Assignment 16- Caroline Couch

Caroline Couch

When we think about vaccinations or”shots” we get a flashback to the evil doctor and demon nurse inserting a long needle into your arm. You most likely have labeled that memory as traumatic and now dislike going to the doctor but vaccinations are essential to maintain herd immunity, and protect you and the community from the harmful infectious diseases. Vaccines are the best things to help prevent fatal disease. But of course 4 year old you isn't saying “wow these vaccines could really save my life.” You’re in fact crying and screaming trying to punch the doctors. We've all been there.
Doctors don't give you shots to hurt you, despite what your 4 year old self thought. They are trying to prevent you from getting fatal diseases and a vaccine is the best thing for fighting them. Luckily we live in a society where vaccines are common and affordable in some communities the vaccination rates are below the threshold needed to maintain “herd immunity” which is a form of “immunity that occurs when the vaccination of a significant portion of a population provides a measure of protection for individuals who have not developed immunity”(Salter). Let's take a community who has not been vaccinated at all and let the disease take its course, as you can see it has affected almost half of the population. Now let's look at another community who has vaccinated 80% of the population- as you can see the disease is contained and only affects a small portion of population. Just because 80% of the population is vaccinated doesn't mean that the other 20% will fall ill to the disease. herd immunity acts to effectively stop the spread of disease in the community. It is particularly crucial for protecting people who cannot be vaccinated such as the 20% in scenario 2. These include children who are too young to be vaccinated, people with compromised  immune systems,  and those who are too ill to receive vaccines.
It's not only small communities that can be affected, an outbreak of measles in Manhattan showed that even doctors had overlooked the disease as childhood vaccination became widespread (Feemster). But over the last decade more people have objected to immunization. Along with the religious exemptions which all states allow. Now 19 states allow exemptions for philosophical reasons. Should we as a country risk our communities health because of others personal preferences? As more people choose not to vaccinate based on personal belief, our communities are at risk -- we have seen recent outbreaks of diseases like measles, mumps and whooping cough throughout the U.S. It is shrewd policy to limit such exemptions to protect our own and the public’s health. Personal and religious beliefs should not prevail over the communities health. Some people cannot be vaccinated themselves and depend on those who are, to protect them and exercise herd immunity. Following traffic laws and subscribing to drug tests may go against your beliefs but we submit to them because it's our civil duty. So does that not mean that it is our civil duty to protect the community from such diseases? Where do we draw the line?
Of course many of these objections are people who have been influenced by the media that the vaccines are bad and can essentially harm their child. Many people are under the belief that vaccinations cause autism. This presumption of course would cause unrest in the parents of their children when the decision comes to vaccinate. Many studies have shown that there is no correlation between the MMR (mumps, measles, and rubella vaccine) and autism. They also believe that vaccines contain harmful chemicals like Mercury, formaldehyde, aluminum ,and sodium. These chemicals are used but in very small amounts as preservatives not as main ingredients. They are also not used in their most dangerous forms but instead But many parents till decide against vaccines for the thought that autism could even potentially become an effect of vaccinations.
Vaccines are safe and effective. The significant reduction in illness and death from vaccine-preventable diseases is testimony to how well they work. But of course the belief that they aren't safe has been consistently prevailing and is creating the “vaccine confidence gap” There is no doubt that this gap needs to be addressed. It is the responsibility of the scientific and public health community to ensure that vaccines are safe. It is that community's responsibility to listen to concerns and provide accurate and clear information for the public. Now it's the people job to listen to the experts and make informed decisions based on the facts not on the hyper critical media. In the documentary, “Vaccines - Calling the Shots”, it states that 10% of people don't vaccinate at all. many mothers explained their views on vaccinations and their hesitations toward giving them to their children. The documentary addresses the sudden shift in opting out of vaccination and the seemingly growing outbreaks of vaccine preventable diseases.
Therefore it's important to protect children and future generations through appropriate vaccination to set them up for a lifetime of immunity. Having many vaccine preventable diseases still in the US or just a plane ride away it is essential to have a highly immune population or herd to defend against such diseases and to protect yourself and the community. Vaccines may involve discomfort and pain but it is minimal compared to the trauma the diseases these vaccines prevent. The lollipop you got from getting a shot at the doctor's office was a gift of a moment but the vaccination you got was the gift of a lifetime.


Documentary
Vaccines- Calling the Shots. Dir. Sonya Pemberton. Prod. Michael Rosenfeld and Sonya Pemberton. By Sonya Pemberton. NOVA. PBS, 10 Sept. 2014. Web. 27 July 2016.
Internet Sources
nnPeenster, Kristin A.. "Given the Measles Outbreak, Should Vaccinations Be Mandatory?" New nnnnnnYork Times. N.p., 23 Mar. 2014. Web. 27 July 2016.
Chris Salter: “What is Herd Immunity?”."@ Vaccines Today., 27 Apr. 2010. Web. 8 December 2016.
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http://www.vaccinestoday.eu/vaccines/what-is-herd-immunity/