The article I read informs readers why Germany, Europe, Canada, Australia, and the United States governments are now creating and enforcing policies to have children vaccinated. In Germany, in the month of July, a policy went into effect that now requires parents and guardians to abide by showing proof of vaccination counseling to their child’s school before enrolling children in kindergarten. This policy enforces schools to contact government agencies for any parent who is unaccounted for showing proof of vaccination by a doctor for their child. The article then explains that Germany enforced this policy due to 634 reported cases of measles (“ a viral disease that can lead to complications, including pneumonia and encephalitis”) in May …show more content…
Even though it is mandated to have children’s vaccines up to date, many parents feel as if their children should be obligated to attend school without having to be vaccinated. What they do not understand is that with vaccines they help keep school a healthy environment by trying to prevent any diseases such as measles that could contaminate children who are more likely to get sick due to not being immune to …show more content…
We develop immunity by being exposed to diseases and vaccines help us safely develop this immunity by exposing us to dead or weakened amounts of the virus. Although vaccines are not one hundred percent effective they are still partially protective. For that specific reason, if you look into some of the outbreaks in the United States of the measles virus, most of the people who got the virus were those who were not immunized. Although the people that get vaccines are vaccinated it does not mean that the person can not get sick, but typically, if they do develop the illness, it is much less severe than had they not been vaccinated, as their immune response kicks in more
Health care policies are put into place regarding childhood immunization requirements for schools, along with information on obtaining religious exemptions. Each state and/or country develops their own individualized guidelines through interactions with federal and state government agencies. One in five babies around the world are missing out on basic vaccines and may die from weak health systems and insufficient funding. UNICEF and its partners are working to change these numbers and ensure that all children are successfully protected with vaccines.
A vaccine, once injected into your child's body, with cause a type of immune cell called lymphocytes to react and produce anti bodies to fight the disease the particular vaccine was designed for. This works by injecting weakened or dead antigens of the particular diseases which then prepares the body for the full strength pathogen. This also causes the lymphocytes to remember the particular antigen that the particular pathogen possess. This works as the antigens and antibodies stick together like a key and lock and the pathogen become traps then engulfed and destroyed by a white blood cell. Not only will the vaccination protect your child, but also the people around
The idea behind vaccines is to provide the body with just enough of the disease-causing substance to trick the body into producing antibodies against it. By injecting weak or dead infectious agents through the skin, it’s believed that the body will create the appropriate immune defense. Infants come into the world with antibodies they have gotten from their mother through the placenta. Infants who are breastfed continue to receive many important antibodies in the colostrum (the thick, yellowish premilk that is secreted during the first few days after a woman gives birth) and breast milk. During the first year of life, the immunity an infant gets from its mother at birth wears off. To help boost the fading ability to fight certain diseases, vaccines are given. Once the antibodies are produced, they stay around, protecting the child against the disease they were designed to fight.
This can be seen in the article Vaccine Controversies by Jane Lemons. “Public health officials say refusing to follow vaccine protocols allows diseases to spread rapidly as happened in December 2014 when a measles outbreak began at Disney Land and spread to seven states.” The measles outbreak from 2014 could have easily been avoided if all children who entered the park were indeed vaccinated. If the majority of children were vaccinated there would have been no possible way for the disease to spread. While it can't be denied, A lot of families do choose to vaccinate their children, there are still some who don't, this is seen in the article Vaccine Controversies by Jane Lemons. Although the vast majority of Americans continue to vaccinate their children, studies have found that as many as 1 in 10 parents are delaying or forgoing some or a; recommended vaccines for their children. Because some parents are delaying or forgoing all vaccinations more children are at risk of going under the influence of a fatal disease that could cut their lives too short. Fatal diseases have the ability to spread at unthinkable rates and vaccinations are used to combat these deadly diseases but if families refuse to vaccinate their children once fatal diseases could return at epidemic
For example, in China, the measles vaccine consisting of two doses was first introduced in the National Expanded Program on Immunization. The Zhejiang provincial EPI program noticed that measles was beginning to decrease due to the vaccine, while mumps and rubella was still spreading. This is when the MMR vaccine was introduced and implemented. By 2007 the second dose of MV was replaced by the MMR vaccine. Following this development the rate of measles reached a historical low in 2011 due to the vaccine produced by the EPI. Not only did the cases of measles decrease but so did the cases of rubella with the introduction of the combined vaccine (He, n.p.). Additionally, a record 9,120 cases of pertussis were reported in California in 2010 the most since 1947. A study conducted by the American Academy of Pediatrics was done to determine how this disease was spreading. Their results showed that among other factors the large amount of unvaccinated children in one area was a major contributor to the clusters of pertussis. There was a strong correlation between communities with a large number of unvaccinated children and pertussis outbreaks in California. This could have been avoided due to the fact that pertussis is a vaccine-preventable disease. The importance of vaccines can be seen through the results of this study, which show that parents intentionally avoiding the
For parents, the responsibility of taking care of a child is their number one priority. They tend to build up a list of what their child needs to stay safe and healthy. Even the smallest way of a taking care of a child is important like putting them in a car seat is one of the ways to keep children protected. There is another important way that parents should not forget to do – vaccinating their children. Parents should not miss all of their children’s vaccinations. Children can be protected against severe diseases, such as polio, which was “America’s most-feared disease, causing death and paralysis across the country” (“Five Important Reasons to Vaccinate Your Child”). Today, there hasn’t been any news about Polio for the longest time because of vaccinations. However, there are people who don’t have an option to not get vaccinated because they aren’t allowed due to their protection such as pregnant women and newborns. In order to avoid contagious diseases, people who are allowed to do so should get themselves vaccinated for the benefit of those who can’t get vaccinated and have a higher risk of getting severe diseases. For example, “Newborns who are too young to get vaccinated for whooping cough are also most at risk of severe illness from the disease” (“10 Reasons To Get Vaccinated”). Newborn infants have a high risk of getting serious diseases, which should encourage more people to get
The purpose of vaccinations is to help the immune system handle the illness without exposing to the illness first as “Vaccines contain the same antigens (or parts of antigens) that cause diseases…the antigens in vaccines are either killed, or weakened to the point that they don’t cause disease...immune system produce antibodies that lead to immunity”("Why Are Childhood Vaccines So Important?") This means that Vaccines have the same pieces of a regular disease but has been manipulated in some shape or form that cannot infect the vaccine receiver. Almost as if the body is exposed to the illness already, but not quite like having the body fight off the disease but rather receive the ability to fight contact with any disease they are vaccinated against. Without vaccination, some illnesses can be fought off with the immune system alone, such as chicken pox and measles, and then would have the immune system protect by using the to fight against it. However, there are more fatal diseases, such as Polio, that has the ability to paralyze the body of anyone infected and even cause death if not treated right away
Vaccines are made to mimic infections. For example, the influenza vaccine mimics the virus, but is a weakened form of it, making it difficult for the virus to reproduce or cause any serious damage. When the vaccine enters the body, T cells and B cells from the immune system begin to attack it and defend the rest of the body from the weakened virus. Not only are the T and B cells able to rid the body of the virus, some of the cells become memory cells. The memory cells then “teach” other cells how to fight of the virus. Because of this, when the body becomes infected with the real virus, the cells will know exactly how to protect the body from the virus (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
Each year, about 2.1 million people die from vaccine-preventable diseases. Many children may not receive their necessary first year vaccinations because of lack of availability, religious beliefs, and safety concerns (Healy, Rench, and Baker 540). The dictionary definition of a vaccine is a biological preparation that improves the immunity to a certain disease (Healy, Rench, and Baker 540). Although all 50 States in the United States require children to be vaccinated to certain diseases before entering school, the states also have exemptions for these vaccinations (Lu 870). Parents often choose not to get their children immunized, and it has proven harmful to the health of the global population. It is important for parents to have their children vaccinated against diseases such as measles, mumps, and polio because it is important to promote the welfare of the human race (Parkins 439).
Protecting Our Communities: Why Vaccines Should be Mandatory For Parents, hearing their children cry is like a stab to their heart. The restless nights are full of anguish for the parents, and pain for a child with measles. This disease, and many like it, can be completely eradicated simply by allowing children to get vaccinated. Throughout history, plagues and diseases have jeopardized civilizations and cultures. Modern medicine now provides protection against these diseases; it is a shame some parents still refuse this life saving aid.
Due to the rise of this controversy, the government wants to intervene in order to provide safety from this disease to all the American people. Even though the measles may be at bay for now, some fear for the future cases in which the disease may mutate into a stronger one. This panic has caused “State Sen. Richard Pan, D-Sacramento, recently proposed Senate Bill 277 to eliminate this exemption, which was created to allow people to opt out of vaccination for religious reasons” (Nordrum). However he withdrew his proposal after opponents had criticized that this bill could “force the state’s many unvaccinated children to either be immediately vaccinated or leave the public school system” (Nordrum). Not only has an attempt by a Senator has been
Vaccines are becoming increasingly hazardous for many children and parents are not being informed about the safety of their children. Current reports are linking vaccines to serious life-threatening disorders such as asthma, autism, immune system dysfunction, and mental retardation (Williams). These recent revelations are causing an increasing amount of people to claim religious and medical exemptions from vaccines. From 1999 to 2006, exemptions have more than doubled from 9,722 to 24,919 (Cronin). It is very clear that vaccinations are posing many problems for parents everywhere. Each day researchers are finding out about vaccines and are realizing that there are a lot more risks than benefits. Dr Phillip F. Incao explains: “Today, far more children suffer from allergies and other chronic immune system disorders than from life-threatening infectious disease. It is neither reasonable nor prudent to persist in presuming that the benefits of any vaccination outweigh its risk” (qtd in Spaker). While infectious diseases are becoming uncommon there is no need for any person to get vaccinated.
Those who choose not to vaccinate their children are endangering the health of those unable to be vaccinated themselves, such as infants, pregnant people, and the immunocompromised, by jeopardizing community immunity. According to vaccine.gov, a federal government website managed by the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, community immunity or “herd immunity” occurs when “a critical portion of the community is immunized against a contagious disease, most members of the community are protected against that disease because there is little opportunity for an outbreak” (Community Immunity). An infographic featured in an NPR article entitled “How Vaccine Fears Fueled the Resurgence of Preventable Diseases” illustrated the rise in measles cases in Western Europe and of pertussis (whooping cough) cases in the U.S (Doucleff). In the first eight months of 2014, there were eighteen measles outbreaks, and six hundred cases of measles.
Benjamin Franklin once said “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” This has never been more true when discussing disease prevention in our schools. Vaccines have become a major part of today’s society. We need them to because it protects us from severe illness and death, especially in children. Every student in Bloomington Public Schools should be required to be vaccinated in order to attend the school because vaccines have been proven to reduces illnesses, protect children from their parents, be safe, and improve cognitive development. Edward Jenner is the founder of vaccines. Vaccines have been around for 1,000 years and have helped many people get through there sicknesses. Vaccines are always tested multiple times and had become
This helps people to be immune to disease and help them fight off this disease easier with these vaccinations. Vaccines are good for three reasons. They help grant active immunity to diseases and viruses, they help to acquire passive immunity, and they also protect other people around you. When you receive a vaccine you develop active immunity. This immunity is when your body develops naturally or artificially acquired immunity by exposing the body to antigens.