Mandatory Vaccination Pros And Cons
Mandatory Vaccinations: An Ongoing Debate
The potential side effects of vaccinations are considerably low compared to the potential risk of outbreak among the population if not vaccinated. Therefore, for the safety of the population immunizations should be mandatory for all children and adults. It has been proven that the safety and effectiveness of immunization and vaccines protect children and adults from infectious diseases.
Ever since vaccines for diseases like diphtheria and measles were introduced in the twentieth century, the number of deaths related to these diseases decreased by more than 500 percent. (McMahon-Pratt, 2005). Death rates from the pertussis (whooping cough) declined from 12,000 deaths per year in 1905 to less than 1,000 …show more content…
Outbreaks have come and gone, and always came back again. Countries were overcome with illness at times and lives were lost due to lack of medical knowledge and research. Once vaccinations were discovered, diseases they treated were stopped dead in their tracks. It is possible for another outbreak. Some disease can be completely stopped; but not unless 100% of the population is vaccinated against them. The Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine (April 2001) explains "Herd immunity, the concept of decreased infection in susceptible individuals as a result of vaccination among household or community contacts, is generally thought to have a positive effect on the public health. Because of herd immunity, the incidence of several vaccine-preventable illnesses has dropped precipitously even though significantly less than 100% of the eligible population has been immunized." (Taylor, …show more content…
Many states also have laws requiring vaccination for licensed day care and college. Some states specify which vaccines and how many doses are required in the law itself, while there are many benefits to state requirements for vaccination but there are limitations to what they can achieve. Each state has different exemption laws such a religious or philosophical exemption. Some states do not require strong proof or documentation. The lose laws make it easily for parents to falsely use exemptions to avoid having their children and themselves vaccinated. In turn, causes a risk to many people in that state. We see high outbreaks of preventable diseases in states that have these lose laws. This makes many people believe that the government needs to step in and make mandatory
The potential side effects of vaccinations are considerably low compared to the potential risk of outbreak among the population if not vaccinated. Therefore, for the safety of the population immunizations should be mandatory for all children and adults. It has been proven that the safety and effectiveness of immunization and vaccines protect children and adults from infectious diseases.
Ever since vaccines for diseases like diphtheria and measles were introduced in the twentieth century, the number of deaths related to these diseases decreased by more than 500 percent. (McMahon-Pratt, 2005). Death rates from the pertussis (whooping cough) declined from 12,000 deaths per year in 1905 to less than 1,000 …show more content…
Outbreaks have come and gone, and always came back again. Countries were overcome with illness at times and lives were lost due to lack of medical knowledge and research. Once vaccinations were discovered, diseases they treated were stopped dead in their tracks. It is possible for another outbreak. Some disease can be completely stopped; but not unless 100% of the population is vaccinated against them. The Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine (April 2001) explains "Herd immunity, the concept of decreased infection in susceptible individuals as a result of vaccination among household or community contacts, is generally thought to have a positive effect on the public health. Because of herd immunity, the incidence of several vaccine-preventable illnesses has dropped precipitously even though significantly less than 100% of the eligible population has been immunized." (Taylor, …show more content…
Many states also have laws requiring vaccination for licensed day care and college. Some states specify which vaccines and how many doses are required in the law itself, while there are many benefits to state requirements for vaccination but there are limitations to what they can achieve. Each state has different exemption laws such a religious or philosophical exemption. Some states do not require strong proof or documentation. The lose laws make it easily for parents to falsely use exemptions to avoid having their children and themselves vaccinated. In turn, causes a risk to many people in that state. We see high outbreaks of preventable diseases in states that have these lose laws. This makes many people believe that the government needs to step in and make mandatory