Keeping Mandatory Childhood Vaccinations in Place
For years parents have worried about whether the immunizations being administered to their children are safe. They have questioned if the benefits of the vaccines outweigh the potential side effects. There have also been claims as to whether they are linked to autism as well as other things. Research has proven that immunizations are important and essential. They have lessened, if not eliminated several diseases. If not continued there will be an increase in these disease again.
In medicine you always have to weigh the benefits versus the side effects. With immunizations the benefits of receiving them outweigh the potential side effects. These side effects are usually minor such as a sore arm that was injected or a low grade fever which usually only last for a few days. Treatment is as easy as taking Tylenol or ibuprofen to relieve symptoms. Serious side effects are very rare. According to the CDC, the vaccine DTaP which is a series of vaccines given to children at the ages of 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, between 15-18 months, and 4-6 years old, have a chance of less than 1 out of a million doses in causing a severe reaction such as brain damage. Another common vaccine Hepatitis B has a serious reaction rate of 1 in 1.1 million.
There have been events and claims that have posed questions regarding the safety of vaccinations. One of these events happened very recent. This last October a nurse in New Jersey was reusing needles to administer flu vaccines to employees of a pharmaceutical company. By doing this she put all of them at risk of contracting a multitude of diseases spread through blood contact. This has raised concerns for people as to whether something like this may happen again or if it's worth the risk to even receive the influenza shot again.
Another scare with immunizations is whether they are linked with autism. It was thought that a component once contained in many vaccines may be the cause. This ingredient is called Thimerosal. It is a mercury based preservative used to prevent contamination in vaccines. After years of research, these theories have been debunked. The CDC alone conducted 9 of these studies since 2003. No relationship between Thimerosal and autism was found. One safety measure they did put into place was to eliminate mercury exposure in children so they took Thimerosal out of the majority of vaccines in 1999 and 2001 (CDC). The only vaccine that still contains this ingredient is influenza.
SIDS, sudden infant death syndrome, is another concern parents have. The exact cause is unknown which has led many to speculate. One theory is that it could be due to childhood vaccinations. In 1994, the NICHD-in partnership with the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the Health Resources and Services Administration, the SIDS Alliance (now First Candle), and the Association of SIDS and Infant Mortality Programs-launched the Back to Sleep campaign to educate parents and caregivers about ways to reduce the risk of SIDS (NICHD). After this campaign was initiated SIDS decreased by 50%. This has led researchers to believe that there is no correlation between the two. More research has also shown that the babies who have died from SIDS were born with nerve cell defects that may affect their breathing, temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure.
There are agencies assigned to monitor the safety of vaccines. These include the CDC and FDA. The CDC's Immunization Safety Office identifies any possible vaccine side effects and conducts studies to determine whether health problems are caused by vaccines. The FDA is responsible for performing all clinical trials before the vaccinations are licensed and released. A program in place to assist with this monitoring is the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System or VAERS. It is "an early warning public health system where people can report vaccine concerns that help the CDC and FDA detect possible side effects and adverse events following vaccinations" (CDC).
A major accomplishment related to immunizations is that we have managed to decrease or eliminate most diseases that have related vaccines. Small Pox is one disease that has been completely eliminated world-wide. Varicella has decreased from 4,085,120 pre vaccination era to 167,490 since vaccines were initiated (Immunize). With these decreased occurrences people think "then why are we continuing to vaccinate?" If we were to quit immunizing or decrease the amount of vaccines given, these results would rapidly increase. History has proven this. In Japan in the late 70s, whooping cough was almost eliminated. There were only 393 reported cases per year. As a result they decided to decrease the amount of pertussis vaccines administered to 10% of children. The affects were that more than 13,000 people became infected and 41 died.
Another instance was here in the United States in 2015. The pertussis vaccine isn't administered as much as recommended after the required childhood series because it is not as common. The CDC recommends the booster shot, Tdap, at the age of 12 years old and every 10 years after. As a result there was an outbreak of whooping cough in the last few years around the United States. These occurrences may be due to anti vaccine movements or lack of education based upon vaccinations. An anti-vaccine movement is a group of people who feel that vaccinations cause more harm than good and in return urge others not to get vaccinated. Some other countries with similar situations related to anti vaccine movements were Sweden, the United Kingdom, the Russian Federation, Ireland, Italy, the former West Germany, and Australia. Without vaccinating, the death toll will continue to increase. According to MedicineNet.com, before there was a vaccine for diphtheria, 10,000 children were dying each year from it. "Low disease rates have been attained through increased rates of immunizations" (Ring, 2002).
Another thing to keep in mind with vaccinations is to receive them according to the recommendation schedule. Some parents question whether they should stagger the vaccinations so their children aren't getting as many at one time. These recommendations are put into place for a reason and by delaying them it puts the children at risk. Although some antibodies are passed from the mother to fetus through the placenta, these antibodies are temporary and only last within the first year after birth. It takes time to buildup immunity and children under the age of 5 typically don't have much built up making them susceptible to diseases that immunizations help prevent. Also some diseases are more common and have greater reactions among infants and young children. These age recommendations have been set "to give children the earliest and best protection against diseases" (MedicineNet.com).
Another technique used to decrease exposure to children is called Cocooning. Cocooning is a practice of ensuring the vaccinations of all individuals that newborn will come in contact with during their early days in order to protect them from the transfer of harmful illnesses (Vara). It is an indirect initiative you can take to ensure the safety of the baby. The most common recommended vaccines for anyone in contact with a child are pertussis and influenza. Pertussis is a vaccine used to prevent whooping cough. It is transferred through person to person contact by means of droplets expelled through coughing. Side effects of this disease can be serious especially for children. The side effects are pneumonia, seizures, brain damage, mental retardation, and even death.
When you consider the cost of the vaccinations versus the costs related to contracting the diseases there is a significant difference. The average cost of vaccines can vary but are typically offered at a very low cost if nothing at all. There are several federally funded programs and clinics specifically designated to administer vaccines at little to no cost. Also the majority of insurance companies cover the cost of most immunizations along with annual checkups thanks to Obamacare. Obamacare is a law to reform the healthcare industry. It required that insurance cover these costs and that everyone have health insurance by 2015.
In contrast, the cost of being infected by a disease can be costly. For some diseases there is a 100% probability of having to stay in the hospital. These diseases include diphtheria, tetanus, congenital rubella syndrome, and others depending on the severity. According to the CDC, in 2013 the average cost of hospitalizations related to these diseases ranged from $3,195 for rotavirus to $102,584 for tetanus. The number of days spent in the hospital also varied from 1.3 days for measles to 26.75 days for acute Hib (Haemopilus Influenza type B). And the cost per outpatient visits such as a doctor's visit, ranged from $83 to $651. Some more costs accrued may be loss of income from a parent taking time off to care for the child or the costs of medications to treat the disease.
Immunizations are required by all 50 states before a child is able to attend school. The amount of vaccines required varies from state to state. Connecticut, being the most, requires 10 vaccines while Montana, having the fewest, only requires 3. Vaccines required in all 50 states are the DTaP, the IPV, and the MMR. Included in the sets of immunizations are diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, measles, mumps, and rubella.
Although these immunizations are required there are exemptions put into place for medical, religious, or philosophical reasons. In order for it to qualify as a medical exemption the shot must have a possibility of causing harm to the recipient. Religious exemptions are used when someone refuses to get immunized based on beliefs from a religious organization. This exemption is available in most states due to the 1st amendment right of religious freedom. One state that does not allow this is West Virginia. And finally the last exemption is philosophical. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, twenty states allow philosophical exemptions for those who object to immunizations because of personal, moral or other beliefs. As a result of legislation passed in 2015, two of those states-California and Vermont-will no longer allow philosophical exemptions beginning in July 2016, bringing the number of states that allow philosophical exemptions to eighteen (NCSL).
With these exemptions put into place, we could face widespread dangers. If the majority of people were to take advantage of these exemptions there could be a national outbreak of diseases we've managed to get under control. If people chose to falsely use an exemption out of fear for example, the nation would be at risk for an epidemic if not pandemic. This is why education is so important. We need to make sure that people understand the importance of immunizations and what happens when we don't vaccinate.
People need to realize how important vaccinations are. Without them the death rate would rapidly increase and the world would face crisis. Disease rates are at an all-time low because of them. When you consider how great the benefits of them are, any minor side effects seem small. As shown by years of research and statistics, the chances of having any serious side effects are slim. To ensure the safety many agencies put into place that monitor these and the United States is known for being one of the safest countries in the world for our immunizations. Fears related to autism or SIDS has been proven wrong. The most important thing needed to be done now is to continue to raise awareness and educate.
For years parents have worried about whether the immunizations being administered to their children are safe. They have questioned if the benefits of the vaccines outweigh the potential side effects. There have also been claims as to whether they are linked to autism as well as other things. Research has proven that immunizations are important and essential. They have lessened, if not eliminated several diseases. If not continued there will be an increase in these disease again.
In medicine you always have to weigh the benefits versus the side effects. With immunizations the benefits of receiving them outweigh the potential side effects. These side effects are usually minor such as a sore arm that was injected or a low grade fever which usually only last for a few days. Treatment is as easy as taking Tylenol or ibuprofen to relieve symptoms. Serious side effects are very rare. According to the CDC, the vaccine DTaP which is a series of vaccines given to children at the ages of 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, between 15-18 months, and 4-6 years old, have a chance of less than 1 out of a million doses in causing a severe reaction such as brain damage. Another common vaccine Hepatitis B has a serious reaction rate of 1 in 1.1 million.
There have been events and claims that have posed questions regarding the safety of vaccinations. One of these events happened very recent. This last October a nurse in New Jersey was reusing needles to administer flu vaccines to employees of a pharmaceutical company. By doing this she put all of them at risk of contracting a multitude of diseases spread through blood contact. This has raised concerns for people as to whether something like this may happen again or if it's worth the risk to even receive the influenza shot again.
Another scare with immunizations is whether they are linked with autism. It was thought that a component once contained in many vaccines may be the cause. This ingredient is called Thimerosal. It is a mercury based preservative used to prevent contamination in vaccines. After years of research, these theories have been debunked. The CDC alone conducted 9 of these studies since 2003. No relationship between Thimerosal and autism was found. One safety measure they did put into place was to eliminate mercury exposure in children so they took Thimerosal out of the majority of vaccines in 1999 and 2001 (CDC). The only vaccine that still contains this ingredient is influenza.
SIDS, sudden infant death syndrome, is another concern parents have. The exact cause is unknown which has led many to speculate. One theory is that it could be due to childhood vaccinations. In 1994, the NICHD-in partnership with the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the Health Resources and Services Administration, the SIDS Alliance (now First Candle), and the Association of SIDS and Infant Mortality Programs-launched the Back to Sleep campaign to educate parents and caregivers about ways to reduce the risk of SIDS (NICHD). After this campaign was initiated SIDS decreased by 50%. This has led researchers to believe that there is no correlation between the two. More research has also shown that the babies who have died from SIDS were born with nerve cell defects that may affect their breathing, temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure.
There are agencies assigned to monitor the safety of vaccines. These include the CDC and FDA. The CDC's Immunization Safety Office identifies any possible vaccine side effects and conducts studies to determine whether health problems are caused by vaccines. The FDA is responsible for performing all clinical trials before the vaccinations are licensed and released. A program in place to assist with this monitoring is the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System or VAERS. It is "an early warning public health system where people can report vaccine concerns that help the CDC and FDA detect possible side effects and adverse events following vaccinations" (CDC).
A major accomplishment related to immunizations is that we have managed to decrease or eliminate most diseases that have related vaccines. Small Pox is one disease that has been completely eliminated world-wide. Varicella has decreased from 4,085,120 pre vaccination era to 167,490 since vaccines were initiated (Immunize). With these decreased occurrences people think "then why are we continuing to vaccinate?" If we were to quit immunizing or decrease the amount of vaccines given, these results would rapidly increase. History has proven this. In Japan in the late 70s, whooping cough was almost eliminated. There were only 393 reported cases per year. As a result they decided to decrease the amount of pertussis vaccines administered to 10% of children. The affects were that more than 13,000 people became infected and 41 died.
Another instance was here in the United States in 2015. The pertussis vaccine isn't administered as much as recommended after the required childhood series because it is not as common. The CDC recommends the booster shot, Tdap, at the age of 12 years old and every 10 years after. As a result there was an outbreak of whooping cough in the last few years around the United States. These occurrences may be due to anti vaccine movements or lack of education based upon vaccinations. An anti-vaccine movement is a group of people who feel that vaccinations cause more harm than good and in return urge others not to get vaccinated. Some other countries with similar situations related to anti vaccine movements were Sweden, the United Kingdom, the Russian Federation, Ireland, Italy, the former West Germany, and Australia. Without vaccinating, the death toll will continue to increase. According to MedicineNet.com, before there was a vaccine for diphtheria, 10,000 children were dying each year from it. "Low disease rates have been attained through increased rates of immunizations" (Ring, 2002).
Another thing to keep in mind with vaccinations is to receive them according to the recommendation schedule. Some parents question whether they should stagger the vaccinations so their children aren't getting as many at one time. These recommendations are put into place for a reason and by delaying them it puts the children at risk. Although some antibodies are passed from the mother to fetus through the placenta, these antibodies are temporary and only last within the first year after birth. It takes time to buildup immunity and children under the age of 5 typically don't have much built up making them susceptible to diseases that immunizations help prevent. Also some diseases are more common and have greater reactions among infants and young children. These age recommendations have been set "to give children the earliest and best protection against diseases" (MedicineNet.com).
Another technique used to decrease exposure to children is called Cocooning. Cocooning is a practice of ensuring the vaccinations of all individuals that newborn will come in contact with during their early days in order to protect them from the transfer of harmful illnesses (Vara). It is an indirect initiative you can take to ensure the safety of the baby. The most common recommended vaccines for anyone in contact with a child are pertussis and influenza. Pertussis is a vaccine used to prevent whooping cough. It is transferred through person to person contact by means of droplets expelled through coughing. Side effects of this disease can be serious especially for children. The side effects are pneumonia, seizures, brain damage, mental retardation, and even death.
When you consider the cost of the vaccinations versus the costs related to contracting the diseases there is a significant difference. The average cost of vaccines can vary but are typically offered at a very low cost if nothing at all. There are several federally funded programs and clinics specifically designated to administer vaccines at little to no cost. Also the majority of insurance companies cover the cost of most immunizations along with annual checkups thanks to Obamacare. Obamacare is a law to reform the healthcare industry. It required that insurance cover these costs and that everyone have health insurance by 2015.
In contrast, the cost of being infected by a disease can be costly. For some diseases there is a 100% probability of having to stay in the hospital. These diseases include diphtheria, tetanus, congenital rubella syndrome, and others depending on the severity. According to the CDC, in 2013 the average cost of hospitalizations related to these diseases ranged from $3,195 for rotavirus to $102,584 for tetanus. The number of days spent in the hospital also varied from 1.3 days for measles to 26.75 days for acute Hib (Haemopilus Influenza type B). And the cost per outpatient visits such as a doctor's visit, ranged from $83 to $651. Some more costs accrued may be loss of income from a parent taking time off to care for the child or the costs of medications to treat the disease.
Immunizations are required by all 50 states before a child is able to attend school. The amount of vaccines required varies from state to state. Connecticut, being the most, requires 10 vaccines while Montana, having the fewest, only requires 3. Vaccines required in all 50 states are the DTaP, the IPV, and the MMR. Included in the sets of immunizations are diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, measles, mumps, and rubella.
Although these immunizations are required there are exemptions put into place for medical, religious, or philosophical reasons. In order for it to qualify as a medical exemption the shot must have a possibility of causing harm to the recipient. Religious exemptions are used when someone refuses to get immunized based on beliefs from a religious organization. This exemption is available in most states due to the 1st amendment right of religious freedom. One state that does not allow this is West Virginia. And finally the last exemption is philosophical. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, twenty states allow philosophical exemptions for those who object to immunizations because of personal, moral or other beliefs. As a result of legislation passed in 2015, two of those states-California and Vermont-will no longer allow philosophical exemptions beginning in July 2016, bringing the number of states that allow philosophical exemptions to eighteen (NCSL).
With these exemptions put into place, we could face widespread dangers. If the majority of people were to take advantage of these exemptions there could be a national outbreak of diseases we've managed to get under control. If people chose to falsely use an exemption out of fear for example, the nation would be at risk for an epidemic if not pandemic. This is why education is so important. We need to make sure that people understand the importance of immunizations and what happens when we don't vaccinate.
People need to realize how important vaccinations are. Without them the death rate would rapidly increase and the world would face crisis. Disease rates are at an all-time low because of them. When you consider how great the benefits of them are, any minor side effects seem small. As shown by years of research and statistics, the chances of having any serious side effects are slim. To ensure the safety many agencies put into place that monitor these and the United States is known for being one of the safest countries in the world for our immunizations. Fears related to autism or SIDS has been proven wrong. The most important thing needed to be done now is to continue to raise awareness and educate.
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