ANA CEO and nurse Myrtle Aydelotte once said, “Nursing encompasses an art, a humanistic orientation, a feeling for the value of the individual, and an intuitive sense of ethics, and of the appropriateness of action taken”.1 In preparing to develop my own nursing practice, I find this statement to be invaluable. It is this philosophy which has guided my educational and experiential journey from scientific evidence and statistics alone, to include patient relationship and ethical understanding. My first exposure to the “Vaccine Controversy” occurred in my biology undergraduate. I was fascinated, as I had only been exposed one side of the story, and began to research avidly, wondering if I might find definitive evidence giving backbone to the passionate arguments I heard. I should preface by saying that I was very particular about my sources of information, and refused to accept articles signed with random initials of an unknown author, photos of crying babies next to an impending syringe, or from sites with titles such as “The Angry Patriot”. What I found didn’t really surprise me. As do many people with healthcare experience, I understand that nearly every treatment we utilize in modern medicine is, to some extent, risk v. benefit. So, when my research indicated that some preservatives/ingredients utilized in vaccines might result in anaphylactic reactions, immune responses and other serious health problems at statistically low rates, I wasn’t shocked or concerned. When I read that some, more poorly made vaccines with pushy manufacturers and few long-term trials had these issues at higher rates, I was also not exactly surprised.2-4 I can understand though, why some people might be. Mainstream healthcare (not including general media... ... middle of paper ... ...ts on Vaccines & Disallow Exemptions. Health Freedom Alliance Web site. Published 2011. Accessed December 4, 2013. 15. Stewart M. Reflections on the doctor-patient relationship: from evidence and experience. The British Journal of General Practice. 2005;55(519):793-801. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1562329/. Accessed December 4, 2013. 16. The College of Physicians of Philadelphia: A Timelines Overview. The History of Vaccines Web site. http://www.historyofvaccines.org/content/timelines/all. Accessed December 4, 2013. 17. Nurse Family Partnership presented at: University of Washington School of Nursing. Kazloric J, RN, Manager for NFP. November 6, 2013. 18. LGBTQ Training present at: University of Washington School of Nursing. Tucker K, Program Manager for Northwest Network of Bisexual, Trans, Lesbian, and Gay Survivors of Abuse. November 20, 2013.
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
In the Frontline episode The Vaccine War, a progressively distressful debate ensues among many scientists and doctors within the public health system and an unnerving alliance of parents, politicians, and celebrities. The topic of debate is the overwhelming pressure parents feel to vaccinate their children and their right to decline such vaccinations. In several American neighborhoods, groups of parents have been exercising their right to refuse vaccinations, which has elevated anxiety on the return of vaccine-preventable diseases such as pertussis and measles. The reason such parents are denying their children various vaccines such as the MMR “triple shot” for measles, mumps, and rubella is because they are convinced that it is linked to autism, a link that has yet to be proven. Many of these parents are focused solely on their children, not taking into account that their decision may put the American populace at risk for disease. Such parents are not thinking about other members of society that vaccines don’t work for, and in certain adolescents the effects deteriorate, thus only when every person is immunized the “heard immunity” is successful.
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.
"Polio Timeline." History of Vaccines. The College of the Physicians of Philadelphia, Web. 1 Feb. 2014. .
Vaccination was first introduced globally for small pox and later on extended to other communicable diseases which are now known as vaccine preventable disease. Vaccination is beneficial both for individuals and community. This bring us to the ethical dilemma - Vaccination of a healthy child with the intention of protecting both the individual child and the community at the same time exposing the child to the theoretical risk of exposure to disease products whether live, attenuated or killed. There was a time when people never questioned the government or their physicians. Now because of more public awareness and accessibility to medical information, they are questioning the safety aspects of vaccines.
As of today, vaccines are mandatory in children. There are two types of arguments, one side is for parents being able to choose to vaccinate their child(ren). The other side is defending the vaccines, saying it is good to be mandatory. The ideal situation would be for both to be combined. Many people would choose to not vaccinate their children if they had the choice because they do not know all of the information. If they were informed about all of the negatives versus the positives, they might have a different opinion. Parents should be able to choose whether or not they want their children to be vaccinated, but they also should be informed of the plus side
... today, there will be no limit on which individual freedoms the state can take away in the name of the greater good tomorrow,” (“National Vaccine…”). Although this is an extremist view, it has a simple truth to it: America is a free country, which should guarantee that parents would have the freedom to choose against vaccination.
Edward Jenner invented a method to protect against smallpox in the late 1700s. The method involved taking substances from an open wound of someone with small-pox or cow-pox and injecting it into another person’s skin, also called “arm-to-arm inoculation”. The earliest actual documented examples of vaccination date all the way back to the tenth century in China (Lombard, “A brief history of vaccines and vaccinations”). The mention of early vaccination was taken note of by a French scholar, Henri Husson, written in one of his journals (Dictionaire des sciences médicale). The Ottoman Empire Turks also discovered a method of immunization a few centuries later. Lady Montagu of Great Britain, a famous writer and wife of the English ambassador of Istanbul, between 1716 -1718, came across the Turkish vaccine for small-pox. After surviving as a child with small-pox, she insisted her son be vaccinated (Henricy, “Letters of the Right Honourable Lady Wortley Montagu”). When she returned to England, she continued to publicize the Turkish tradition of immunization and spread their methods to the rest of her country. She also had all family members also vaccinated. Immunization was soon adopted in England, nearly 50 years before Jenner's smallpox vaccine in 1796 (Sharp, “Anti-vaccinationists past and present”). Edward Jenner’s target for smallpox was to eradicate it. And later by the 1940s, knowledge of the science behind vaccines had developed and soon reached the point where across-the-board vaccine production was a goal that was possible and where serious disease control efforts could start. Vaccines for many dangerous diseases, including ones protecting against pertussis, diphtheria, and tetanus were underway into production. ...
Federal laws mandating vaccines do not exist; nonetheless, each state has its own mandatory state laws. All 50 states allow medical exemption from vaccine and some states allow religious or philosophical exemptions. It has been reported that since the 1990s states which allowed religious and philosophical exemption saw a 250% increase in non-medical exemptions. This drastic increase has vaccine supporters worried. They argue that these types of exemptions should be more difficult to obtain as there are serious negative consequences from not vaccinating every child that can be safely vaccinated. They...
Immunization is the process by which a person or animal becomes protected against a disease. Even though it’s “one of the greatest health development of the 20th century”, the number of infants who aren’t fully vaccinated are increasing gradually over the past years. This happened because of all the controversy surrounding vaccine. Despite the fact that it can prevent potentially life-threatening diseases, people are paying less attention to those infections because they are rarely seen nowadays. So people start to look at the vaccine and the possible side effects and now they fear that the vaccine itself might be more harmful than it is helpful. Although there are some objections for the use of vaccinations, I strongly support it for many reasons.
is, they have been blown out of proportion by the press and it can be
Imagine an outbreak, one of the most infectious viruses that thrives most in adolescents or infants, lets say the measles, happens in your hometown. Presumably, you and your family are all safe, for you have all been immunized. But your neighbor’s child (for now, lets say Tim) has yet to get vaccinated, and his parents refuse. Tim’s parents have strict moral values, which infringe on his ability to get the medication he genuinely needs. They believe vaccinations cause autism, vaccines do more harm than good, and by not immunizing, their kids build up a stronger immunity. Aside from the paranoia and false side effects vaccines cause, they can help to build up your immune system and are a necessary part in a normal, functioning, individual’s life.
The intent of this interview was discussed with the family, namely, how the data would be used to discuss family experiences for an assignment in Family and Societal Nursing for RNs at State University. Most importantly, I mentioned to the family that I hoped to provide them with interventions and support to...
Vaccination, first practiced by Dr. Edward Jenner in the 18th-century, is known as the most effective way to prevent epidemic disease throughout the world. Not only the people in the United States have had a vaccination in the past, but also almost most people on the planet. For instance, the government of Republic of Korea provides free injections for children from age of 0 to 12 in public health centers and pediatrician centers. In Korea, it is compulsory to be vaccinated. Except under extraordinary medical conditions, a child is not authorized to either admission into a school or graduate. In the United States however, there is currently no law requiring citizens to have inoculation. Vaccination-requirements depends on the discretion of each state's health departments, or private schools . The issue of mandatory vaccination has been debated over the past years. In addition, the number of children and parents who do not want to receive vaccination keeps increasing, due to several reasons, namely religious beliefs, a fear of an increased risk of autism, and the right of choice. Yet, there is clear evidence that vaccines actually helped to eradicate serious disease such as smallpox and tetanus. According to the statistics from Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) (2013), the statistics shows that there is serious decrease in number of outbreaks of epidemic disease. Since vaccination protects both individuals and the community from infectious disease, any individuals should not have the right to endanger the public health just to satisfy their personal and religious views. Thus, there should be a federal law mandating vaccination for all children, with the exception of a child's medical conditions.
For innumerable centuries, unrelenting strains of disease have ravaged society. From the polio epidemic in the twentieth century to the measles cases in the latter half of the century, such an adverse component of nature has taken the lives of many. In 1796, Edward Jenner discovered that exposure to cowpox could foster immunity against smallpox; through injecting the cowpox into another person’s arm, he founded the revolutionary concept known as a vaccination. While many attribute the eradication of various diseases to vaccines, many United States citizens are progressively beginning to oppose them. Many deludedly thought that Measles had been completely terminated throughout the United States; however, many children have been patronized by