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Professor Last Name
ENGL 1113
2 July 2019
Vaccination
Making good choices concerning one’s health or that of children is very important.
Vaccines have been manufactured to help boost one’s immunity. Even though there were some
health complications associated with vaccines in the previous generation, they are now safer for
the body in this generation. Having children vaccinated protects them against certain vaccine
preventable diseases. Children are not only protecting themselves but protecting others around
them, too. Working in a health facility exposed me to see how children are vaccinated. Even
though no US federal law mandates vaccination, all 50 states require certain vaccinations for
children entering public schools (“Vaccines Prevent Disease”). Vaccination should be mandatory
for children entering public schools because it helps to prevent diseases, disabilities and deaths.
Before the first vaccine was created, the Chinese used inoculation techniques against
smallpox as early as 1000 AD (“History of Vaccines”). Similar techniques were also used in
ancient Africa and Turkey. The first instance of vaccine promotion in the United States was in
1721 when Cotton Mather, a Puritan minister, encouraged smallpox vaccination in response to
an outbreak (“History of Vaccines”). In 1796, an English Doctor named Edward Jenner
developed the first vaccine. This vaccine was developed to protect people from small pox
(“History of Vaccines”). Doctor Edward noticed that some women contracted cowpox from
milking cows without contracting small pox. So, Jenner used material from these women’s
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cowpox sores to manufacture his vaccine (“History of Vaccines”). This origin gave the
word vaccine its name, which is rooted in vacca, the Latin word for cow. Vaccination is the
process of injecting a vaccine into the human body system. A vaccine is a biological preparation
that provides active acquired immunity to a disease and typically contains an agent that
resembles a disease-causing organism (“History of Vaccines”). Preventable diseases are easily
avoidable such as tetanus, pertussis, poliomyelitis, measles, and rubella. Everyone is required to
have their children attain complete vaccination status to boost their immune system.
One reason vaccination should be mandatory is to prevent the spread of contagious
diseases. Vaccination programs introduced by the Center for Disease Control have been so
effective, so many people have never witnessed the outbreak of preventable diseases, compared
to the prevalence of those diseases in the previous generations (“Vaccines Prevent Disease
Outbreak”). In the year 2000, US determined that strong vaccination and detection programs had
rid the country of measles (“Vaccines and Immunizations”). It is very unfortunate to know that
when unvaccinated people travel, they gamble with getting infected, and when they return to the
U.S, they spread the various diseaces to others. The U.S. is currently experiencing measles
outbreaks. According to the Center for Disease Control, in 2019, there were 1,095 cases in 28
states. There are still cases of other vaccine preventable diseases such as mumps, meningococcal
serogroup, and whooping cough. These diseases can cause serious illness and even death. It is
very important to know that vaccination not only protects the individual but the community as
well. Diseases be can easily resurface if people decide to not get themselves or their children
vaccinated.
Another reason for this claim is that it saves money for the parent and the country.
Children with preventable diseases can be denied attendance at schools or child care facilities.
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Some vaccine preventable diseases can result in prolonged disabilities. Parents go through
financial stress because of lost time at work, medical bills or long-term disability care.
(McCarthy). According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, an average wage per hour is
approximately 26 dollars. This means that every day off to care for a sick child is about 208
dollars. This leads to lost wages for the parent and the employing company loses productivity as
well. The cost of vaccines is approximately 1,200 dollars through Center for Disease Control
contracts. Research shows that vaccination of children born between 1994 and 2018 has saved
the U.S., approximately $406 billion in direct medical costs and $1.88 trillion in total society
costs (Needs in-text citation here). Since 2014, over 1,900 cases of measles have occurred in the
U.S. (Needs in-text citation here). The country has used approximately $140,000 to contain each
individual case of measles (McCarthy). Every single measles case requires follow up and that
involves money from the country and parents. That adds up to more than $266 million spent by
public health to stop the spread of measles just in the past several years (McCarthy). There are
still outbreaks of measles in several states. This is because many people are refusing to
vaccinate. Vaccinating children helps to save the money earned by parents and the country as
well. The money saved could be used to develop the country and the family to secure a better
future for these children.
Mandatory vaccination is very necessary because it protects future generations. Many
diseases that killed or disabled people have been greatly reduced using vaccines. Smallpox
vaccine manufactured by Doctor Edward Jenner have being of great importance to us (“Five
Reasons to Vaccinate Your Child”). Children do not have to get small pox vaccine shot because
the disease has disappeared due to vaccinations. They are always given rubella or German
measles vaccines to protect them against measles. This has reduced the risk of pregnant women
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passing the virus to their fetus. Birth defects associated with rubella no longer exists because of
vaccination. It is very important that people continue vaccinating regularly. This will give people
hope that children will not be harmed in the future by these diseases.
There are so many reasons why people refuse to vaccinate. Some people would argue that
mandatory vaccination for their children violates the 14th Amendment law of human rights
(“Vaccines”). They believe getting their children vaccinated or not is their right. Parents should
bear in mind that vaccinating children will protect them from contracting contagious diseases.
Another point of argument could be that it is vaccines that pose a risk to their children. When a
vaccine is introduced into the body, some allergic reactions such as fainting or mild fever may
occur (“Vaccines”). These reactions can easily be treated and there are no long-term health
complications. In rare cases, deafness, seizures, coma, brain damage and autism are associated
with vaccines (“Vaccines”). However, there is no enough evidence to prove the causal
relationship between health conditions and vaccines (“Vaccines and Immunizations”). Some
parents also refuse to vaccinate their children because of their religious beliefs. Some Catholics,
for example, believe certain vaccines were developed using human cells. They claim two fetuses
aborted in the 1960s and 1970s was used to manufacture vaccine (“History of Vaccines”). So
they will never allow their children to be vaccinated because they don’t condone abortion.
However, in real case, a vaccine is a substance prepared from the causative agent of a disease,
and its products or a synthetic substitute treated to act as an antigen without inducing the disease
(“Vaccines and Immunizations”). All these oppositions do not have strong reasons to support
them and should not be considered at all.
Every problem in this world has a solution to it, and problems associated with
vaccination needs to be solved. Since many people oppose vaccination, it would be only right to
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end this debate by passing a law to make vaccination mandatory across all states. People must
bear in mind that there is no need for personal excuses when health is involved in any case of
life. Educating everyone on the importance of vaccines is very neccessary. Pregnant women and
their partners should be educated during antenatal clinics on vaccination. This will help parents
plan and schedule to get their children vaccinated in due time. Parents should be required to sign
consent forms. These forms will indicate the reasons why they refuse to vaccinate their children.
In conclusion, vaccination should be mandatory for all children entering public schools.
Since vaccination is required in the country, it is very necessary to follow certain standards.
These standards will make the use of vaccines very effective, posing minimum risk. Vaccination
programs have reduced or prevented the outbreak of contagious diseases. Many people today are
not infected by vaccine preventable diseases. Getting children vaccinated is a great investment
and usually supported by insurance. This helps to save money of parents and the country. This is
because treatment of diseases cost more money than the money used for vaccination. Since many
people are getting vaccinated today, the chance of future generations getting infected is greatly
reduced. Country binding law for vaccination should be implemented and strictly obeyed by
everyone. Proper education on vaccines should be given to everyone based on the importance
and consequences for refusal to get vaccinated. Everyone should agree with vaccinating children
and its importance for the health of the community and the country.
Works Cited
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“Five Important Reasons to Vaccinate Your Child.” Vaccines,
www.vaccines.gov/getting/for_parents/five_reasons.
“History of Vaccines.” ProConorg Headlines,
vaccines.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=006479.
McCarthy, Claire. “Why Vaccines Are Important for Our Country’s Financial Health, Too.”
Harvard Health Blog, 26 Apr. 2017, www.health.harvard.edu/blog/why-vaccines-are-
important-for-our-countrys-financial-health-too-2017042511659.
“Vaccines and Immunizations.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, 26 May 2016, www.cdc.gov/vaccines
“Vaccines.” Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2019. Opposing Viewpoints in
Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/PC3010999291/OVIC?u=okccc_main&sid=
OVIC&xid=c4957fc5. Accessed 16 July 2019.
“Vaccines Prevent Disease Outbreaks.” Vaccinate Your Family,
www.vaccinateyourfamily.org/why-vaccinate/vaccine-benefits/to-prevent-outbreaks/.
http://www.vaccines.gov/getting/for_parents/five_reasons
http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/why-vaccines-are-important-for-our-countrys-financial-health-too-2017042511659
http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/why-vaccines-are-important-for-our-countrys-financial-health-too-2017042511659
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines
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