Vaccination Is a Must

Candice Rivera

Professor Quiros

English 1302

27 April 2014

Vaccination is a Must

         The United States is a very civilized nation, so why do some Americans choose to surrender the opportunity to vaccinate their children? In today’s commercials, organizations like UNICEF beg people to donate money to help vaccinate sick and dying children. The children seen on television are prime examples of what a country without access to vaccinations typically looks like. It is safe to assume that if they had the same opportunity to vaccinate like Americans do, they would not pass it up, and they wouldn't be as sick as they are. The United States must make vaccinations mandatory.

        A vaccinated person is one of the leading deterrents in preventing disease and illnesses in the world. The news frequently reports outbreaks of diseases we thought were eliminated by vaccines. Take measles for an example, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) there were 189 cases of the measles in the U.S in 2013. (Woerner 1) All of the cases were either unvaccinated people or people with an unknown vaccination status. This is the second largest surge in reported measles cases since the disease was “eliminated” in 2000. (Woerner 1) Micaela and Kevin Baker, a husband and wife research team from the University of Michigan, are trying to develop ways to improve vaccination campaign strategies. (Woerner 1) They believe one way to do this is using seasonal birth rates. They hypothesize that if vaccination campaigns are timed according to seasonal birth pulses it could possibly decrease the measles epidemic. Not only might decrease measles, but it would probably decrease other contagious diseases such as polio. Although most parents in the U.S have access to vaccines year-round, vaccine campaigns are becoming increasingly important as more parents are choosing not to vaccinate. Every year, nearly four million children under the age of five die from vaccine-preventable diseases worldwide and the research team hopes that the campaigns could help chip away at that number. (Woerner 1) “We hope that the more information that’s out there, the more parents are informed about how these diseases play out in the populations,” Baker said. “ That will hopefully convince them that it’s important to vaccinate.”(Woerner 1)

        Parents give a multitude of reasons for delaying vaccinations such as, “ My baby cries when she gets the shot,” or “ My child is too young to get so many vaccines.”(Department of Health)  Parents fail to realize that there is harm in skipping or delaying vaccinations. Shrouded behind all of these excuses is one simple fact: a child's immune system is more vulnerable without vaccinations. (Department of Heath) The Baker research team said the vulnerability of children is what makes their work so important. “ Essentially, our work has shown that having susceptible infants in the population, or susceptible young children, facilitates these large explosive outbreaks.”(Woerner 1)                                                                                                                       We live in a fast paced world with increased risks around every corner. Travelers and immigrants entering into the United States create an even greater risk of exposure. The CDC regularly reports disease outbreaks in major cities around the world because of traveling. (Department of Health) They provide health information for all travelers going to more than 200 international destinations, from mumps, to pertussis, to the measles. (Department of Health) The diseases once thought to be eliminated are coming back because people are not being vaccinated as they once were. If parents think tears from a needle are hard to watch, imagine the suffering their child will experience if he or she contracts a serious disease that could have been prevented.  All parents should make sure their children get all the necessary vaccinations. The threat of death by disease isn't the only medical consequence of skipping vaccinations. Unvaccinated children face lifelong differences that could potentially put him or her at a dangerous risk. Every time parents call 911, ride in an ambulance, go to the doctor or visit the hospital emergency room, they must alert medical personnel of their child's vaccination status so he or she receives distinctive treatment (Department of Health). Because unvaccinated children can require treatment that is out of the ordinary, medical staff may be less familiar, and less experienced with the procedures required to appropriately treat the child (Department of Health). Parents who do not vaccinate their children and their child gets sick, puts other children at risk for illness.