Vaccinations
Vaccinations
Vaccinations
Introduction
The first confirmed case of the coronavirus disease emerged in Wuhan,
China in December of 2019. A mere ten days after this patient zero, the virus
infected over fifty more and claimed its first fatality. Twenty days later, the
then-mysterious virus began to spread around the globe, first hitting the United
Kingdom with Africa, France, and Italy quickly following suit. At which time, the
death toll surmounted 3,000 and the disease was given a name: Covid-19. On
Day 72, with 125,875 confirmed cases and 4,615 casualties, the World Health
Over a year later, Covid-19 has claimed the lives of nearly three million
sprung into action, pouring time, energy, and resources into researching the
illness and developing a vaccine. In under a year, the seemingly impossible feat
Since the start of the current pandemic, the anti-vax movement has
gained increasingly more momentum in the media, as news articles and cover
stories continuously revolve around all things concerning the global health crisis.
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With reasoning often founded in conspiracies, myths, and inaccurate data,
anti-vaxxers have the potential to undermine the great effort made to control and
life-threatening diseases of the past and future. Vaccines are a crucial invention
that help prevent wide scale health disasters and the loss of life; all people who
are medically able should get vaccinated to protect both themselves and the
public at large.
today.
2
a respected medical journal, which featured research suggesting a link between
the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine and the developmental
disorder.4 The author, former physician Andrew Wakefield, conducted his study
hundreds and thousands of children, proving the claims were indeed false.5
vaccinations is the belief that diseases are eliminated through better sanitation
and hygiene, not vaccines.6 This is greatly disproven by the fact that many
eliminated in 2000, spread across the United States, leading to 314 reported cases
in 15 states.7 Paul Offit, the director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s
coming back is that a critical number of parents have chosen not to vaccinate
disease that plagued the nation during the 1900s. While incidences of
2017 and 2018, the United States, unlike most other countries, does not regularly
administer this vaccine, which plays a significant role in allowing the fatal disease
For many anti vaxxers, the “believed” risk of getting a vaccine simply
outweighs the benefits, even though in reality the likelihood of one having an
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adverse reaction to a vaccine is extremely low. A study conducted by the U.S.
vaccine.11 Even though the associated risk is miniscule, with the probability of one
percent, it is important to recognize that risk, though tiny in numbers, still exists.
Like all other medicines, vaccines have side effects, which are evident in the
“a special arm of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims (the Vaccine Court) to settle
and focused research, however, the benefits of getting vaccinated not only
vaccinated protects individuals from illnesses that may have a much more
damaging and life threatening effect on the body than possible reactions. In
many cases, fact and logic take a backseat to fear, as for some even the small
important and highly beneficial medical marvel that are key contributors in
preventing illness and saving lives. The WHO cites that globally vaccines have
prevented at least 10 million deaths between 2010 and 2015 alone, while also
4
many claim that it is a personal choice to decide whether or not to get
they are intended to, it is essential that the majority of the population receive
them to reach herd immunity. Herd immunity is defined as the point at which
enough people, a percentage that varies from disease to disease, are immune to
a specific illness; in this situation, there are fewer high risk people overall, so the
vaccines can affect people differently based on their age, underlying health
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conditions, and allergies, among a variety of other factors.17 A correct match
unable to be vaccinated, as the vaccine can potentially do more harm than good.
newborn babies, elderly people, and those with compromised immune systems,
greater protection.
general has the potential to greatly jeopardize this effort and put many people at
risk for further infections, debilitating symptoms, and, in the most extreme cases,
found that in September only 39.4 percent of adults in the United States were very
likely to get the Covid-19 vaccine, with that number rising to just under half by
December.18 These projected values are still below the herd immunity threshold,
between 70 and 85 percent, that scientists believe is needed to suppress the virus
and proceed towards the transition back to ‘normal’ life.19 It is important to note
that these statistics include both those who are completely opposed to vaccines
and some who are just hesitant about receiving the Covid-19 vaccine specifically.
in part motivated by the media’s heavy portrayal of the anti-vax movement and
false claims perpetuated in the media by political leaders, celebrities, and other
Vaccine Exemptions:
Another contributing factor that can thwart vaccination efforts is
exemptions. In the United States, every state has laws requiring students to be
vaccinated for certain illnesses before starting school or progressing from one
grade to another. However, parents could have their children exempt from the
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appealing to their states’ exemption process. These protocols and the
Making the exemption process more difficult and limiting acceptable exemption
types would greatly increase the amount of vaccinated and protected students,
was found that a “5 percent drop in measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine
vaccinated children may be at a small risk if there is one child in the immediate
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Mandating Vaccines:
One possible solution to the vaccination problem that plagues the United
illnesses, requiring that all medically able members of society get vaccinated.
This would help to quench new illnesses as soon as possible and prevent the
population that contracts illnesses, need to be hospitalized, and pass away from
individual freedom, it is not as far fetched as one would think. Among the
previously unvaccinated children born between 2011 and 2015 have now received
all the appropriate vaccinations.24 Mandated vaccines are also not a new
concept to the United States. In fact, in 1902, following a deadly outbreak of the
smallpox disease, the city of Cambridge, Massachusetts mandated that all city
residents be vaccinated. This directive was met with opposition, and one case in
Supreme Court. In this ruling, which was the first U.S. Supreme Court case
regarding state’s power in public health, it was found that in the event of a
on what is more important: personal freedoms or public safety. This issue has
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been applied to other scenarios with public safety usually taking precedence, for
example regarding mandated airport security checks after the tragedy on 9/11.
How does vaccination differ? Unlike getting your personal belongings rummaged
through and body scanned in an airport, mandated vaccines are slightly more
crisis. To appease those worried about the risks of getting vaccinated and protect
those whose solution can be made with the caveat that people receive a proper
Mandated vaccines would also ensure that all members of the population,
dose of the medication. In the same breath, however, this is a potential drawback,
as the government budget must be accounted for to make an allowance for this
systems that are beneficial to the public. Throughout the past year, however, the
United States has witnessed firsthand the great and damaging effects a
pandemic and widespread illness has had on the country. From public health to
Vaccination Education
Another less invasive approach that would increase immunization rates
and subsequently protect against the spread of harmful and debilitating diseases
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to teach the public about how exactly vaccines work, what vaccines are made of,
and other logistics of the medical devices is necessary in eliminating the many
inaccurate claims that have been perpetuated for years despite being proven
false. This would require that vaccine manufacturers and the government be
vaccine education both helpful and successful. The main drawback to this
approach is that people may simply refuse to agree with and take the information
may already be aware of one's hesitancy and mistrust and therefore, be able to
Conclusion:
Disease is one of the biggest killers in modern times, with many diseases
and viruses able to be controlled and eliminated through the widespread use of
themselves, as well as everyone else in their community. This may include taking
the steps to become more educated on aspects of vaccinations they are unsure
of, helping others find accurate and researched evidence, writing to local
pandemic, it is apparent that vaccinations are the key to ending the unnecessary
loss of life and widespread illness that has spread across the globe.
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Notes
1
Seán Clarke, How coronavirus spread across the globe - visualised, The
Guardian,
https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2020/apr/09/how-coronavir
us-spread-across-the-globe-visualised (April 7, 2021)
2
Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, How did we develop a COVID-19 vaccine so quickly?,
Medical News Today,
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/how-did-we-develop-a-covid-19-
vaccine-so-quickly (April 7, 2021)
3
Danielle Moreau, A (brief) critique of anti-vaxxer reason, Overland,
https://overland.org.au/2019/09/a-brief-critique-of-anti-vaxxer-reason/ (April 7,
2021)
4
Aaron Kandola, What is an anti-vaxxer?, Medical News Today,
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/anti-vaxxer (April 20, 2021)
5
Children’s Hospital of Philidelphia, In the Journals: Do Parents Still Believe
Vaccines Cause Autism?,
https://www.chop.edu/news/journals-do-parents-still-believe-vaccines-cause-
autism (April 20, 2021)
6
Amy Boulanger, Understanding Opposition to Vaccines, Healthline,
https://www.healthline.com/health/vaccinations/opposition#not-new (April 20,
2021)
7
Jorge L. Ortiz, Anti-vaxxers open door for measles, mumps, other old-time
diseases back from near extinction, USA Today,
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2019/03/28/anti-vaxxers-open-do
or-measles-mumps-old-time-diseases/3295390002/ (April 20, 2021)
8
Ibid.
11
9
Hyacinth Mascarenhas, The Black Death is back, and so are these other
diseases you thought were gone, The
World,https://www.pri.org/stories/black-death-back-and-so-are-these-other-di
seases-you-thought-were-gone (April 20, 2021)
10
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2019/03/28/anti-vaxxers-open-d
oor-measles-mumps-old-time-diseases/3295390002/
11
Mary Elizabeth Dallas, Life-Threatening Vaccine Reactions Rare: CDC, WebMD,
https://www.webmd.com/children/vaccines/news/20151015/vaccines-rarely-cau
se-life-threatening-allergic-reactions-cdc (April 20, 2021)
12
Bernice Hausman, Stop telling anti-vaxxers they’re insane for questioning
vaccines | Opinion,
https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/anti-vaccine-vaxxer-movement
-parents-judgment-20190328.html (April 20, 2021)
13
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/anti-vaxxer
14
WebMD, What Is Herd Immunity?,
https://www.webmd.com/lung/what-is-herd-immunity#1 (April 20, 2021)
15
Ibid.
16
Ibid.
17
Amy Boulanger, Vaccines: Who Should Avoid Them and Why, Healthline,
https://www.healthline.com/health/vaccinations/immunization-complications
(April 20, 2021)
18
Berkeley Lovelace Jr., Biden’s next fight: Anti-vaxxers jeopardize plans to protect
U.S. against Covid, CNBC,
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/10/biden-covid-vaccine-anti-vaxxers-us.html
(April 20, 2021)
19
Ibid.
12
20
WebMD, What Are the Rules on Vaccine Exemptions?,
https://www.webmd.com/children/vaccines/what-are-the-rules-on-vaccine-ex
emptions (April 20, 2021)
21
Ibid.
22
Ibid.
23
Elena Bollaza, Mandatory vaccinations in European countries, undocumented
information, false news and the impact on vaccination uptake: the position of the
Italian pediatric society, BMC,
https://ijponline.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13052-018-0504-y (April 21,
2020)
24
Ibid.
25
https://overland.org.au/2019/09/a-brief-critique-of-anti-vaxxer-reason/
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