Should Vaccines Be Required In Public Schools

In the United States, 80-90 percent of children receive most vaccines. When parents opt their children out for vaccines, they increase the risk of outbreaks. Parents opt out of vaccinating their children for a variety of reasons, like health concerns, religion, allergic reactions, but mostly being misinformed. Vaccinations can save a child’s life and can protect future generations. A child should have all vaccinations before they enter public schools because they are safe, effective, can save time and money, and most importantly save lives. Today, children of the U.S. are still getting vaccine-preventable diseases like mumps, measles, and whooping cough. The reason why public schools require vaccinations is to control the spread of diseases from child to child. Parents who don’t vaccinate their children can cause other children, who don’t have an immunity or are allergic to the vaccine, to become ill. According to The Centers of Disease Control, between the years 1994-2014, vaccinations prevented about 322 million cases of childhood illnesses. Parents also opt out for religious reasons and health safety concerns, there are exemptions and vary in requirements

Vaccinations do come with risks but are minimal compared to the diseases they are fighting off. Some side effects are injection site reactions, mild fever, shivering, fatigue, headache, muscle and joint pain. These are mild side effects but only last about one to two days. When comparing these side effects from the vaccine or preventable death of a child, getting the vaccine seems like a safer bet. It takes ten to fifteen years, and several studies for new vaccines to make it through the four stages of safety and effectiveness testing before approval. They first test the child vaccines on adults and the FDA collects data to ensure the vaccine does what it should do. After the vaccine is proven to be safe and effective, physicians decide whether to recommend