A Call for Vaccinations

Unfortunately, little progress has been made since then, as reports from 2015 show only 72.2 percent of U.S. children are fully vaccinated (KFF, 2017). Healthy People 2020 recommends a national goal of 80 percent to maintain herd immunity (Child Trends Databank, 2015). Despite the life-saving importance of immunization, these stagnant rates show that many mothers of U.S. children do not adhere to vaccination recommendations. These critics and skeptics of vaccines are a part of the anti-vaccination movement. Originating upon the discovery of the first vaccine in 1796, this movement has progressed for hundreds of years. Currently, through media and prominent anti-vax social figures, the public can easily be relayed messages of vaccine controversies rather than scientific facts. Falsehoods include perceived low risk of contracting vaccine-preventable diseases, “overloading” the child’s immune system, mercury in vaccines, reports of negative reactions after vaccination, and the infamously popular myth that vaccines cause autism (Mittenzwei, Morrison, & Williams,

Recently, many diseases that had been eradicated because of childhood vaccinations have been making an appearance. Health officials are concerned that diseases will spread and lives will be lost. Officials all agree that vaccinations will benefit the population. Some parents feel it is an infringement on the right to keep the children healthy and safe. Vaccinations should be mandatory for all children because it will prevent diseases from spreading, protect future generations, and save children and parents time and money.

Being a parent is a never ending full time job. Constantly on the run, doing laundry, making food, and wiping snotty noses, you are faced with decisions to make for your child every day. One of those important decisions is whether or not to vaccinate your child. In today’s society this has become a tough choice to make as negative light has been casted upon vaccinations and their safety. False allegations of vaccines causing Autism have led parents from vaccinating their children, but research has proven that vaccinations are not the cause of Autism and parents should continue to vaccinate for the safety of their child as well as society.

One of the main reasons that people do not vaccinate their children is that many continue to believe that vaccinations cause autism. The myth started when a scientific paper published in 1998 contained falsified data that claimed vaccinations caused autism. This paper has been since debunked and retracted but the myths surrounding vaccinations have continued today. This misconception has been wrongly perpetuated by those outside the medical community, including celebrities, political figures, and community leaders, who are unaware of the current data on the subject. Over half of people who refuse vaccination believe that immunization causes autism. In

Compulsory vaccinations are the right choice for society today, with the benefits vastly out weighing any associated risks. When a sufficient percentage of a society is vaccinated the risk for disease epidemic plummets greatly, unfortunately there is much misinformation about vaccines readily available to the

Vaccinations have been around for many years, preventing many generations from encountering harmful diseases that at one time lead to death. Recently, there has been an anti-vaccine movement composed of parents debating over whether or not their child’s safety is in the best interest due to harmful side effects that have been identified when it comes to specific vaccines. The CDC recommends each child have a set of sixteen different vaccinations by the age of 6 years old, of those being the MMR which comes in 2 separate doses. By giving children vaccines there is an opportunity to minimize the risk of spreading the virus to other children and gives the whole society the chance to build immunity against an outbreak. Even though the incidence of many diseases has fallen drastically due to the result of these vaccination programs, individuals who are apart of the anti-vaccine movement continue to forgo their children from receiving the vaccinations, like the MMR vaccine because of the fear of possible side effects, including autism. Scientists and doctors are using their voices to show that science has found no link that the MMR vaccine causes autism, while most anti-vaccine movement members have chosen to use the false information as their explanation for not vaccinating their children. Parents should always be given the right to choose what they think is best for the children, but given the health benefits, safety precautions and scientific evidence of low incidence rates

Although organizations are working hard to decrease a lack of childhood vaccines, there are still major barriers to their solutions. Along with a lack of funding and resources, parental beliefs are a dramatic barrier to solving the problem of vaccination disparity. Many parents distrust the vaccine information they are given or fear that their child will develop the illness through receiving immunizations (Niederhauser & Markowitz, 2007). In western society, some parents believe that the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccinations cause autism due to a very unscientific study that gained ground with some outspoken celebrities and was thus unable to be stamped out by actual scientists and doctors (Downs, 2008). Another barrier is religious beliefs of some individuals. Some people believe that the healing of illness and prevention is solely up to God and they reject receiving vaccines (Haider & Bassa, 2014).

In similar fashion to government employees lobbying against climate change, there are special interest groups which promote the belief that vaccine’s cause Autism or are generally unnecessary. Despite all evidence to the contrary, in recent years support for the anti vaccine campaign has grown. Statistics from the last year indicate that one in ten United States citizens consider vaccines to be dangerous. However, it is this unfounded fear which may prove to be dangerous to the population. In recent years’ diseases which were once though to be rare in the United States have started infecting young children and other vulnerable individuals. While uncommon infectious diseases continue to emerge with greater frequency, more parents are opting not to vaccinate their children. Families choosing against vaccination may cite personal or religious reason and still enroll their children in public school while failing to meet state requirements. Up until now, this has not had a significant effect on public health due to herd immunity. Since majority of citizens being vaccinated, those who are not are still protected. However, as the public’s opinion on vaccination becomes increasingly negative, the percent of the population receiving vaccines may drop. If this were to occur,

In 1998, Dr. Andrew Wakefield and 12 of his medical colleagues published research claiming the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine was linked to causing Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in children (Rao et al., The MMR Vaccine). Though these claims have now been debunked, along with Mr. Wakefield’s medical certification, a new anti-vaccine movement has spiraled out of control in the United States. Influenced by the Wakefield publication, actress Jenny McCarthy fed the anti-vaccine fire when she claimed her son contracted autism after being vaccinated. Though the CDC and FDA have proven there is no link between vaccines and autism, many still believe this false claim ignited by McCarthy. Since then, parents across the country have advocated for vaccine-free children, even though it is required to attend public schools. Many believe their children’s immune systems are being negatively affected by the ingredients of vaccines, when really our immune systems adapt to vaccines to fight off diseases that at one time killed millions. Parents believe they are responsible for making their children’s healthcare decisions, and that the government should not have any say on what happens to our bodies. However, vaccination is not a choice, it is a civil responsibility. It is necessary to continue requiring vaccination to maintain herd

In 1998 Andrew Wakefield released a paper linking the MMR vaccine to autism. This article caused panic among parents, leaving a trail of unvaccinated children. This trail eventually lead to a nationwide outbreak of the measles virus. This is the worst outbreak the US has seen since 1994. Even though Wakefield’s publication has been discredited, there are still parents that choose not to protect their children because of his study. These children not being vaccinated is hurting our nation by lowering our herd immunity. It should be mandatory for children to receive vaccines. Children should be vaccinated because the research is conclusive that vaccines do not cause autism, children benefit from the vaccines, and help protect others who cannot be medically vaccinated.

In recent years there has been a movement against giving vaccines to children, that now has nearly 40% of parents in the United States following along. But it is due to these vaccines that most children today have never experienced diseases such as polio or the measles such as their grandparents have. Since they have not seen these diseases, parents feel it is unnecessary to vaccinate them for fear of developing the possible side effects or because of reports they cause autism. However, these vaccines are critical for eradicating these deadly infectious diseases, and are vitally needed to keep them under control. Which makes it absolutely necessary that children who wish to attend school have mandatory vaccinations against diseases such as polio and measles, without exception. Therefor this paper will show the benefits of getting vaccinated far out weigh the risks such as potentially saving your child 's life, protecting your families, and saving your family time and money from enduring prolonged hospital stays. That the risks of getting the diseases such disfigurement, paralysis, even death, or the very serious threat posed to people with medical exemptions like those who are immunocompromised are worse than the side effects of the vaccines. And yes, vaccines do have side effects, but not one of them is autism, and there is ample scientific evidence to back it up. It is vital to everyone that the current laws for

“In the 1990s, when new vaccines were introduced, the media were obsessed with the notion that vaccines might be doing more harm than good” (Offit 1). Parents heard stories like, “too many vaccines given too soon… might overwhelm a child’s immune system” (Offit 1). Even though these stories were proven to be false, the damage had been done, parents were afraid of vaccines hurting their children. In most cases the virus is more dangerous than the virus. In the case of measles the risk of a brain disease “is one or two in 1,000,” (Siegel 2), and the risk of a brain disease from the measles vaccine “is one in 365,000” (Siegel 2). Parents need to think about what they would rather do, vaccinate their children and be immune to the disease or risk getting deadly diseases. Vaccine hesitancy shows how parents fears are ill-founded, examples of outbreaks from non vaccination also proves to parents that they should

The safety dilemma regarding vaccines and the wavering confidence in the Centers for Disease has become both controversial and disturbing. “If an individual listened to and believed everything that they heard on talk shows or read on internet sites, they would never allow vaccinations to be given” (How Safe Are). Experts have shared many exaggerations and misconceptions without any scientific evidence to back up their claims. However, this leads individuals to believe that vaccinations are not the best line of defense for the fourteen serious diseases. Many feel that vaccinations contain harmful ingredients. Pharmaceutical companies just cannot be trusted according to some experts. One parent told me that she chose not to vaccinate her child for several reasons. These included “she did not agree with their being aborted fetal cells in some vaccines. Vaccines are flawed. Heavy metals are used in some vaccinations” (D. Oxby). The MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) and Autism issue has also become controversial. “1998 was the first year the United Kingdom dispensed the MMR vaccine, and shortly thereafter, a number of cases of autism appeared in Scotland” (Why I Believe). “During the 1980s, the statistics for autism in Britain and America were one in 2500. By 1998, it had jumped in the United States to

According to University of Washington School of Law, USA.(2004), the number of people who were antivaccination was increasing quickly in the United States. Vaccination became a controversial topic after the myths of “vaccines cause autism”. The internet and lots of websites compounded the blame. This led to an increasing number of parents refusing immunizations for their children and induced an interesting phenomenon: parents scared the consequence of vaccination more than the underlying diseases. There are few myths and reasons that people keep away from the vaccines. Mckeen and Bohannon (2016) gave four comprehensive reasons: religious reasons, personal beliefs or philosophical reasons, safety concerns, and a desire for more information from healthcare providers. Religion affects the core belief of the people which impose their views against immunization. For personal beliefs or philosophical reasons, people think vaccination is contrary to human intuition. They think natural immunity is better and more long term. For safety concerns, few myths emerge as people concern about the safety of vaccination. One of the myths is “vaccines cause autism”. It emerged in the 1998 Lancet publication by Andrew Wakefield and associates. (Falagas & Vatheia, 2016). In Wakefield's articles, he associated measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination and autism. He concluded “vaccines cause autism” only based on eight cases. However, the article was fully retracted in 2010 and the

Protecting their children against harmful illnesses is one of many jobs a parent has. With advancements in medical technology, vaccines have been created to offer immunity against deadly diseases. For decades, children have been kept safe from receiving these vaccines in childhood. Many of the illnesses that once wreaked havoc in the United States have been eradicated. However, in recent years, many parents have become more fearful of these recommended vaccinations. A fear of debilitating side effects has overshadowed the fear of contracting potentially fatal diseases. As a result, fewer parents are vaccinating their children. With more and more parents declining childhood vaccinations out of fear of disability, once eradicated diseases are on the rise. Although there is scientific evidence providing no link between vaccinations and autism, parents remain skeptical. With the recent surge in preventable illnesses, it is important to keep children safe. When making the decision to decline vaccination, it is important that parents understand the facts, the statistics, and the potential consequences of refusing to vaccinate.