The Crucial Role of Vaccines in Public Health

A vaccination is the injection of weak disease-causing agents that help the body develop immunity against specific infectious diseases ("Why Are Childhood Vaccines So Important?"). It is through these vaccinations that children will develop immunity without suffering from the actual diseases that vaccines prevent ("Why Are Childhood Vaccines So Important?"). The field of medicine has come a long way. Vaccines are considered to be one of the public health’s greatest accomplishments to date. With the help of vaccines and public health, the overall goal is to prevent disease and promote health.

The growing success of vaccinations has also seen the practice criticized at times. At the time when vaccines first began the public gravitated towards

A great example of this is the disease Polio. Polio is an extremely infectious disease which can lead to paralysis in a matter of hours. Most notably suffered by Franklin Roosevelt during his time in office. The polio vaccination came around in the 1950s. Since the vaccination, “polio cases have decreased by over 99% since 1988, from an estimated 350,000 cases to 74 reported cases in 2015 ("Poliomyelitis"). Essentially the polio vaccine eliminated the disease in the United States. There also have been several other deadly and infectious diseases that have virtually been eliminated from the production of vaccinations. According to the CDC, vaccine-preventable disease levels are at or near record lows ("Vaccination Laws"). It is not a matter of whether or not the disease is eliminated, but rather the fact that evidence shows vaccinations are effective. The viruses and disease still exist, “but now babies and children are protected by these vaccinations so we do not see the diseases in the lab anymore,” ("Why Are Childhood Vaccines So Important?"). Those in favor of mandatory vaccinations are not only wanting to avoid contracting a disease, but also aid in the prevention of the disease spreading to other individuals. Immunization laws have an incredible impact on vaccine-preventable disease in the United States. It is known that individuals who go unvaccinated

One of the major criticisms of mandatory vaccinations is the shift of balance in autonomy and choice versus the protection of the public (Anomaly, "Public Health and Public Goods"). I can see how from a Kantian perspective that mandatory vaccinations could be using people as mere means for the greater good of the public health, but when one’s individual rights and choices endanger my personal safety there needs to be some regulation. The idea of herd immunity may follow from a utilitarian framework that vaccinations bring about the greatest possibly good and minimize harm and ultimately maximize the happiness of the public, but it is a practice that promotes the health of our future generation. Individuals against mandatory vaccinations argue against the need for vaccinations due to the potential harmful side effects they may result in. The fear driving what vaccinations contain is based off misinterpreting data. The CDC provides great amounts of knowledge of the potential and tolerable side effects of vaccinations. Another major argument against mandatory vaccinations is the cost. Like mentioned above the vaccines that are currently required to go to school are measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), Polio, Whopping Cough, Diphtheria, Varicella, Hepatitis B and Hib, which can be a costly doctor visit. The likelihood that these vaccines will no longer be mandatory for school-aged children is