Herd Immunity

780 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Do vaccines cause autism

Herd Immunity and the Role of Vaccination Programs in Public Schools Vaccines have been responsible for reducing the effects and spread of infectious diseases such as small pox, polio, and measles. Controversy over vaccinations have existed from their very invention; Arguments against them have been rooted in religion, ethical and political beliefs, and perhaps more common today is self-interest/self-education. Scientific findings overwhelmingly support the use of vaccinations and refute claims that they cause things like autism or gastrointestinal deficiencies. Vaccines not only prevent disease for the individual receiving it, but if a large enough percentage of the population is vaccinated, protection can exist for even the most at risk members …show more content…

Herd Immunity refers to the concept in which a great enough percentage of vaccinated people exist in a population therefore eliminating or greatly lowering risk for unvaccinated persons. This percentage is the critical immunization threshold; these thresholds vary from disease to disease, however they rely on the R0 value of the disease, which refers to the average number of expected transmissions to individuals at risk for the disease from the initial case. In other words, some diseases do not need 100% of a population to receive vaccines in order for its …show more content…

The more people in a population who receive vaccinations the greater the chance of meeting critical immunization threshold and reaching herd immunity, which benefits everybody in a population. In order to protect as many people as possible the government should require all eligible students receive vaccinations before attending public schools. This would greater lower the risk of spreading preventable diseases to the most at risk members of our society. The discourse surrounding personal belief exemptions for vaccines only considers the individual risk factors and fails to account for the dangers this holds for society. Whilst vaccinations cannot be made mandatory for all citizens, mandates should be imposed for those seeking a public education, as these individuals would be in direct contact with other children, the most at risk population to preventable disease in the United

Show More
Related

  • Vaccines: Annotated Bibliography: Vaccines

    1498 Words  | 3 Pages

    The article “People Should Not Be Allowed to Refuse Vaccination” focuses on the dangers people who choose not to vaccinate are opening to others. The argument stems from the ease with which disease can spread through an unvaccinated community and the threat this poses to those who cannot vaccinate. Because of this danger the author of the article believes vaccination should not be left to choice, but required for the good of public safety.

    Read More

  • Vaccinations: Know the Risks and Failures

    1626 Words  | 4 Pages

    “Vaccinations are causing a major upsurge in childhood diseases, adult maladies, and even deadly ailments such as Gulf War Syndrome and Lou Gehrig’s disease” (Blaylock). Every now and then an individual’s doctor calls telling them about the latest vaccine they should receive. The person immediately schedules a time to come in and get it done. But do they even give a second thought about it? Have they ever thought that maybe they do not need another vaccination? Many people have not taken the time to seriously think about the process of immunization. The truth is, there are many dangers that the average person should be unaware of. Rarely do vaccines actually accomplish what the public has been told. In fact, a lot of vaccines contain harmful substances that have been linked to disorders such as autism. The lack of education and dishonesty from doctors are putting people in danger of health problems without even realizing. Many parents feel obligated for their children to get vaccinated because of school, not knowing they have the alternative option of refusing immunization.

    Read More

  • Plato's Theory Of Vaccination Research Paper

    1909 Words  | 4 Pages

    Recently high population of unvaccinated children on the West Coast has led to outbreaks of whooping cough and the measles amongst children as discussed in articles by Alexandra Sifferlin and Dan Diamond. Part of what has caused the outbreaks, according Sifferlin, is that unvaccinated children transmitted the diseases to children who are unable to receive vaccinations because of age, illness (particularly autoimmune disorders) and other health conditions). Typically children who are unable to be vaccinated are protected by the concept of herding. Herding, the idea that if most or all people who are healthy enough to receive vaccinations are vaccinated, then those who cannot be vaccinated, are protected from getting

    Read More

  • Vaccines Do Not Cause Autism

    3078 Words  | 7 Pages

    Vaccines have been used to prevent diseases for centuries, and have saved countless lives of children and adults. The smallpox vaccine was invented as early as 1796, and since then the use of vaccines has continued to protect us from countless life threatening diseases such as polio, measles, and pertussis. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2010) assures that vaccines are extensively tested by scientist to make sure they are effective and safe, and must receive the approval of the Food and Drug Administration before being used. “Perhaps the greatest success story in public health is the reduction of infectious diseases due to the use of vaccines” (CDC, 2010). Routine immunization has eliminated smallpox from the globe and led to the near removal of wild polio virus. Vaccines have reduced some preventable infectious diseases to an all-time low, and now few people experience the devastating effects of measles, pertussis, and other illnesses.

    Read More

  • Vaccination Argumentative Essay

    1214 Words  | 3 Pages

    Mumps, Measles, Whooping Cough, Smallpox, Polio and, Diphtheria are all deadly diseases that were once a death sentence to children and adults around the world, but there is something that can help combat these fatal diseases. Vaccinations can change the course of these lethal diseases, but some families are still refusing to vaccinate the future of the world. Vaccinations can not only be beneficial to the child itself but to rest of humanity as well. There is evidence that goes against false claims bashing vaccination and the positive effects of vaccination overrule all of the negative. Vaccination can have a positive effect on the world due to its life-saving properties, effects on humanity and the extensive amount of safety and care that

    Read More

  • Why Should Vaccinations Be Mandatory?

    1340 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Childhood vaccines not only have personal benefits, but for entire communities and the future of public health” (Espejo 1). If a child goes without immunization, then he or she is also putting others at risk. Most parents do not consider all of the options and effects that come along with not having their child vaccinated. Many are quick to reject because of the possible side effects and harm it could cause. However, nothing in today’s world is completely harmless. An adult can easily be in a danger at work, while the child is in danger of disease at daycare. That is why it is completely necessary to vaccinate. By doing this, family, friends, and others are being protected as well (Allen 71). “There are also children who cannot get certain vaccines for medical or other reasons, and those who are too young to be vaccinated. These children have no protection if they are exposed to someone who is infected with a communicable disease” (Espejo 4). Commonly, this is not thought

    Read More

  • Essay On Childhood Vaccination

    1307 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has listed immunizations as the number one greatest public health achievement in the 20th century. This attainment towards the goal of health and safety is a huge success for not only our country but from the global perspective as well. Immunizations help to prevent illness and death from vaccine-preventable diseases. The World Health Organization states that global vaccination coverage has remained consistent for the past few years; for example, the percentage of infants fully vaccinated against diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis has held secure at 83%. Programs for population-wide vaccinations have helped with the annihilation of polio in America since the late 1970’s, the eradication of smallpox, and the control of numerous other infectious diseases in the United States and other parts of the world.

    Read More

  • Vaccinations: Vaccines Should Be Mandatory For All People

    1002 Words  | 3 Pages

    Vaccinations are designed to help people go through their everyday life. A country doctor, Edward Jenner, who lived in Berkeley, England, first administered vaccines in 1796 (Health Affairs). Throughout history, vaccinations have become better to where they are safer for the human body. Everyone should get vaccinated against certain disease to stay healthy. Vaccines have been proven to make people immune to serious diseases (Childhood Immunization). By being vaccinated the person is not only helping themselves but others around them too. Vaccines are an important tool for preventing disease and should be mandatory for all people.

    Read More

  • Vaccines In Vaccines

    982 Words  | 2 Pages

    Preventing serious infections by making a person immune to the infection is called immunization. This process is usually performed by the administration of a vaccine to stimulate the person’s immune system to protect them against a subsequent infection or disease. According to the World Health Organization (2016), more than 5 million deaths were prevented annually between 2010 and 2015 due to vaccinations that were used around the world. Vaccines work with the natural ability of the human immune system to develop immunity to fight disease. When a foreign infectious pathogen such as bacteria or a virus enters the body, it multiplies and becomes an infection and in many cases, this infection leads to an illness. To understand how vaccines

    Read More

  • Vaccination Persuasive Speech

    1027 Words  | 3 Pages

    Vaccinations are considered “one of the greatest medical advances in the last 160 years,” by the British Medical Journal. Many people do not realise how significant and essential vaccines are for us. They save an estimated 2.5 million lives each year and prevent an estimated 14 million infections in the United States alone. Despite what anti-vaccine advocates claim, the government and pharmaceutical companies are not trying to scam our money.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Vaccination

    1452 Words  | 3 Pages

    However, the current trend in medical research is the resolute conviction that very few medical conditions should warrant exemption. Most experts support exclusion for sufferers of acute asthma, confirmed seizures, and those who have experienced prior adverse reactions to injections. While medical exemptions to the vaccination requirement are available in all fifty states, documented verification from a medical doctor is mandatory. Religious impunity is claimed by many who oppose vaccinations, but that often disintegrates as a written statement of specific rationale must be delivered in the words of the petitioner. While forty-seven states honor this exemption, requirements are tightening in an effort to deter applicants who deceitfully claim this provision. The largest segment of opposition to the mandatory vaccination requirement claims philosophical dissidence including governmental interference, unproven permanent benefits, and adverse side effects. Although seventeen states currently allow philosophical exemptions, that number is likely to diminish swiftly with the recent outbreaks of preventable diseases throughout the country. While the individual injected receives the primary protection of a vaccination, another critical component of the immunization process is the security of the surrounding community. “Herd immunity,” is a principle which suggests that if at least eighty percent of the population within a community is properly vaccinated, young babies, pregnant women, and those medically unable to obtain an immunization, will all likely be insulated from contracting a disease. When individuals reject the advice of the medical experts and abstain from receiving the proper vaccinations, the level of herd immunity within a given area is not properly preserved, and the outcome may produce deadly

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Anti Vaccination

    1215 Words  | 3 Pages

    Those who choose not to vaccinate their children are endangering the health of those unable to be vaccinated themselves, such as infants, pregnant people, and the immunocompromised, by jeopardizing community immunity. According to vaccine.gov, a federal government website managed by the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, community immunity or “herd immunity” occurs when “a critical portion of the community is immunized against a contagious disease, most members of the community are protected against that disease because there is little opportunity for an outbreak” (Community Immunity). An infographic featured in an NPR article entitled “How Vaccine Fears Fueled the Resurgence of Preventable Diseases” illustrated the rise in measles cases in Western Europe and of pertussis (whooping cough) cases in the U.S (Doucleff). In the first eight months of 2014, there were eighteen measles outbreaks, and six hundred cases of measles.

    Read More

  • Immunization

    574 Words  | 2 Pages

    We are always hearing on the news and in newspapers about children catching diseases and often dying from them. Why is this happening when all of these diseases are easily preventable by simply being immunised, why aren’t parents getting their children Immunised, is it for religious beliefs or just carelessness. What ever their reason may be is it really good enough, because why would anyone rather let their child be able to catch and spread a deadly disease then have them Immunised, so Immunisation should be made compulsory for all children.

    Read More

  • Vaccine Argumentative Essay

    1488 Words  | 3 Pages

    This, in turn, will deteriorate the prevalence of preventable diseases and hence decrease the likelihood that medically incompatible individuals will contract them (Kim, T. H., Johnstone, J., & Loeb, M., 2011). According to the World Health Organization, “The decline of disease incidence is greater than the proportion of individuals immunized because vaccination reduces the spread of an infectious agent by reducing the amount and duration of pathogen shedding by vaccinees, retarding transmission” (Andre, 2008). This enables a significant percentage of individuals who oppose vaccines to reconcile with those who do not, as this eliminates the concern regarding adverse reactions. According to an article titled “Vaccine herd effect,” herd immunity has pervaded many communities to help minimize the spread of disease. For example, in the 1990s, a vaccine was introduced that targeted a strain of disease known as streptococcus pneumoniae, which can potentially cause pneumonia. The CDC discovered a fifty percent reduction in pneumonia cases among the elderly despite the vaccine being offered primarily to children (Kim, T. H., Johnstone, J., & Loeb, M., 2011). This scenario is indubitably a prime exemplar for herd immunity, and it is the greatest reason that mandatory inoculation is

    Read More

  • Cultural and Social Factor of Vaccination

    763 Words  | 2 Pages

    In old human civilization, the only way to recover from sickness or disease was to use natural treatment to cure and if the disease is really new and is so deadly, then death is the only option. However, today we have vaccines which are the treatment in preventing virus, bacteria, or other sicknesses. But even if we have vaccines, some people still refuse to use it. Why? There are so many reasons for this which explains why people refuse to use vaccines. One of the reasons is it side effects. Vaccines reliability decrease because of its side effects such as autism, fever, or death. One example can be seen in DTP vaccine which is one of the deadly vaccines that contain many side effects such as high fever, brain damaged, fainting, or sometime death. DTP vaccine is a vaccine which uses to cure diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis which is a common disease found among children and adult. There are two ways of how peoples think of vaccines. These two ways are called cultural and social factor. Cultural factor concern with reason about religion or cultural believes. While social factor concern with the scientific explanations or facts.

    Read More

More about Herd Immunity

Open Document