Vaccinations Should be Mandatory
There has been a continuous debate about whether or not parents should take part in vaccinating their children. Many parents worry about the unknowns of vaccinations. This could be what is in the vaccine, when the vaccine is given to the child, and how their child will react to a vaccine, or they could have religious beliefs that go against vaccines. Today, there is a routine immunization schedule for babies and young children that was created by the CDC which has been in use for approximately 50 years (“Vaccine Schedule”). Vaccinations are a very effective and safe form of medicine used to prevent severe diseases occurring from viruses and other infectious organisms, and they increase the amount of protective …show more content…
The CDC has created an immunization schedule which his highly recommended to be followed. Every year, the schedule is created by experts and doctors who base it on recent scientific data. They determine the timing of the vaccine by when the body 's immune system will respond best while also balancing it with the earliest time possible in order to provide protection as early as possible. The immunization schedule is then approved by the AAP, CDC, and AAFP. Some individual doctors create their own immunization schedules in order to spread out or delay vaccines. It has been shown that there is no known reason to believe that spreading out or delaying the vaccinations is safer than following the CDC schedule. But, not vaccinating a child on time will only leave the child vulnerable to diseases which can be spread to other people, some who cannot be vaccinated. It is important to vaccinate children as early as possible because children are highly vulnerable to diseases (“Vaccine Schedule”). Following the recommended CDC immunization schedule cannot be expressed enough. If a child is not vaccinated and they catch a life-threatening disease, it can easily be spread to other people in the community which could turn into a serious …show more content…
Certain religions and belief systems promote alternative viewpoints toward vaccinations. Religious objections to vaccines are usually because they do not believe in using human tissue cells as well as they believe the body is sacred and should not receive chemicals because the body should be healed by God. The Catholic Church supports the use of vaccines and recognizes that they are important to protect the individual as well as the community. However, in some situations, such as vaccines made using cells from aborted fetuses, they advise their members to seek alternatives. Christian Scientists do not have certain beliefs against vaccines, though they do rely on prayers for healing. All states besides West Virginia and Mississippi, allow individuals to apply for religious exemptions from mandatory vaccines. We have seen the rates of religious exemptions rise these past few years (“Cultural Perspectives on Vaccination”). In 2014, 4% of Colorado’s population are religiously exempt from all mandatory vaccinations (“How Many People Aren 't Vaccinating Their Kids in Your State?”). Though this is a small part of the population, it only takes one individual to catch a life-threatening disease to create an epidemic. Infections and diseases can spread rapidly through communities. In 1990, there was a major measles outbreak among unvaccinated children. They were members of two fundamentalist churches who did
There has been a continuous debate about whether or not parents should take part in vaccinating their children. Many parents worry about the unknowns of vaccinations. This could be what is in the vaccine, when the vaccine is given to the child, and how their child will react to a vaccine, or they could have religious beliefs that go against vaccines. Today, there is a routine immunization schedule for babies and young children that was created by the CDC which has been in use for approximately 50 years (“Vaccine Schedule”). Vaccinations are a very effective and safe form of medicine used to prevent severe diseases occurring from viruses and other infectious organisms, and they increase the amount of protective …show more content…
The CDC has created an immunization schedule which his highly recommended to be followed. Every year, the schedule is created by experts and doctors who base it on recent scientific data. They determine the timing of the vaccine by when the body 's immune system will respond best while also balancing it with the earliest time possible in order to provide protection as early as possible. The immunization schedule is then approved by the AAP, CDC, and AAFP. Some individual doctors create their own immunization schedules in order to spread out or delay vaccines. It has been shown that there is no known reason to believe that spreading out or delaying the vaccinations is safer than following the CDC schedule. But, not vaccinating a child on time will only leave the child vulnerable to diseases which can be spread to other people, some who cannot be vaccinated. It is important to vaccinate children as early as possible because children are highly vulnerable to diseases (“Vaccine Schedule”). Following the recommended CDC immunization schedule cannot be expressed enough. If a child is not vaccinated and they catch a life-threatening disease, it can easily be spread to other people in the community which could turn into a serious …show more content…
Certain religions and belief systems promote alternative viewpoints toward vaccinations. Religious objections to vaccines are usually because they do not believe in using human tissue cells as well as they believe the body is sacred and should not receive chemicals because the body should be healed by God. The Catholic Church supports the use of vaccines and recognizes that they are important to protect the individual as well as the community. However, in some situations, such as vaccines made using cells from aborted fetuses, they advise their members to seek alternatives. Christian Scientists do not have certain beliefs against vaccines, though they do rely on prayers for healing. All states besides West Virginia and Mississippi, allow individuals to apply for religious exemptions from mandatory vaccines. We have seen the rates of religious exemptions rise these past few years (“Cultural Perspectives on Vaccination”). In 2014, 4% of Colorado’s population are religiously exempt from all mandatory vaccinations (“How Many People Aren 't Vaccinating Their Kids in Your State?”). Though this is a small part of the population, it only takes one individual to catch a life-threatening disease to create an epidemic. Infections and diseases can spread rapidly through communities. In 1990, there was a major measles outbreak among unvaccinated children. They were members of two fundamentalist churches who did