Vaccines Should Be Mandatory

Vaccines should be mandatory because people who have not received them have a high risk of contracting a disease and spreading it from person to person. Research indicates their safety and effectiveness far outweighs risks as lives are saved daily through disease prevention, therefore, vaccinations should be required.

Vaccines are safe and effective. Because of vaccinations, children’s lives have been saved from rubella, diphtheria, smallpox, polio, and whooping cough (“Vaccines Required for Children”). Due to their safety and effectiveness, many lives have been saved within the last decade. “All states require certain vaccinations for children entering public schools although there are few exemptions for medical and religious reasons” (“Vaccines

Required for Children”). Required vaccinations are a must for children attending public schools because without them the child that does not receive the vaccine is more likely to catch an infection and spread it with those around them. While herd immunity often protects unvaccinated children, the increasing number of individuals choosing not to vaccinate lowers the effectiveness of this immunity. Diseases which were almost inoculated are returning.
Vaccinations will prevent infections and keep children healthy. It is vitally important to make sure children are receiving the certain vaccinations they are required to at the age recommended. Without these vitally important vaccinations children are more likely to catch the life-threatening diseases that can potentially harm them. This would leave the family without their children if they contracted one of the potentially fatal diseases.
“At the same time, incidence and morbidity of diseases such as whooping cough are back on the rise” (Matt Welch). This rise can easily be treated through vaccination. “According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), some people believe that vaccines can cause serious and fatal side effects” (“Vaccines Required for Children”). Many people believe otherwise because it has kept their children safe from viruses such as the flu, pneumonia and other communicable illness (“Vaccines Required for Children”). According to the United Nations Foundation partner organization, “vaccines save 2.5 million children from preventable diseases every year, which equates to roughly 285 children saved every hour” (“Vaccines Required for Children”). The CDC, “estimated that 732,000 American children were saved from death and 322 million cases of childhood illnesses were prevented between the years 1994 and 2014 due to vaccinations” (“Vaccines Required for Children”). With this many lives being saved, it is important for the parents to have their children vaccinated and evident vaccines are effective. This proves that vaccinations are extensive in a child’s life. People also believe that vaccines contain harmful ingredients but the only way it can be harmful is if used in large doses (“Vaccines Required for Children”). The people who give these vaccinations are well educated, have a degree and know what they are doing. The people giving these vaccinations are educated in proper dosage amounts and because of that; there is no need to worry about them being harmful to the children.
Vaccines have saved the lives of 28,913 paralytic polio cases between the years 1955 to 1965; proving it is only beneficial to everyone (“Vaccines Required for Children”). This goes to show that vaccines not only protect the children receiving the vaccination, but it also protects generations to come. Because vaccines are 90%-99% effective in preventing diseases, they should be mandatory (“Vaccines Required for Children”).