Vaccination of children - Research Paper Example

? The vaccination of children is an important function of government. Only governments have the ability to require vaccinations that keep children safe from harmful diseases. This fact has been shown to be true over the past century, as we have seen the complete eradication of some of the most deadly diseases (“Five Important Reasons to Vaccinate…,” 2013). Yet some parents resist the sound advice to vaccinate their children against disease. They offer many reasons for this reluctance. Some feel that vaccinations are a plot by the government to weaken their children in some way. This is especially true among minority groups living under the control of authoritarian governments. Other parents feel that requiring vaccinations is dangerous to their child’s health. They feel that there might be links between vaccinations and autism. Several studies have been done to see if vaccines are safe. We already know that they are effective, but are they a danger to children in some unforeseen way? The most prominent studies have shown that there is no link between autism and vaccinations. There is a chance that a child can have mild to serous reactions to vaccines if there is some sort of allergen involved, but this is extremely rare. The evidence for vaccinating children is much more strong than the evidence against vaccinations. It is essential that children be vaccinated against dangerous and deadly diseases for several reasons. The first reason children must be vaccinated against harmful contagious diseases is vaccinations can save your child’s life. In the United States and around the world, vaccination programs have eliminated deadly diseases. This process of eradication can only be successful if all the members of a society participate in the eradication process. One notable success story is that of Jonas Salk and the vaccine for polio. This horrible disease was once the most feared disease in America. The disease attacks the muscles, causing paralysis and even death in some cases. Millions of children and adults died or were impaired by polio prior to the vaccination developed by Dr. Salk. Parents flocked to the doctor so they could protect their precious children from this dreadful disease. As a result of these willing and compliant parents, America no longer has any cases of polio. This is an American success story, where the eradication of smallpox is a global success story. Smallpox was a highly contagious disease that killed or disfigured the individuals unlucky enough to contract it. It was especially deadly to native populations in the Americas because they had no immunity to the disease at all. People died in the tens of thousands each year. A global push to eradicate smallpox was instituted and several decades later, the disease was eradicated from the entire world. The last known case of smallpox was in Somalia in 1977 (Ridgway, 2001). Vaccinations had succeeded in destroying this deadly virus. A second reason children need to be vaccinated is the fact that vaccinations are very safe. The vast majority of children that receive vaccinations of any kind show no side effects more than irritation and redness in the area immediately surrounding the site of the injection. Of course, there is some pain involved in receiving an injection of any sort. When one considers how awful the diseases are that the vaccinations are designed to prevent, mot people agree that it is much better to deal with the temporary discomfort of a vaccination rather than get a horrible disease such as German measles, smallpox or polio. There is some danger for a small population of children however. Some children are naturally allergic to some of the components of the vaccination, such as eggs. Allergic reactions to vaccines are scary for parents because there is no good way to predict who will be allergic and which children will have no reactions at all. Even more concerning is the fact that some allergic reactions do not manifest for hours or even days after the vaccination has been given. Some of the worst side effects and allergic reactions include high fevers, blood in the stool or urine and seizures. Doctors and scientists recognize that some children do have allergic reactions to vaccines and a small fraction of these reactions are severe in less than 1 dose per 100,000 administered (Kelso, 2013). But medical officials agree that benefits outweigh the risks when it comes to using vaccinations to protect the human population from deadly infectious diseases. Another reason for requiring children to be vaccinated is to protect other members of these children’s families. Some children still get diseases that are preventable with vaccines. Over 21,000 cases of whooping cough were reported in 2010. Many of these cases are school age children that have not been vaccinated or have not received the proper booster vaccinations. These children can then take whooping cough home from school and infect members of the family that have not been vaccinated. This is true especially for infants and the elderly that are not able to be vaccinated against whooping cough or are too old to receive the necessary boosters. Failing to provide vaccinations may not only affect the unvaccinated child with a disease, they may spread that disease to other members of the family or community that are not able to be vaccinated due to age or poor health. A fourth reason all children must be vaccinated deals with governmental regulations and schools. Many states require students to be vaccinated before they enroll in public schools. If you try to enroll your unvaccinated child in one of these schools, you will find that it is a real hassle to arrange the necessary vaccination quickly. It can also be expensive if you need to get these injections done quickly. Getting children vaccinated on time and in the appropriate way will save parents time and hassle. Parents that still have concerns about the safety or necessity of these important vaccinations can get information from their family doctor, local clinics and even through some state and federal government programs. These is even assistance for parents that cannot afford to buy the vaccinations for their children. Parents need to understand that if they fail to vaccinate their children on time, they are putting their children at risk for getting a deadly disease and will be causing themselves a hassle when they attempt to register their children for school. In many states, exceptions to vaccination are granted for people with religious convictions that prevent injections of any type. These are rare and this loophole should be used in good faith, not as a means of dodging state and federal statutes. A final reason that children need to be vaccinated is so that future generations can be safe from some of the diseases that are still caught today. Smallpox is eradicated so no children today need to get vaccinated against it anymore. We have the ability to entirely eliminate some other diseases such as German measles and polio as well. German measles is an important disease to target for eradication because if a pregnant woman catches this disease, it can harm he unborn child. Eradicating this disease will prevent future generations from getting harmed while in the womb and will eliminate the need for future generations to get vaccinated against the disease (“Anti-vaccination Campaigns Threaten…,” 2013). When it comes to vaccinations the old saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” really is good advice and very true. Getting children vaccinated against deadly diseases such as German measles, whooping cough and polio is a very important public health concern. The astounding success of the smallpox vaccination effort should be enough to show anyone that vaccinations can have a real positive effect on public health. A small and growing number of parents seem to feel the vaccines are things that are not safe for children anymore. They point to statistics concerning the increased prevalence of autism among American children and seek to make links between autism and vaccinations. These studies have been shown to be flawed. Vaccinations are the only way our children can be protected against a class of diseases that can cause profound harm. Advertisements placed by opponents of mandatory vaccination programs are misleading and harmful. We all are affected in a negative way when any sizable portion of the population decided to forego vaccinations. Parents need to safely vaccinate their children in an effort to prevent disease, avoid hassles with schools and other governmental institutions and prevent vulnerable members of our population that cannot be vaccinated from becoming ill. Successful vaccination programs require all citizens to participate so that these deadly diseases can be eradicated entirely, as was smallpox. Vaccination of children is a civic duty and a sign of cooperation within communities. It is important that a vocal minority of parents not derail the progress that had been made through the years towards eliminating these deadly and debilitating diseases. All children must be vaccinated if we are to continue to call ourselves a country that is concerned bout every child and a country that is concerned with winning the battle against deadly diseases. Works Cited "Anti-vaccination Campaigns Threaten Measles-free Status." ABC Online. N.p., 20 Mar. 2013. Web. 3 Apr. 2013. "Five Important Reasons to Vaccinate Your Child." Vaccinations. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2013. Kelso, John M. "Allergic Reactions to Vaccines." Allergic Reactions to Vaccines. Wolters Kluwer Health, 10 July 2012. Web. 03 Apr. 2013. Ridgway, Tom. Smallpox. New York: Rosen, 2001. Print. Read More