...Vaccines should be mandatory The invention of the vaccinations has been one of the greatest health interventions, saving millions of people from infectious diseases (Ehreth, 2002). The vaccine program has had extraordinary success in decreasing the spread of preventable diseases (Zimmerman, 2000). Research shows vaccines are safe, provide a way to protect your child and society, and help avoid wide spread disease. Vaccines are not completely 100% safe, but it is safer than the infectious disease it is preventing (Concerns about vaccine safety, 2009). With any drugs, there are side effects, but serious ones are rare (Concerns about vaccine safety, 2009). Children are given vaccines at an early age when other development issues also come to light, and vaccines are given the blame (Concerns about vaccine safety, 2009). It is a coincidence that those developmental issues have surfaced at the same time. Most developmental issues surface in early childhood. Vaccine side effects are very rare. Before a new vaccine can be administered, vaccines endure many years of testing, making vaccines even safer (Wharton el al, 2001). Making the side effects even rarer. In 1999 most childhood vaccinations were reformulated to not contain Thirmosal as a preservative. Thimosal is 50% mercury containing organic compound most widely used in vaccines. It was used as a preservative in vaccines starting in the 1930’s. It has since been removed from vaccines for children...
Words: 1247 - Pages: 5
...Vaccines have saved an enormous amount of lives. The use of vaccines have led to the total eradication of the smallpox virus in 1979. Smallpox is caused by the variola virus. A person that has been infected with the virus becomes contagious when sores come into view in both the mouth and the throat of the individual. As the sores (pustules) rupture and copious amounts of the virus enters the mouth and throat the person will develop a rash on their face that will spread to all of their extremities. The individuals entire body will be covered with this rash in 24 hours. The individual will remain contagious until all of the smallpox scabs have fallen off their body. The virus is generally spread from person to person by direct contact of droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes and spreads the virus to other individuals (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2016)....
Words: 712 - Pages: 3
...effective vaccination. The measles a very contagious disease, and also a preventable disease will most likely continue to spread without widespread vaccinations. As other diseases continue to spread many people are having second thoughts about whether to require preventative vaccines. It’s leading many people to question laws that allow parents not to vaccinate their children. So, if we are so afraid of an epidemic outbreak; then why do we have such laws, allowing parents to opt out of vaccinating their children? Vaccinations should be required for every child. To estimate the vaccination rate in the context of the 2015 measles outbreak Maimuna S. Majumder, MPH (Master of Public Health), and his colleagues obtained data from the California Department of Public Health and HealthMap media alerts. They used the incidence decay and exponential adjustment (IDEA) method to approximate the effective reproductive number. They...
Words: 882 - Pages: 4
...Measles Outbreak Communicable diseases are present in every community, city, state, village and country throughout the world. They are easily spread and, in some cases and places, easily prevented. International travel and parents not vaccinating their children are major contributors to the measles outbreak. As a nurse it is pertinent that we are educated on the signs, symptoms and the treatment of any communicable disease. It is imperative that we are also able to educate the general public on them as well. A1. What is the Measles Virus The measles virus is a paramyxovirus, there is only one antigenic type, and it is rapidly inactivated by heat and light (CDC, 2014). Once infected, the person will exhibit symptoms such as a fever, runny nose, a cough, loss of appetite and red water eyes for about 4 days; it is then followed by a rash (ODH, 2014). The rash typically lasts for 5-6 days, begins at the hairline, moves to the face and neck and then moves down the rest of the body (ODH, 2014). People infected with the measles virus are typically contagious 4 days prior to the rash appearing and 4 days after it goes away, meaning the person is contagious before they realize they are infected. It is diagnosed based on the patient’s symptoms and using blood tests. One a person is infected with the measles virus they cannot contract it again and will experience lifelong immunity against it. A2. Epidemiology of Measles The 2014 outbreak of measles in Ohio came as a result...
Words: 1297 - Pages: 6
...children, adults, and elders. A vaccine is a substance used to stimulate the production of antibodies to provide immunity to one or more than one disease. Receiving vaccines at a pharmacy should be offered at a pharmacy because they can cave your child’s life, they are safe and effective, and they protect the people you love and care about, and can save your family time and money. Lots of pharmacists offer vaccinations at the pharmacy and the different kinds of vaccinations offered are steadily increasing. Some of the vaccinations at local pharmacies include but are not limited to: Influenza, Tetanus, Whooping Cough, Pneumonia, Varicella, HPV, Hepatitis...
Words: 1006 - Pages: 5
...In 2011, there were 19,454 reported cases of vaccine preventable diseases in the United States alone (Rouch 2011). Most of these cases could have been prevented simply by getting a vaccination for certain diseases. There has been much discussion in recent years over whether or not parents should have their children vaccinated. Parents hear a great deal of information in the medi about the effectiveness and side effects of vaccinations. After hearing all sorts of negative things about vaccinations, it is easy to see why parents would be reluctant to have their children injected with all sorts of chemicals. In the end, the reason that children are not required to be vaccinated is that it is illegal to force someone to be vaccinated, but is it right to send unvaccinated children to school with other children? The fact of the matter, is that immunizations do their job and all children who attend public schools should be vaccinated and protected from preventable diseases. Some people assume that because certain diseases like Polio have been eradicated from the United States it is now unnecessary to be required to receive the vaccination. This assumption could not be any farther from the truth. Polio is still a huge problem in other regions across the globe (WHO 2007). If it were re-introduced into disease free places, the results could be devastating for those unprotected from such viruses. In 2008, an unvaccinated 7 year old contracted measles while he and his family were traveling...
Words: 1348 - Pages: 6
...rise in illnesses and diseases which have long been preventable. Their choice to not vaccinate is a great risk, not only to their own children, but to every person their children are exposed to. The anti-vaccine movement has to end – be it by educating parents on vaccinations, or by creating legal penalties for parents who decide not to vaccinate. On April 19, 1982, a documentary was aired on an NBC affiliate in Washington, DC. It was called “DTP Roulette”. The documentary showed healthy children who had received the pertussis vaccine and seemed to had gotten brain damage as a result. This scared parents from vaccinating their children. As of today, there are hundreds of anti-vaccine groups who have created blogs on the internet and gained enormous followings of frightened parents who do not know whether to trust or distrust their pediatricians. As a...
Words: 530 - Pages: 3
...have all of their vaccinations? Immunizations can save your child’s life. Because of advances in medical science, your child can be protected against more diseases than ever before. Some diseases that once injured or killed thousands of children, have been eliminated completely and others are close to extinction– primarily due to safe and effective vaccines. One example of the great impact that vaccines can have is the elimination of polio in the United States. Polio was once America’s most-feared disease, causing death and paralysis across the country, but today, thanks to vaccination, there are no reports of polio in the United States. Vaccination is very safe and effective. Vaccines are only given to children after a long and careful review by scientists, doctors, and healthcare professionals. Vaccines will involve some discomfort and may cause pain, redness, or tenderness at the site of injection but this is minimal compared to the pain, discomfort, and trauma of the diseases these vaccines prevent. Serious side effects following vaccination, such as severe allergic reaction, are very rare. The disease-prevention benefits of getting vaccines are much greater than the possible side effects for almost all children. Immunization protects others you care about. Children in the U.S. still get vaccine-preventable diseases. In fact, we have seen resurgences of measles and whooping cough (pertussis) over the past few years. In 2010 the U.S. had over 21,000 cases of whooping cough...
Words: 616 - Pages: 3
...Administration (FDA) regulate all vaccines to ensure safety and effectiveness. No federal laws mandating vaccination exist, but all 50 states require certain vaccinations (exemptions allowed) for children entering public schools (ProCon.org, 2013). Children who are not vaccinated have a higher death rate than children who have obtained vaccinations. There are many arguments as to whether vaccinations are safe for children to receive. Vaccines should be a requirement for children because they help prevent diseases, minimize the risks for some disease and increase economic benefits. Vaccines are designed to put foreign antigens into the body so the body will produce antibodies to fight it off. When an antigen is introduced into the body and an antigen-antibody formation is produced, an immune response is stimulated. The body produces two types of immune response to ensure maximum immunity from disease. Vaccines provide children with the opportunity to receive immunity against the disease rather than actually contracting disease. The advantage of just having immunity against the disease is the fact that there will be fewer complications. Fewer complications leads to a decreased risk of stroke, heart disease, post herpetic neuralgia and pneumonia (Nazarko, 2013). Vaccines are very essential in preventing many diseases and the possibility of death. There are certain vaccinations that were not available many years ago. As a result, numerous people died from diseases that were common because...
Words: 1989 - Pages: 8
...science and how vaccines are developed have greatly reduced many diseases that at one time spread like wildfire throughout the United States. “Because of the success of vaccines, most young people have never seen the devastating effects that diseases such as polio, measles, or whooping cough (pertussis) can have on a family or community” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). However, diseases such as polio and measles, which were once thought to be extinguished here in the United States, are now making a comeback due to parents refusing to vaccinate their children. Parents are able to choose whether or not to vaccinate their children, and many are beginning to question...
Words: 742 - Pages: 3
...Should Vaccines Be Required for Children? Terry J. Vervenne DeVry University Should Vaccines Be Required for Children? Shots, inoculations, vaccines, do children need them? This is the issue that needs to be discussed. Why are vaccines a necessity of current times? Even though vaccines may have some side effects, they have saved many lives as everyone already knows. They prevent many types of diseases and stop the spread of others. Just image having to send your children to school that’s filled with other children carrying diseases and viruses. Viruses such as small pox, measles, and mumps that could invade your child’s body which in most circumstances will then be brought home and spread to other family members. Therefore, every child in America needs to be vaccinated before beginning school because vaccines can prevent disease, save lives, and alleviate sick days at school. Firstly, many of these contagious diseases in children are preventable. Many of the viruses that cause diseases such as measles, mumps, or small pox are very dangerous. Sometimes the symptoms are very mild or not even noticed. While other times the symptoms can be severe, possibly even leaving a residual effect. For example, as everyone knows, if an adult male contracts mumps, this may cause sterility. Another example is polio, although preventable, once this disease is contracted it can lead to permanent muscle weakness. Once someone contracts one of these types of disease, it can possibly be fatal...
Words: 2597 - Pages: 11
...not been vaccinated? Would it bother you? I’m sure there are several different answers to these questions. This paper will focus on the reasons why unvaccinated children should not be allowed to attend public schools as well as the benefits of vaccination. Every parent wants to raise a healthy child. Every parent wants to make sure their child is protected from infectious diseases and wants to do everything in their power to prevent any illness in the future. Every day there are thousands of babies born in this world and as parents we know that their immune systems are not ready to take on the illnesses that this world has. So why not protect your child? The American Academy of Pediatrics state that childhood vaccines are 90 – 99% effective in preventing disease. The risks of not being vaccinated far outweigh the small risks associated with vaccination. This is an issue that some parents face each time we prepare our children to attend public schools. We all know the common cold is air born and school aged children are prone to picking up that strand from another child. There are also other diseases that children can pick up from their classmates like chickenpox, measles and pertussis (whooping cough). If we vaccinate our children when they are scheduled to be, they are less likely to be sick in the future. For many years there have been reasons for a child not being vaccinated. Some individuals have claimed that it is due to religious views, the cost of...
Words: 1785 - Pages: 8
...Immunization against communicable disease in one of the world’s greatest accomplishments in 20th century. Due to vaccination human mortality and morbidity have greatly decreased. All the vaccination and protection against diseases should begin in infancy according to Center of Disease Control (CDC). I believe that the diseases that once killed millions of people have been controlled and some others very close to extinction due to effective vaccines. For example, Polio, measles, mumps and chicken pox were the most feared disease in the world causing death. However, there are some parents are against vaccination putting the children prone to preventable diseases. “In 2000, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) declared that measles...
Words: 412 - Pages: 2
...In the United States, 90% of parents vaccinate their children and follow the recommended schedule. That is about twenty-eight immunizations against fourteen different diseases in the first two years of life. But, at least 10% of parents skip or delay some shots, and around 1% do not vaccinate at all "Vaccines-Calling the Shots". Most people have gotten at least vaccinated once in their lives. Doctors use vaccines as sort of a boot camp for immune systems from adults to small children. The way it works is by using a dead or weakened virus that would imitate the real virus if it attacks. The immune system responds by attack to virus and leaving behind white blood cells that know how to fight the virus now. Vaccines came from Dr. Edward Jenner. He was the first man to deliberately inoculate people with a mild, non-fatal disease called "cowpox" that came from a similar strain to smallpox, thus making people immune to the virus. He called his technique "vaccine” from "vacca" Latin for cow "Vaccines-Calling the Shots"....
Words: 391 - Pages: 2
...that they are harmful or the source of major health concerns. By refusing vaccinations to prevent infection of preventable disease, the most vulnerable of the populace: infants, children, the elderly and those with pre-existing health problems, are at risk of contracting painful and potentially fatal illnesses. The concept of inoculating humans...
Words: 1321 - Pages: 6
