For general population safety purposes, children who live in America should be vaccinated along government proposed vaccination timelines in order to prevent people from getting a terrible disease. Vaccination also stops the spread of previously eradicated diseases. Keeping children, unvaccinated puts people who are unable to be vaccinated in danger. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that 90% of unvaccinated people who are exposed to measles will become infected by it (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
In order to prevent individuals from being infected with the measles virus, vaccination should be given. It has been proven that vaccination is effective to prevent infection. In the ten years before the vaccine for measles came to market, there were between 3 and 4 million people who were suffering from the illness each year. About 48,000 people had to be hospitalized with the disease. 1,000 people became permanently disabled from encephalitis due to measle complications. Another 400 to 500 people actually died each year. The measles vaccination program has been able to reduce the amount of measles cases by 99%. Vaccination can further be identified as the cause for the decrease in cases because in areas of the world where vaccination is not commonplace, the disease still has a firm hold. In 2006, there were 242,000 deaths from measles worldwide. If vaccinations ceased to exist in the United States deaths and disabilities would return to pre-vaccine levels (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
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Mandatory vaccinations will help protect everyone via the concept of herd immunity. Herd immunity indicates that as long as most of the people in a community are vaccinated against a disease will ensure that all persons are protected. Often there are people who are too young or sick to be vaccinated safely and therefore they rely on the immunity of other individuals around them to protect them from the disease. If the unvaccinated never come in contact with those who are infected, then they will not have the ability to receive the virus. But if too many people remain unvaccinated there is a better chance that the illness will spread (Salathe).
Herd immunity will protect people are too young or too sick to receive a measles vaccination. Children under the age of 1 year should not receive the vaccine as their passive immunity will prevent the vaccine from working properly. Other people who have allergies to the vaccine components, have HIV/AIDS, cancer, have a low platelet count, using steroid drugs, or had a blood transfusion are recommended to avoid the vaccine (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Herd immunity which is necessary to protect these people requires that enough of the remaining herd be vaccinated.
Some parents are concerned about the safety of the vaccine. A previous scientific study has indicated that vaccines can cause autism. In 1998, Andrew Wakefield published a paper indicating that vaccines had a direct link to autism and colitis disorders. This information has since been refuted time and time again, and Wakefield lost his medical license. The newest research against the report was published in the Journal of Pediatrics. Researchers found once again that there was no link between autism and any of the vaccines which a child receives in the first two years of its life (Hagan).
Parents that are worried about the health of their children and who want to avoid vaccinating them think that it is actually unvaccinated adults who are a bigger threat to those who rely on herd immunity. These parents indicate that 62% of the people who are currently infected with measles that can be traced back to the Disney Land outbreak are adults. This might be the case, but the measles vaccination was only suggested for people born after 1957, which leaves many adults unvaccinated. The early vaccine was only 92% effective at best, and there was a better possibility at the time that vaccines were not handled correctly. Over time, the production, handling, and recommendations were adjusted, and the vaccine and immunity failure is now only 1% (Rutsche).
Childhood vaccination has been proven to be the only way to prevent certain diseases and, therefore, should be mandatory for the sake of the entire community. 90% of all people who are not vaccinated will become infected with the measles virus. Vaccination is important to keep people healthy, but some people are simply too young or too sick to receive the vaccination. To prevent these people from getting ill, it is important to utilize herd immunity. Herd immunity indicates that if an unvaccinated person never comes in contact with the disease they will not get it. Some parents are concerned about the potential for autism and colic disorders due to vaccinations. This claim has been refuted time and time again, and the doctor who made these claims has lost his medical license. Other parents think that it is actually adults who are spreading his disease. This might be true, but it is because they were not appropriately vaccinated as children. By requiring proper childhood vaccination, the spread of illness can be stopped, and people can be saved.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Measles – Q&A about Disease & Vaccine.” 4 February 2015. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web. 6 February 2015.
- “MMR (Measles, Mumps, & Rubella) VIS.” 20 April 2012. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web. 6 February 2015.
- “Transmission of Measles.” 3 November 2014. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web. 4 February 2015.
- Hagan, Caitlin. “Vaccine-autism connection debunked again.” 29 March 2013. CNN.com. Web. 6 February 2015.
- Rutsche, Poncie. “Most People Getting Measles Are Adults. Time For A Shot?” 4 February 2015. NPR.com. Web. 6 February 2015.
- Salathe, Marcel. “Herd immunity and measles: why we should aim for 100% vaccination coverage .” 2 February 2015. The Conversation. Web. 6 February 2015.
