Vaccinations_Pros_and_Cons

Most parents of this generation never had to experience what life was like before vaccines were used. Public health officials credit the mandating of mass vaccination to the almost extinct instances of the communicable disease vaccines help prevent. In the United States, most states have enacted laws that require proof of certain inoculations before allowing a child to enter a daycare or school. Each state is also different with laws regarding exemptions. Most exemptions are limited to medical, religious or personal objections. Some states allow parents to give no reason at all. Some believe the rise in philosophical objections to routine childhood vaccinations could be blamed on internet access. There are currently thousands of websites readily available to anyone who reads them-most of whom have no medical understanding. These websites encourage fear and alarm for parents creating fear that allowing their child to be vaccinated can and or will cause harm. There is one undisputed fact regarding vaccines. Vaccines are drugs and no drug available on earth is considered 100% safe. Most parents along with others feel that vaccination should be required for children. No individual should have the right to risk the health of the public solely for the purpose of satisfying their personal, moral, philosophical, or religious views. Vaccination protects individuals from disease, but its impact is more far-reaching. Vaccination also benefits an entire community. When you are infected, your vaccine-primed immune system revs up to speed and stops you from becoming contagious — or at least shortens the time you are contagious — minimizing your opportunity to infect others. Likewise, if everyone around you has been vaccinated, you, by definition, are more likely to be protected from infection. There comes a point when enough members of a community have vaccine protection that everyone in that community, including even the unvaccinated, is less likely to get sick. This phenomenon is called herd immunity or community immunity. Since some individuals that have been vaccinated may still get sick when exposed to infected individuals, 75% - 94% of the population (depending on the disease) must be vaccinated to achieve "herd immunity." When herd immunity is achieved the number of immunized individuals is high enough to prevent the spread of disease through the population. (Tomas Aragon, 2005) The phenomenon can work in reverse. If enough people forgo vaccination, the entire community is put at risk. In 1974, bowing to public opinion regarding the safety of the pertussis vaccine and lulled into complacency because there had been no pertussis fatalities the previous year, the Japanese government suspended its pertussis vaccination program. A pertussis epidemic broke out five years later in which 13,000 people fell ill and 41 died. Similarly, a 1989 outbreak of measles, stemming from low vaccination rates, caused 136 deaths out of 55,000 cases in the United States. (Harvard University, 2012) Opponents to government mandated vaccinations believe that governments should not have the right to intervene in the health decisions parents make for their children. There are some people that feel vaccines interfere with natural law and God's plan for humanity. Disease is a natural occurrence, and humans should not interfere with its trajectory.31% of parents believe they should have the right to refuse mandated school entry vaccinations for their children, according to a 2010 survey by the University of Michigan. (Gary L. Freed, 2009) The anti-vaccine movement in the United States and other developed countries is a major concern. Once sufficient numbers of children are left unvaccinated, diseases once thought to be under control will come back. The children who remained unvaccinated because of their parents’ opposition will be the most at risk as herd immunity begins to decline. Vaccines can eradicate disease and prevent serious illness and death. Mandatory vaccination has eradicated diseases that once killed thousands of children, such as polio and smallpox. According to researchers at the Pediatric Academic Society, childhood vaccinations in the US prevent about 10.5 million cases of infectious illness and 33,000 deaths per year. (Zhou, 2003) Challengers to mandated inoculation argue that vaccines are often unnecessary in many cases where the threat of death from disease is small. During the early nineteenth century, mortality for the childhood diseases whooping cough, measles, and scarlet fever fell drastically before immunization became available. This decreased mortality has been attributed to improved personal hygiene, water purification, effective sewage disposal, and better food, hygiene, and nutrition. (The Institute for Health Freedom, 1999) Common childhood vaccinations may cause rare yet serious reactions including anaphylactic shock, paralysis, and sudden death. There are those who feel that this risk is not worth taking, especially considering most diseases vaccinated against are not necessarily life threatening in their opinion. Vaccines can trigger auto-immune disorders such as arthritis, multiple sclerosis, lupus, Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), and other disorders. Vaccines can cause brain inflammation (encephalopathy) which can lead to death or permanent brain damage and disorders such as autism, ADD/ADHD, and other developmental problems. In addition, the vaccine additive thimerosal (found in most pre-1999 vaccines) has been associated specifically with the development of autism and is still found in certain meningococcal, tetanus, and flu .vaccines such as the H1N1 vaccine. (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2010) The risks of not being vaccinated far outweigh the small risks associated with vaccination. Preventable diseases like measles and mumps can cause permanent disability and death. In 1991 an outbreak of measles in an unvaccinated group of children in Philadelphia caused seven deaths. Children infected with the mumps can become permanently deaf. Although a very small number of deaths from the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine have been reported, the most common adverse reactions are minor soreness and or fever. (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, 2009) The claim that vaccines cause autism is false. The main reason why anyone talks about vaccines and autism is that some parents have noticed changes in children shortly after the children were vaccinated. Their kids seemed to be developing normally, then suddenly stopped interacting with people and lost language abilities. Most medical researchers argue that this is probably a coincidence: Autism symptoms tend to become apparent around the same time that children are scheduled to get routine vaccines. Children should not be required to receive the DPT (diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus) vaccine. Some studies have shown that children who receive the DPT vaccine exhibit shallow breathing which has been associated with sleep apnea and may be a causal factor in sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Studies of infants whose deaths were recorded as SIDS show a temporal relationship with DPT vaccination (these infants tended to die at similar time intervals in relation to when they were vaccinated). (Coulter, 2010) Many studies, including one by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, reject the hypothesis that thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative in vaccines, causes autism (Hasley, 2005) . On Mar. 12, 2010, in the case of Mead v. Secretary of Health and Human Services, the US Court of Federal Claims ruled that the "theory of vaccine-related causation [of autism] is scientifically unsupportable." At the center of this issue is a preservative called thimerosal compound containing mercury) that once was a common component in many vaccines because it allowed manufacturers to make drugs more cheaply and in multidose formulations. But public concern, new innovations and FDA recommendations led to its removal from almost all children's vaccines manufactured after 2001. Since flu vaccines are not just for children, manufacturers still put thimerosal in some flu-shot formulations and you can ask your pediatrician for the thimerosal-free version. (Testimony Before the House Health and Government Operations Committee, 2005) Children should be required to receive vaccination against hepatitis B. The disease can cause inflammation of the liver leading to cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver or cancer. The World Health Organization recommends that hepatitis B vaccination be a part of universal childhood vaccination programs. Reports that the hepatitis B vaccine may cause multiple sclerosis have been refuted by many published studies. (National Centre for Immunization Research and Surveillance of Vaccine Preventable The University of Sydney, 2009) Children should not receive the hepatitis B vaccine. Hepatitis B is a blood-borne disease and is primarily spread by sexual intercourse and intravenous drug use. Children are not at great risk of contracting the disease. In addition, researchers have found that immunization with the hepatitis B vaccine is associated with an increased risk of developing multiple sclerosis. (Miguel A. Hernin, 2004) Vaccines should be required because they produce significant economic benefits for society. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, every $1 spent on vaccination saves the public $6.30 in medical costs that would result from having to treat unvaccinated diseased individuals. (Rapoport, 2010) Yet there are those who believe that vaccines are promoted primarily to generate profits for manufacturers and financial donations for medical organizations that endorse vaccines. In 2003, a House Committee on Government Reform report revealed that the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices had members with significant financial ties to vaccine companies. The American Academy of Pediatrics, a leading pro-vaccination organization, receives millions of dollars from vaccine companies. (CBS News, 2008) Children should be vaccinated against rotavirus. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) both recommend the vaccine. According to the WHO, nearly every child is infected by a rotavirus by the time he/she is 5 years old, and the virus is the leading cause of severe dehydration, vomiting, and diarrhea in children younger than 5 worldwide. The CDC estimates that rotavirus caused approximately 453,000 infant deaths globally, mainly in developing countries, and 20 to 60 deaths of children under 5 years old per year in the United States before the vaccine was introduced. Without the vaccination, rotavirus hospitalized 55,000 to 70,000 children in the United States per year; with the vaccine, the number of hospitalizations has been reduced by 80%. The CDC also estimates the rotavirus vaccine prevents more than 400,000 doctor visits per year. Children should not be vaccinated against rotavirus. According to the CDC, rotavirus lasts only a few days and can be treated with fluids to rehydrate the patient. Only one in seven children requires hospitalization for the virus. The CDC further notes that vaccinated children may contract rotavirus because there are many types of the virus and neither the vaccine nor natural infection (catching the virus) provide full coverage against the virus. The vaccine may increase a child's likelihood that he/she will suffer intussusception, an intestinal blockage that can cause hospitalization. (World Health Organization, 2013) The US Food and Drug 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. Proponents argue that vaccination is safe and one of the greatest health developments of the 20th century. They point out that illness, including rubella, diphtheria, and whooping cough, which once killed thousands of infants annually are now prevented by vaccination. They contend that anti-vaccination studies are often faulty, biased, and misleading. Opponents argue that children’s immune systems can deal with most infections naturally, and that the possible side effects of vaccination, including seizures, paralysis, and death, are not worth the risk of safeguarding against non-life threatening illnesses. They contend that numerous studies prove that vaccines may trigger problems like autism, ADHD, and multiple sclerosis. Parents ultimately have the freedom of choice, in most cases, to decline vaccinations for their children. Since mass vaccination is believed to be the reason for the steep decline in these diseases, most developed countries experience what is referred to as “herd immunity.” Those who are not or cannot be vaccinated are offered protection somewhat based on the fact that so many children and adults are vaccinated. The threat of outbreak and exposure to communicable diseases is low based on mass vaccination. In essence, many believe the vaccinated are protecting the unvaccinated. That reason alone is used to encourage parents to vaccinate their children-to help protect those who are too ill or unable to be vaccinated. Increases in refusal to vaccinate can compromise the “herd immunity” and lead to outbreaks of vaccine preventable diseases. The Pharmaceutical Companies that make the vaccines have a financial interest in the use of their vaccines. However the concern of three in one vaccines for safety reasons has yet to be debated. It is cost effective but is it safe' Also the timing of the administration of the vaccines gives the manufacturer the benefit of capital in a small period of time. But is it necessary to give vaccines so frequently to young children in their first five years. Sometimes in life our values and beliefs are put into conflict with public policy and public health. Rules are decided based on the common good, putting the rights of individuals secondary to the welfare of the society. Individual rights therefore are considered after the public’s welfare. This puts us at odds as parents with public policy. These are public issues throughout the world. Risks and benefits are decided and regulated based on the common good not on individual circumstances. It is similar with the belief that the majority rules. References CBS News. (2008, July 25). How Independent Are Vaccine Defenders. Retrieved from cbsnews.com. Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia. (2009, March). www.chop.edu. Retrieved from www.chop.edu Coulter, H. L. (2010, January 13). SIDS and Seizures. Retrieved from healthy.net : www.healthy.net Gary L. Freed, e. a. (2009, March). Parental Vaccine Safety Concerns in 2009. Pediatrics. Harvard University. (2012). Vaccines and your health. Retrieved from Havard Health Publications: http://www.health.harvard.edu/flu-resource-center/vaccines-and-your-health.htm Hasley, N. A. (2005, February). Testimony Before the House Health and Government Operations Committee. Retrieved from Institute for Vaccine Safety: http://www.vaccinesafety.edu/ Miguel A. Hernin, e. a. (2004, May). Recombinant Hepatitis B Vaccine and the Risk of Multiple Sclerosis. Neurology. National Centre for Immunization Research and Surveillance of Vaccine Preventable The University of Sydney. (2009, December). National Centre for Immunization Research and Surveillance of Vaccine Preventable Diseases (NCIRS), "Hepatitis B Vaccine and Multiple Sclerosis,". Retrieved from www.ncirs.usyd.edu.au Rapoport, R. (2010, January). Economic Value of Vaccines. Retrieved from Every Child By Two: www.ecbt.org Testimony Before the House Health and Government Operations Committee ( House Health and Government Operations Committee February 22, 2005). The Institute for Health Freedom. (1999). Vaccinating Children: Where Do We Draw the Line' Retrieved from www.forhealthfreedom.org Tomas Aragon, M. (2005, April). Epidemiologic Concepts for the Prevention and Control of Microbial Threats. Retrieved from UC Berkeley School of Public Health: www.idready.org U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2010, January). National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act Vaccine Injury Table. Retrieved from Health Resources and Services Administration: www.hrsa.gov World Health Organization. (2013, Febuary 1). Weekly Epidemiological Record: Rotavirus Vaccines, WHO position paper. Retrieved from World Health Organization: www.who.int Zhou, e. a. (2003). Economic Evaluation of Routine Childhood Immunization with DTaP, Hib, IPV, MMR and Hep B Vaccines in the United States. Pediatric Academic Societies Conference. Washington.