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Vaccination ethical dilemma
Benefits of the mandatory vaccine
Benefits of the mandatory vaccine
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A young mother has just had her first child and is faced with the hard choice: does she vaccinate her child? A list of pros and cons runs through her head. “What if the vaccine actually gives my child the sickness? What if the vaccines saves my child’s life? How much will these vaccinations cost? Does this go against my religion?” Every mother must make the decision whether or not to vaccinate her child. Although it is not mandatory, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and highly skilled physician’s all recommend each child follows the immunization schedule set by the CDC (“Vaccines.gov.”). Children are susceptible to many of the illnesses/diseases while their immune system is still growing. Many of these illnesses are preventable with the
“A vaccine is a product that produces immunity from a disease and can be administered through needle injections, by mouth, or by aerosol. A vaccination is the injection of a killed or weakened organism that produces immunity in the body against that organism (“Vaccines.gov.”).” Some may ask, “Do vaccines even work?” The answer to that question is simple, yes. Vaccinations work to protect from disease 90% of the time (Murkoff). A common belief is that the sickness will just go away and there is no need for a vaccination. This is untrue because the disease/sickness is caused by germs, which will still be alive and causing people to be sick (“Vaccines.gov.”). Others may believe that most of the diseases that these vaccinations are covering are gone. Even though the numbers of diseases such as Measles, Mumps, Smallpox etc. are almost non-existent, they do still exist. The decreased number of these diseases is because a majority of children receive vaccinations as an infant (Murkoff). Some people also tend to think that vaccines are unsafe. The ingredients used in all FDA approved vaccines are safe for children and adults, and are used in small amounts (“Vaccines ProCon.org.”). Most people just need to be educated on the facts of vaccination before they make their
This specific method is known as “protecting the herd.” Although this helps with children or adults who may be unable to receive vaccinations because of poor health or other reasons, it is not something to count on (“Vaccines Procon.org.”). One reason the herd method is not reliable is due to the fact that as each person decides not to become vaccinated, the chances of each disease increases. Parents who believe in this way of thinking have a false sense of security, and it can only take one unvaccinated person to put many others at risk (Murkoff). People should not put their health safety into the hands of
There is a war going on against parents that refuse to vaccinate their children. It is coming from the government that makes and enforces laws requiring parents to vaccinate their children, hostile parents of vaccinated children, and doctors that refuse to see unvaccinated children. They are concerned about the potential health risk unvaccinated children pose to the public. These parents aren’t lunatics but are concerned parents that are trying to make the best choice for their children. In fact, these parents aren’t fighting alone; a number of pediatricians and medical experts are apart of this crusade and have taken the lead. They will tell you there is an agenda, “Vaccine manufacturers, health officials, medical doctors, lead authors of important studies, editors of major medical journals, hospital personnel, and even coroners, cooperate to minimize vaccine failings, exaggerate benefits, and avert any negative publicity that might frighten concerned parents, threaten the vaccine program and lower vaccination rates.” 4
For the longest time, people have assumed that if they get a vaccine, they are completely safe from that illness. However, “a person who has been vaccinated has no guarantee that he will not contract the disease, and chances are, if he does, it will be at a later age when the consequences are much more serious” (Hamdan). Vaccines do not always accomplish what they claim to. If people realized that getting a vaccine does not guarantee them immunization from a particular disease that would be a major step in furthering the education about vaccines. There have been many cases where vaccines have been administered, but the disease remains. For insta...
The first con to vaccines is that most diseases that vaccines target are mostly harmless, which makes the vaccine unnecessary. The main vaccines that we hear about are chicken pox, measles, and rubella. All of these diseases are normally harmless, chicken pox usually consists of a rash with blisters and can almost always be treated with calamine lotion, acetaminophen, and a cool compress. The measles is usually a rash with a fever and a runny nose. This can be treated with rest and fluids. Rubella is usually a virus with a rash and fever that can be treated with
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
Vaccines are becoming increasingly hazardous for many children and parents are not being informed about the safety of their children. Current reports are linking vaccines to serious life-threatening disorders such as asthma, autism, immune system dysfunction, and mental retardation (Williams). These recent revelations are causing an increasing amount of people to claim religious and medical exemptions from vaccines. From 1999 to 2006, exemptions have more than doubled from 9,722 to 24,919 (Cronin). It is very clear that vaccinations are posing many problems for parents everywhere. Each day researchers are finding out about vaccines and are realizing that there are a lot more risks than benefits. Dr Phillip F. Incao explains: “Today, far more children suffer from allergies and other chronic immune system disorders than from life-threatening infectious disease. It is neither reasonable nor prudent to persist in presuming that the benefits of any vaccination outweigh its risk” (qtd in Spaker). While infectious diseases are becoming uncommon there is no need for any person to get vaccinated.
A vaccine, once injected into your child's body, with cause a type of immune cell called lymphocytes to react and produce anti bodies to fight the disease the particular vaccine was designed for. This works by injecting weakened or dead antigens of the particular diseases which then prepares the body for the full strength pathogen. This also causes the lymphocytes to remember the particular antigen that the particular pathogen possess. This works as the antigens and antibodies stick together like a key and lock and the pathogen become traps then engulfed and destroyed by a white blood cell. Not only will the vaccination protect your child, but also the people around
Illnesses are not something that a child wants to have, nor is it something that a parent wants to deal with. Vaccinating your child will prevent him/her from either developing an illness or obtaining the illness
Vaccines work. They have kept infants healthy and have saved millions of lives for more than 50 years. Most childhood vaccines are 90% to 99% effective in preventing disease so why would you keep such an advantage away from your child? “ Vaccines are made with a tiny amount of dead or weakened germs. They help the immune system learn how to protect itself against disease. Vaccines are a safe and effective way to keep your child from getting very sick from the real disease.” (healthycanadians.gc.ca).When the word vaccination comes to mind the first thing that should come to our minds is life saving, helpful, and beneficial. Unfortunately not all people would think positively when it comes to vaccinations, they think of the worst that could happen. I understand they want to know the cons to getting the vaccine for their infant, but information can show you that pros outweigh the cons. Vaccinations can not only protect an infant but it goes as far as saving their lives. Society has a strong influence on people 's decisions. In this case society and parental beliefs get in the way of infants well beings.
This can be seen in the article Vaccine Controversies by Jane Lemons. “Public health officials say refusing to follow vaccine protocols allows diseases to spread rapidly as happened in December 2014 when a measles outbreak began at Disney Land and spread to seven states.” The measles outbreak from 2014 could have easily been avoided if all children who entered the park were indeed vaccinated. If the majority of children were vaccinated there would have been no possible way for the disease to spread. While it can't be denied, A lot of families do choose to vaccinate their children, there are still some who don't, this is seen in the article Vaccine Controversies by Jane Lemons. Although the vast majority of Americans continue to vaccinate their children, studies have found that as many as 1 in 10 parents are delaying or forgoing some or a; recommended vaccines for their children. Because some parents are delaying or forgoing all vaccinations more children are at risk of going under the influence of a fatal disease that could cut their lives too short. Fatal diseases have the ability to spread at unthinkable rates and vaccinations are used to combat these deadly diseases but if families refuse to vaccinate their children once fatal diseases could return at epidemic
Vaccines are a training for your body helping it to learn how to fight disease without actually having the symptoms. Antibodies are created in response to a disease
Some of the most fatal and dangerous diseases known to the human race are measles, polio, and diphtheria. Before the 1900s, these diseases caused communities to live in fear as they went about their daily activities. Since then, vaccines have been a solution created to prevent people from acquitting these horrendous sicknesses. “In the 20th and 21st centuries, many people in the United States have not personally encountered some of the diseases that are now vaccine-preventable” (p. 132). However, even with a major advancement in medicine, there are still children all across the United States that are being deprived of life saving vaccinations. The universal vaccination dilemma causes moral principles such as beneficence and justice to be debated continuously in regards to how nurses provide care to patients.
To fully understand the reasoning, however fraudulent, behind the anti-vaccination movement, one must first know what a vaccine is and how it works. A typical vaccine works by introducing a small, weakened version of the target virus into the system of the vaccine receiver. The receiver then fights off the inferior version, preparing the white blood cells for future attacks. In theory, this creates an immunity to the target virus. Vaccines have been proven to be the most effective method in preventing viral diseases.
The number of vaccinations that a child has to receive is overwhelming to a child and parent. They will also be receiving boosters and other vaccinations throughout life. The ineffectiveness of vaccinations can also be a factor in a parent’s choice. Side effects are the main concern between parents’ decision of whether to vaccinate their children. Not everyone believes that vaccinations are helpful; it should be a parents’ choice whether their child should be
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. This is incredibly dangerous because outbreaks give these diseases the opportunity to evolve and become resistant to vaccines, putting even vaccinated children at risk (Harmon). Parents making the decision not to vaccinate are doing so out of a place that all parents share: a desire to keep their children healthy. However, these anti-vaxxers are basing their decision not on
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).