Immunization Should Be Made a Requirement - Coursework Example

Immunization should be made a requirement Lyla Graham Friends Introduction Immunization is the process by which people’s immune system is fortified against an immunogen. When an individual’s body is to foreign bodies or non-self, it develops a quick response to a subsequent encounter as a result of immunological memory. Therefore, immunization entails presenting an animal or human beings to an immunogen is a controlled manner with an intention of getting the body to learn how to protect itself; the process is known as active immunization. Immunization should be made a requirement in all countries due to its numerous benefits including protecting the body against infection. The paper seeks to support immunization process by raising the many advantages associated with it. Essential elements of the immune system that are improved by immunization process are the B cells, T cells, and the antibody B cells (Stewart et al, 2014, pg 620). Vaccination is one of the techniques utilized in the immunization process. Vaccinating individuals against disease causative agents can prepare the body to prevent or fight infections. Therapeutic cancer vaccines protect the body against cancer by preventing mutation of cancer cells from mimicking molecules and proteins that are to the body. Immunization should be a requirement Immunization is a medical procedure. It is essential to understand that medical procedures have side effects and risks. Immunization procedure is not an exception, but the side effect risk is less compared to the benefits that are with the process. The diseases that are protected by immunization are more dangerous than any side effects of the vaccination process. It is often vital to protect people from diseases by utilizing vaccination instead of letting them risk complications and get sick. Immunization can save the life of a child or any other individual. Advances in medical sciences have led to discovery and innovation of better vaccines that can help protect diseases than ever before. Immunization should be a priority since; some of the diseases that once killed and injured thousands of children around the world are close to extinction while others have been eliminated entirely as a result of safe vaccination. One of the great impacts linked to immunization is the elimination of poliomyelitis in the United States of America. Even though parents may prevent their children from getting immunized basing on mild side effects of the process, they should be informed of the numerous benefits of the process and the need to protect communicable diseases from emerging (Syncope After Vaccination—United States, January 2005–July 2007, 2008, pg 2502 ). Despite the numerous benefits linked to immunization, some people are still taking chances. Many parents have been reported not to have taken their children for vaccination as a result of lack of awareness about the benefits of the procedure. Some people have also been reported not to have completed the vaccination dose due to the same issue. For instance, some parents believe that chickenpox is an itchy and harmless rite of passage that children must go through. Some parents have failed to vaccinate their children based on the same reason or as a result of fear of side effects risks (Beverley et al, 2008, pg 15). However, the truth is, chicken pox is dangerous than the way such parents think. Studies indicate that, one in every ten unvaccinated children who get the infection ends up with complications that prompt them to visit a care provider. It is also true that most children who are infected by chicken pox get 250 – 560 sores covering their bodies. The lesions acquired might be dangerous as it opens up the skin making it easier for micro-organism to enter the body and cause other infections. Before chicken pox vaccines were developed, 10,500 individuals were hospitalized with over 150 of them dying due to chicken pox related cases in the united state of America. People have to consider immunization procedures beneficial and should cooperate with health care providers to ensure they are vaccinated and protected. I support world health organization’s assertion that vaccination significantly reduces disability, diseases inequity and disability in the globe. It is indeed true that Vaccination has lowered disease burden. Only clean water, a basic human right, has registered better result compared to vaccination. Paradoxically, a vociferous antivaccine campaign thrives today despite undeniable success of immunization programs against dangerous and fearsome diseases that are currently rare in those countries that are. Understandably, vaccine safety gets more attention from the public compared to its effectiveness (Poland & Jacobson, 2011, pg 98). The world health organization has in the recent past indicated that vaccines are more safe and efficient than therapeutic medicine. I believe that prevention is better than cure and thereby immunization should continue to be a priority both in developing and developed countries. Even though the previous vaccines have been associated with side effects, modern medical research has encouraged the development of the vaccine products that are less reactogenic such as rabies vaccines and acellular pertussis. Today, the safety records of vaccines have increased and the scars associated with it shown to the false alarms. While reviews of the benefits of vaccines are less, active vaccine safety has gotten more attention since they are. A Medline search over the past seven years using the keywords “vaccine benefits” scored five times fewer hits than a search done using the keywords “vaccine risks”. This brings out the fact that positive aspects of vaccination gets less publicity compared to negative aspects. It should be clear that vaccines are valuable to both societies and individuals, to help redress adverse perception as well as present validated facts. Without doubt, I support the fact that vaccines are more vital tools for promoting public and individual health and deserve better press (Poland & Jacobson, 2011, pg 98). It is that a pathogen that has been eradicated cannot re-emerge, unless malevolently or accidentally reintroduced by people, allowing other preventive measure and vaccines to be stopped in an existing environmental reservoir. Even though, eradication may remain the global aim of immunization; currently, only smallpox has been successfully eradicated in most parts of the world. Potentially, other infections or communicable diseases with no extra human reservoir can be prevented provided specific diagnostic tests and effective vaccines are in place. Eradication of such diseases requires cooperation from countries all over the world as it needs high levels of population immunity in all the areas of the world. People tend to migrate from one part of the world to the next, and so does diseases (Beverley et al, 2008, pg 20). Campaign against immunization based on the side effects of vaccines utilized in the process are only meant to delay this process and therefore exposing human beings and animals to more dangerous infections that can easily be controlled. Immunization can help eliminate diseases locally without world eradication of the causative agent. In most developed countries, for example, substantial eradication has been achieved in the elimination of measles. Importation does not result in the continued spread of the virus and transmission no longer occurs indigenously. The main key towards this achievement is 95% population immunity through a two-dose immunization regimen. Combined mumps, rubella, and measles vaccine could also eliminate and then eradicate mumps and rubella. Elimination of measles in the United States has been successful through immunizations, even though, effective migration policies should be put in place to prevent importation of the condition (Poland & Jacobson, 2011, pg 98). Campaigns against immunization can only derail such achievement putting people at risk of disease conditions. Local elimination, however, does not eliminate the danger of reintroduction. Countries should, therefore, put screening policies in place to help identify and eliminate infectious diseases that can be into the country. For those diseases with environmental reservoir such as animal reservoir and tetanus such as rabies and Japanese encephalitis, eradication may not be effective, but world disease elimination will only be in cases where human vaccinations will be maintained at high levels. The country’s antivaccine movement has continued to campaign against utilization of vaccines yet evidence has shown the benefits that are through the use of vaccines in the prevention of diseases. The people behind the vaccination campaign should be aware that the problem is not about the vaccine not working but is to the fact that more people are not using it. The challenge has resulted in re-emergence of measles infections in places such as California. More than 84 cases of measles were reported last year. The emergence of muscle cases in the country should be a wake-up call to people in various parts of the country to accept the benefits of vaccination and subscribe to it. The increase in the cases of measles has coincided with the rise of anti-vaccination campaigns. Although people in the country continue to comply with the vaccination protection laws, there are those who continue opposing for personal reasons. Over eighty percent of the people infected with measles disease last year claimed not to have been vaccinated for personal beliefs (Kata, 2012, pg 3780). The country has registered increase in the number of individuals who are opting out vaccination. It is time for the government to set up vaccination policies and inform people on the benefits of vaccination. Vaccination controls complications, morbidity, and mortality. Efficacious vaccines if administered before exposure protect individuals from infectious diseases. Pre-exposure immunization of infants with a variety of antigens is the stepping stone towards successful immunization programs aimed at preventing numerous childhood diseases. Many other vaccines can also protect people if administered after exposure. Examples include Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Measles, rabies, and varicella. Immunization prevents over six million deaths in the world every year. In the United States, for example, vaccination has decreased the incidence of nine diseases accompanied by the decline in disease sequelae and mortality. Complications such as liver cirrhosis, congenital rubella syndrome and cancer that result from neurological lesion or chronic hepatitis B infection can only be prevented by immunization, or else they result to long term impacts. Vaccination is effective safe and necessary (Bloom, Canning & Weston, 2009, pg 15). The antivaccine campaign blames the vaccines and their content for a range of maladies whose mechanisms have not been explained by scientific research and are. The movement should come up with scientific evidence based information to show to the people rather than basing on ubiquity of the vaccination process (Beverley et al, 2008, pg 20). The benefits of vaccines are unquestionable. Diseases that can easily be prevented by vaccination have been a major a cause of disability, illness, and death. It is time for people to stop politicizing vaccination and support it throughout the country. The antivaccine crusaders should join hands with other medical practitioners to support vaccination throughout the continent and the globe. Despite the country’s many state laws supporting individual’s rights of choice pertaining to vaccination, vaccination awareness campaign can propel people to make the right decisions. Health and medical scholars have described vaccination as one of the top 10 significant achievement of the twentieth century. Additionally, opposition to immunization has also thrived as long as the process itself. Critics of vaccination have taken various positions including opposing the smallpox campaigns in the United States and England in the last two centuries. Most vaccination critics have focused on immunization controversies such as the one surrounding the efficacy and safety of tetanus, diphtheria, mumps, measles, rubella vaccines, pertussis and the utilization of mercury-containing preservative known as thimerosal (Lin et al, 2010, pg 7710). Although such controversies may be right to a smaller extent, the benefit of vaccination outweighs the limitations. Advance in medical research has also enabled the development of safe vaccines with fewer side effects. People should, therefore, focus on understanding the evidence-based benefits of immunization rather than just focusing on the risks associated with it. Conclusion Despite changes in the period, the deep rooted and emotions, whether philosophical, spiritual or political that underlie immunization opposition have consistently remained since the introduction of the process by Jenner Edwards many years ago. It is time to get people informed about the various benefits of immunizations such as reducing disability, diseases, inequity and death. If well utilized, vaccination can be a cornerstone towards complete eradication of infectious diseases in the country and other parts of the world. Antivaccine movements are only declining such a significant achievement (Beverley et al, 2008, pg 20). I support immunization and am hopefully that the government will create better policies and offer support towards it. Immunization should be a requirement. References Beverley, P., Borysiewicz, L., Hill, A., Jones, I., & Sissons, J. (2008). Vaccination. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Bloom, D. E., Canning, D., & Weston, M. (2009). The value of vaccination. WORLD ECONOMICS-HENLEY ON THAMES-, 6(3), 15. Kata, A. (2012). Anti-vaccine activists, Web 2.0, and the postmodern paradigm–An overview of tactics and tropes used online by the anti-vaccination movement. Vaccine, 30(25), 3778-3789. Lin, C. J., Nowalk, M. P., Toback, S. L., Rousculp, M. D., Raymund, M., Ambrose, C. S., & Zimmerman, R. K. (2010). Importance of vaccination habit and vaccine choice on influenza vaccination among healthy working adults. Vaccine, 28(48), 7706-7712. Poland, G. A., & Jacobson, R. M. (2011). The age-old struggle against the antivaccinationists. New England Journal of Medicine, 364(2), 97-99. Stewart, A., Lindley, M., Chang, K., & Cox, M. (2014). Vaccination benefits and cost-sharing policy for non-institutionalized adult Medicaid enrollees in the United States. Vaccine, 32(5), 618-623. doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2013.11.050 Syncope After Vaccination—United States, January 2005–July 2007. (2008). JAMA, 299(21), 2502. doi:10.1001/jama.299.21.2502 Read More