Mandatory Vaccination Research Paper

Words: 372
Pages: 2

Vaccines are among the most effective prevention tools available to clinicians. Today, nearly 40% of American parents refuse to vaccinate their children due to a variety of unfounded fears such as fatal side effects, costs, and vaccine ingredients. Vaccinations against diseases like polio, rubella, and mumps should be considered mandatory for all children of the United States who wish to attend school. These vaccinations are critical to the control and eradication of deadly infectious diseases. Pediatric vaccinations increase the rate of “herd immunity” which contributes to the efforts of reducing outbreaks of infectious diseases such as measles, poliomyelitis, diphtheria, etc. Herd immunity occurs when a high percentage of a population/community receive vaccinations in order to immunize against contagious diseases. As a result, it decreases the risk of a potential outbreak. Children and …show more content…
Children such as Mackenzie Hodge, who was only ten days old when she was exposed to measles at the pediatrician’s office. As a result, Mackenzie had to be “quarantined for thirty days because she was too young to be vaccinated and could present a risk to others as a carrier if she had contracted measles” (Protecting the Herd, 439). Another example a child who relied on herd immunity was three year old, Lachlan. Lachlan had a liver transplant that may leave him immunosuppressed for his entire life. As a result, Lachlan cannot be vaccinated because his immune system cannot develop the adaptive immune response that is required. Patients like newborn Mackenzie Hodge and three-year-old Lachlan heavily rely on herd immunity. Parents and guardians who choose not to vaccinate their children create two potential problems: (1) If their child becomes