clock to find new and improved vaccines to rid the world of the pertussis bacteria. In the first section of the text the author will describe the history of the bacteria that cause the whooping cough and exactly what it is comprised of and the toxins that it carries which make the bacteria so deadly and hard to figure out and treat. The signs and symptoms of this disease are very similar to those of the common cold so many people often mistake it as such and do not seek medical advice until it is too late. The second portion of the text is going to tell you about the recent and past trends of the disease in the United States. The numbers are unpredictable and no one can seem to put a finger on the actual reason why this is, there are a few opinions however. There are a few new vaccines that have been introduced to the world and the hopes are that they will be as helpful as the old vaccine that was given over 50 years ago. “Whooping cough affects approximately 48.5 million people every year, of whom 295,000 die.” (Nordqvist, 2014) Pertussis is a very severe and highly contagious respiratory disease commonly known as the whooping cough caused by the bacteria Bordetella Pertussis. Until recently it was known...
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...Pertussis (whooping cough) 1. Characteristics of the disease Pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, is a highly contagious respiratory tract infection caused by Bordetella pertussis, a gram-negative bacillus. The disease usually starts with cold-like symptoms and maybe a mild cough or fever. The disease usually starts with cold-like symptoms and maybe a mild cough or fever. In babies, the cough can be minimal or even not present. The most dangerous symptom in babies is the potential development of apnea. About half of babies younger than 1 year who get the disease require hospital care. Early symptoms include a runny nose, low-grade fever, and a mild cough. Pertussis in its early stages appears to be nothing more than the common cold. However, as the disease progresses, symptoms appear including fits of many and rapid coughs, vomiting and exhaustion after coughing fits. These violent coughing fits cause the air to go from the lungs, resulting in a forced inhale with a loud "whooping" sound. Coughing fits generally become more common and bad as the illness continues, and can occur more often at night. Pertussis is an airborne disease that spreads easily from coughs and sneezes of carriers. The first known description...
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...Abstract Data in regards to the rates of vaccinations among child has been decreasing. The reasons cited by parents are wide with concerns and fears leading to refusal. Healthcare providers play a major role in providing information for patients with questions regarding vaccinations and nurses are often on the front line when it comes to battling the resurgence of diseases such as the measles and pertussis. These providers must be comfortable, and understand the reasoning while discussing the reason for the vaccination, their schedule, and the effects of vaccines. There are several ways nurses and healthcare providers can help reduce the fear, and bring understanding to the parent who may be refusing vaccines. Some factors the nurse is unable to change, however there are ways to be able to make vaccinations more accessible to the whole population. Since vaccinations laws in the US were enacted in the 1960’s and 70’s, childhood vaccinations have been required to occur before beginning school. By the 1980’s all 50 states including DC required vaccinations for entrance into public school. Exemptions could be made for families that made the decision to refuse vaccinations based upon medical reason, religious reason, or personal philosophy (Blendall & Farre, 2012). Rates for non-medical reasons to withhold vaccinations have increased significantly over the past years, despite the evidence that communicable disease have declined, and documented safety...
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...the ability to protect themselves from the world’s most fatal diseases. Merely a century ago, it was not uncommon for a child to die as a result of diseases such as polio, pertussis, and tuberculosis. Today it is highly unlikely for a person to contract these diseases, let alone die from them. However, refusal of vaccinations has been increasing throughout the years. This is due to individual’s unfounded fears and imagined consequences associated with the idea of purposely inserting a disease into one’s body. Despite one’s beliefs, vaccines are essential not only to a person’s well-being, but to the health of those around them. Mandatory vaccinations do not cause autism; rather, they save lives while also...
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...protected from the disease because there is little chance for an outbreak. By reducing the number of people who are not immune, we can contain the spread of contagious disease. This is known as “community immunity” or “herd immunity” ("Vaccines.gov", n.d.). Diseases such as measles and pertussis were once highly feared and vaccines for these diseases have played an important part in reducing the transmissions of these and other deadly diseases. (Luthy, DNP,FNP, Beckstrand, RN, PhD, CCRN, CNE, Callister, RN, PhD, FAAN, & Cahoon, SN, 2012). While many people fear that immunizations can have harmful side effects such as developmental delays in children or that the government and pharmaceutical companies are profiting from the sale of immunizations, parents who choose to not immunize their children are putting the general public at risk. We must act now to encourage parents to vaccinate in order to prevent widespread outbreaks of once deadly diseases. Personal Beliefs There are currently 20 states that allow vaccine exemption based on parents’ personal beliefs, and this is becoming increasingly prevalent. Parents’ personal decisions to exempt their children from receiving vaccinations often stems from a false sense of security that if everyone else is vaccinated, they should not risk the side effects when their children are healthy. These parents are often unknowingly contributing to potentially serious health and economic consequences. If enough parents in a community...
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...Bridget Caskey English 1301 T-TH 12:30 29 April 2008 Child Vaccinations Child vaccinations are a big parental controversy in the United States if not around the world. There are risks to consider in any medical procedure including routine vaccinations. Many parents around the nation are concerned about the mental and physical health of children. Vaccines have proved to diminish the spread of many diseases. Routine immunizations have been a way of life in our nation for more than forty years. The medical industry has made it easier for people to be given these periodical shots. Research and developments have lessened the amount of shots a child is given at one time. The risks of childhood vaccinations are common for almost all medications. A reported reaction to an immunization shot is very rare. However, in many of the cases that have been reported, the reaction was as minor as swelling and redness near the injection site. Although the risks are low every parent should be well-informed before making the decision to have their child receive vaccinations. The rewards of getting your child vaccinated out way the risks substantially. Many of the shots children take are combined immunities in one shot. The reason for this is so the children have fewer shots to take in their lifetime. The DTP shot consists of three different vaccinations. The DTP shot is combined of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis. Diphtheria is a deadly respiratory infection. Diphtheria was a major epidemic in...
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...surrounding the morality, effectiveness, and safety of childhood immunizations. The major argument is whether or not laws should be established to declare vaccination mandatory for all children. “The US food and Drug administration (FDA) regulates all vaccines to ensure safety and effectiveness,” (ProCon.org, 2012) therefor there should not be any reason to risk the health of any child. Vaccinating our children not only ensures their safety but also that of their future to come. The first major concern parents have when it comes to childhood vaccinations is that of the health and safety of their children. Some parents believe that vaccines were developed to help the spread against dangerous transmittable diseases. Other parents are under the impression that vaccines themselves present high risk factors for their children. Both have strong arguing points in this controversy and have good reason to believe in what they do. Proponents argue and the facts clearly show that since the emergence of vaccines in the twentieth century for common life threatening diseases, such as measles and diphtheria, the related number of deaths has decreased by more than 500%. On the other side, opponents argue that childhood vaccines are responsible for the dramatic increase of autoimmune diseases. Many proponents argue that childhood vaccination is vital and should be a state requirement not a parental option. They feel that vaccines are a necessity that should be required for the safety and...
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...Unvaccinated Children: Should they be allowed in public schools? Assignment 5: Persuasive Paper Part 3: Possible Disadvantages, Answers, with VisualsYour Name Lisa Teitler Eng 215 March 13, 2016 Unvaccinated Children: Should they be allowed in public schools? Today’s vaccinations are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in order to ensure their effectiveness and safety to the general public. Currently there are no federal laws which mandates vaccination, but there is a vaccination requirement per state for children entering school. The chart below details which vaccines are mandated for public school by several states: Children who are not vaccinated have a greater chance of death than children who received the required vaccinations. The safety of vaccinations is in questioned by many, asking if they are safe for children to receive. They are safe and should be required for children since those vaccinations help prevent illnesses, lower the risk for some diseases and it might even cause financial growth. There are several advantages of receiving the recommended vaccines. One advantage is that they are designed to put foreign antigens into the body so the body will produce antibodies to fight it off. The body will produce two types of immune responses when an antigen is introduced in order to ensure total immunity from the disease. Vaccines ensure that children get immunity from diseases instead of contracting them. Having immunity is a major advantage...
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...Vaccination is defined as any preparation used as a preventative inoculation to confer immunity against a specific disease, usually employing an innocuous form of the disease agent, as killed or weakened bacteria or viruses, to stimulate antibody production. Pharmaceutical companies tout these vaccinations as safe and effective, but like prescription drugs, these products carry risks of not working and a risk to cause harmful side effects. The harmful side effects are one of the many reasons that some families all across America choose to delay vaccinations or refuse them all together. Whether it is due to the gaps in knowledge about the risks or the lack of studies conducted in medical literature, families are more and more reluctant to vaccinate....
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...77% of American kindergarteners are up to date with their vaccinations. (Park, 2008) This percentage makes Americans the most vaccinated group of people in the world. The number of shots required for school age children has doubled since 1980; today’s children will receive up to 28 injections for 11 to 15 diseases by the time they go to kindergarten. Many of these mandatory vaccinations are not safe because of the toxic chemicals, the multiple doses that they are administered in, and the neurological disorders, such as autism, that the immunizations may be causing. One main concern for many parents is the amount of injections that infants and young children are receiving at once. It is very common for the doctor’s office to administer three or even four different vaccinations in one visit. Many doctors and nurses share the concern that it is unhealthy for our children to receive so many shots at one time. One survey taken in Minnesota found that between 60 and 70 percent of the pediatricians, nurses, and parents they asked, felt uncomfortable giving a child more than two vaccinations in one office visit. (Madlon-Kay & Harper, 1994) The simultaneous injections can cause more severe side effects for the child and also increases the level of mercury that the child is exposed to because of the multiple doses. One the same line as simultaneous injections is combined injections. These are multiple vaccinations administered with one shot. One example of a combined injection...
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...This is New Zealand and we are all about the “small guy” we don’t need no governments telling us how best to keep our kids safe from polio and smallpox. Listen up, pro-plaguers it's called ‘herd immunity’. The more people who are vaccinated, the harder it is for a disease to spread. But if large parts of that population refuse to be vaccinated, viruses can still circulate. If YOU chose to not vaccinate YOU could be responsible for the death of others - including children under the age of 2 who are yet to be vaccinated. Ultimately, it is less about yourself and more about your younger siblings and cousins. Or the person undergoing chemo. Or for the elderly person whose immune system isn't as robust. Vaccinations helps protect the whole community, including those who can't be vaccinated either because they are too young or because their immune system is too weak. Putting your own health above that of babies and the sick, due to some misguided nonsense about Autism, is the absolute height of...
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