Population and Ethical Issue
Since 2012, there have been a number of outbreaks from vaccine-preventable diseases in the United States. Two of the most recent ones that have seen an increase over the years are whooping cough caused by pertussis and measles. Both of these diseases have vaccines that are available to the public, yet the cases related to these two continue to increase. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), in 2012, there were 48,277 reported cases of pertussis and among those, 20 pertussis related deaths; this was the most reported case since 1955. In a report done by the California Department of Public Health on February 12, 2015, California is currently experiencing a pertussis epidemic. Since 2014 there have been 11,555 cases of pertussis (DCPH, 2015). Measles is also having a larger impact on California compared to the rest of the United States. In about a two month period, January 1 to February 20, 2015 there have been 154 cases and three outbreaks of measles (CDC, 2015). This is after the CDC declared measles eliminated from the United States in 2000. According to the …show more content…
Neglecting to immunize children when recommended creates vulnerability to infectious diseases. Measles is a prime example of a highly contagious disease that is preventable through vaccinations (Center for Disease and Control, 2015). When measles are exposed in an environment such as a park playground, the germ stays present hours after the infected person has left, leaving unvaccinated children at high risk for obtaining the disease(CDC, 2015). It is a ripple effect in which not only the unvaccinated child suffers from the disease, but now anyone who comes in contact with the infected child is more likely to carry the germ and spread the disease- causing an
Since 2012, there have been a number of outbreaks from vaccine-preventable diseases in the United States. Two of the most recent ones that have seen an increase over the years are whooping cough caused by pertussis and measles. Both of these diseases have vaccines that are available to the public, yet the cases related to these two continue to increase. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), in 2012, there were 48,277 reported cases of pertussis and among those, 20 pertussis related deaths; this was the most reported case since 1955. In a report done by the California Department of Public Health on February 12, 2015, California is currently experiencing a pertussis epidemic. Since 2014 there have been 11,555 cases of pertussis (DCPH, 2015). Measles is also having a larger impact on California compared to the rest of the United States. In about a two month period, January 1 to February 20, 2015 there have been 154 cases and three outbreaks of measles (CDC, 2015). This is after the CDC declared measles eliminated from the United States in 2000. According to the …show more content…
Neglecting to immunize children when recommended creates vulnerability to infectious diseases. Measles is a prime example of a highly contagious disease that is preventable through vaccinations (Center for Disease and Control, 2015). When measles are exposed in an environment such as a park playground, the germ stays present hours after the infected person has left, leaving unvaccinated children at high risk for obtaining the disease(CDC, 2015). It is a ripple effect in which not only the unvaccinated child suffers from the disease, but now anyone who comes in contact with the infected child is more likely to carry the germ and spread the disease- causing an