...Child Vaccinations Mandatory Law or Personal Choice By: Courtney Boyd Childhood vaccinations, a personal choice or mandatory law? The anti-vaccine movement created by parent complaints have made many parents and guardians question the safety and effectiveness of vaccinations. I will discuss the history of vaccines, how vaccinations work, the effects of not receiving vaccines, the exemptions of states, as well as a guide to the age a child should receive each vaccination and the vaccine required. History of the vaccine Do you know how long it usually takes for a new vaccine to become available to the public? Scientists and researchers spend many years (10-15) in science laboratories during the first stage of this extensive process. Once this process has been completed, the United States Food and Drug Administration (U.S. F.D.A.) has a series of trials that are conducted on human volunteers. These series are used to test vaccine efficiency, to determine appropriate dosage, and to monitor adverse side effects. That’s not the end though, after these series of tests, the FDA still monitors the vaccine reactions for many years. The first vaccine was not discovered until 1798 by Edward Jenner and was used for vaccination against the smallpox virus. Later on, over a 100 years, Louis Pasteur proved that a disease could be prevented by infecting a person with the weakened germs. Dr. Pasteur used a vaccine on a boy in 1885 to prevent rabies as...
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...Hello everyone, today I'm here to tell you the importance of vaccination. But before I get straight into point, I want to talk about what I have seen when I was searching for the information on the Internet. I found a website so-called “Australia vaccination network” (which are actually anti-vaccine). They’ve got Facebook page, they’ve got Twitter, and they throw myths and untruths about immunisation. Their targeted group are parents who naturally concerned for their children’s wellbeing. I understand that parents feel more pain when they hold their baby and watching them get jab, but I think parents who are refusing to get their children immunised should reconsider before making the choice for their baby. After all, they are challenging the expert medical consensus of the World Health Organisation, governments at all levels and the Australian Medical Association. Vaccines are one of the most significant advances in modern-day medicine. It’s not just about to prevent the pesky flu from us, but to save countless lives of people. A kid born in Australia today can expect to live as long as the richest man in the world who did 100 years ago. Why is that? This in large part is due to the availability of clean water, sanitation and immunisation. Before the first vaccine was invented, smallpox was definitely a nightmare in this planet. It was responsible for billion of people’s deaths, it even reshaped demography of the globe in a way that no war ever has. It’s gone, it’s vanished...
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...Throughout the test of man, vaccinations have proven their worth at crucial points to protect the health and welfare of the world. Vaccinations started with the first smallpox vaccine developed more than two centuries ago by Edward Jenner and has grown to eradicating/controlling diseases like polio, hepatitis, and other volatile diseases. However, there has been plenty of controversy over the effectiveness and safety of whether vaccinations are even necessary. As a society, we either take a risk of not getting vaccinated, which could possibly lead to costly hospitalizations due to illness or we take an important countermeasures towards exposing our children and ourselves to vaccine-preventable diseases. This is a no brainer! We must prepare our family and friends and step the future up for success. Vaccinating our children is one of the most important beginning steps we can take to protect their health and future. In 1998, a British medical journal (BMJ), concluded by Dr. Andrew Wakefield, claimed vaccinations were the root cause to child disorders like autism (Medical, 2011). In Wakefield’s study, children developed signs of autism days after getting the MMR vaccine. This study among others leads parents to question whether they should immunize their children or not. Even in 2007, actress Jenny McCarthy discussed her views on the national stage when she appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show convinced that vaccines gave her son autism and seizures (Heuvel, 2013). The...
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...its products, or a synthetic substitute, treated to act as an antigen without inducing the disease. What is the purpose of Vaccinations? To produce immunity. Immunity means the presence in a person's body of cells and substances known as antibodies that can produce a protective immune response. How does it work? Most vaccines contain a little bit of a disease germ that is weak or dead. Vaccines do NOT contain the type of germ that makes you sick. Some vaccines do not contain any germs. Having this little bit of the germ inside your body makes your body's defense system build antibodies to fight off this kind of germ. Antibodies help trap and kill germs that could lead to disease. Your body can make antibodies in two ways: by getting the disease or by getting the vaccine. Getting the vaccine is a much safer way to make antibodies without having the suffering of the disease itself and the risk of becoming disabled or even dying. Antibodies stay with you for a long time. They remember how to fight off the germ. If the real germ that causes this disease (not the vaccine) enters your body in the future, your defense system knows how to fight it off. Often, your defense system will remember how to fight a germ for the rest of your life. Sometimes, your defense system needs a booster shot to remind it how to fight off this germ Pros of Vaccinations 1. Vaccines can save children's lives. The American Academy of Pediatrics states that "most childhood vaccines are 90%-99%...
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...Amer El Ghali Jghali@knights.ucf.edu Vaccination Before we can understand why it is so vital to continue to vaccinate our population, we must understand what vaccination is. The concept behind vaccination involves tricking your body into thinking it is being attacked by a foreign pathogen. By stimulating the body’s immune system macrophages begin to “gobble” up the pathogens leaving leftover antigens in its wake. “Antibodies attack the antigens left behind by the macrophages. Antibodies are produced by defensive white blood cells called B-lymphocytes (CDC,2013).” After the antibodies attack and destroy all known pathogens, a T-lymphocyte also called a memory white blood cell stores this information about the pathogen and will mobilize if the pathogen enters the body again. This is a very important process as many people do not have this key ability of fighting off Infection and cannot be administered a vaccination because their immune system is so compromised their body might elicit a response. They rely solely on what we call “herd immunity”, which is achieved when a target percentage of the population is immunized. By having most of the population immunized it prevents the disease from spreading and limits the immunocompromised individuals contact with the pathogen. Prior to vaccination microbes were the number 1,2, and 3 causes of death in the united states, and what we regard today as just a few days of the fever was considered a life threatening...
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...Question 1: Should vaccinations be compulsory? Vaccinations should not be compulsory. Parents should be able to decide whatever they choose is best for their children, as long as they are not being abused. The government should not be involved in parenting decisions. Vaccines are not always effective and can lose potency over time. There are legitimate reasons for parents to not vaccinate. Question 2: Should unvaccinated people be blamed for the outbreak at Disneyland? Unvaccinated people should not be to blame for the outbreak at Disneyland. The outbreak at Disneyland could have easily been spread by someone that had the vaccine 35 years prior and had the virus in their system, but wasn’t showing symptoms. There have been studies showing that vaccines lose their effectiveness over time. Also, people can develop autoimmune diseases that can make the vaccine less potent. Question 3: How relevant are gender and age in terms of vaccinations? Could there be an argument concerning discrimination (particularly as it deals with HPV vaccinations)? Gender and age are irrelevant in terms of vaccinations. There is not an argument concerning discrimination. Vaccines should have nothing to do with age, gender, or any discriminatory issue. The only thing that should be the point is letting responsible adults decide what they believe is best for their family, not what others believe. Question 4: What about mandatory vaccinations for healthcare workers? Vaccinations should not be mandatory...
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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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...baby boy possibly need a Hepatitis B shot? But who was I to question someone who delivered babies day in and day out, but none the less it did seem a little odd. Two months later I brought Jett in for his recommended checkup and was shocked to learn he would be receiving 6 vaccinations during this visit. I wasn’t familiar with any of these vaccinations, but my initial instinct was that it was a lot for such a tiny being. I reluctantly went through with the recommend shots, but vowed to do my research once I got home. I bought books, read articles online, watched videos, etc. There was so much information out there and so little time to decide as each day went by with my little boy growing right before my eyes. I found myself confused on whether to allow him to receive the vaccinations according his pediatricians’ schedule or skip them and hope he isn’t exposed to one of the many diseases the vaccinations would protect him against. I agreed the vaccines were necessary, but not at the extreme rate they were being recommended. On the other hand I was also worried about the lack of research done on the potential problems they could cause. These concerns prompted me to seek alternative vaccination schedules and options. The American Association for Pediatrics...
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...Universal vaccination of infants provides hard immunity that protects children who are either too sick or too young to be immunized. Vaccination is not only for the interest of the individual children; rather, it is a protection for the whole population. The debates majorly discussed issues such as the benefits of giving parents the rights to make decisions regarding their children’s vaccination. The possibility of wrong decisions by the parents on issues of vaccination makes the matter dispensable to the government’s decision. Vaccination should be mandatory for children because vaccination keeps a child’s life safe, saves money and time and there are no considerable side effects associated with it. First, vaccination of children is one of...
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...Professor Perez ENGL102 8 November 2015 The Anti-Vaccination Movement Over the last 30 years, the number of vaccine-preventable diseases has increased substantially. This is due to a rising number of “anti-vaxxers” spreading misinformation “that vaccines are actually ineffective, useless, or even dangerous” (Kata 3778). The internet and other forms of mass media have steered parents to believe these claims and it has had devastating results. It has been proven by scientists for hundreds of years that the use of vaccinations greatly outweighs the risk of not getting them. The research shows that the claim that vaccines cause autism or any other disease cannot be substantiated by any scientific evidence and therefore, should not be entertained under any circumstances. The background of the anti-vaccination movement is an old one. The United Kingdom’s Vaccination Act of 1853 is a good example of this. The act required parents to vaccinate their children for small pox at three months or risk life in prison. This is a harsh punishment for the parents, but considering the millions of deaths that small pox has caused world-wide, lawmakers at the time considered it a just penalty. “The anti-vaccination movement experienced a steady decline from the turn of the century up to the 1970's” (Kasarda 548). After the 1970’s there was a resurgence in the anti-vaccination movement. This is due to research from a group of authors working at London Hospital. “M. Kulenkampf, J.S. Schwartzman...
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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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...Recently there has been an outbreak and it was back. Due to the lack of vaccinations, measles have returned and the disease is spreading. We eliminated polio, so we should attempt to eliminate other diseases such as chicken pox, mumps, etc. Everyone living in the United States should get vaccinated for childhood diseases, for it will eliminate casualties that could have been prevented. there are statistics showing why vaccinations are safe and assist you. Getting vaccinated for childhood diseases will help our country's health. No vaccinations are 100% effective for preventing disease, but 8 out of 9 people who are vaccinated for chicken pox are fully protected (“Chickenpox”). It is important to get vaccinated for diseases like chicken pox due to that fact that it spreads very easily (“Chickenpox”). According to Varicella, “Anyone can get measles. It is so contagious, that anyone who is exposed to it and not immune will probably get the disease.” Vaccines will effectively fight against diseases when a dose is taken. MMR, the vaccine that fights against Measles, is 93% effective when one dose is taken (“Measles”). Taking a vaccine for Measles, Mumps, Rubella, etc., will always help. Anyone can catch these deadly diseases, so everyone...
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...“Childhood vaccination has proven to be one of the most effective public health strategies to control and prevent disease” (Ventola, 2016). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) publishes yearly recommendations and guidelines for childhood immunizations. While these guidelines are available, parents may choose to decline, delay vaccinating, or find an alternative to the immunizations due various reasons. These reasons can be medical, religious, or socioeconomic. Research supports that, “the incidence, prevalence, morbidity, and mortality of many communicable diseases have significantly decreased in Western countries largely because of national immunization strategies aimed...
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...for a vaccine, but, sadly, perfect does not exist. Living in this world, people encounter diseases very frequently, and many diseases cannot be defeated by immune systems without previous exposure to the virus. This would not be a problem to the human body for illnesses like the common cold or the flu, but, for deadly illnesses like smallpox, the body most likely will not be able to defeat the illness and will begin to shut down. Here is where the question arises, should vaccinations be a requirement for all children? Some would argue with a strong no saying vaccines cause more harm than good, but statistics prove this to be false. By getting...
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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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