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Opinion on Vaccination
One of our greatest achievement in public health is vaccination. It saves lives and prevents diseases like measles, polio, rubella, and diphtheria which at one time were common diseases in the United States. Due to these diseases, many hundreds and thousands of people including adults, infants, and children die each year. There was a time when much fear was associated with outbreaks of polio and due to its concern, movie theatres and swimming pools get closed so that crippling disease might not be caught them. We also have seen a 1960 wave of rubella that resulted in deaths of thousands of infant born and thousand more with vision, hearing and other disabilities that were life lasting.
Most vaccines of modern times are highly safe and effective, with very rare serious side effects and even if there are side effects, it would be much lower than actual disease seriousness. Although vaccines are very effective in dealing with diseases, there are much misinformation spread against its use, for example, one misconception is that vaccination can cause autism and they have toxic chemicals as an ingredient. This rumor is proved to be wrong with the demonstration of fact by a new study conducted by Danish researchers related to MMR vaccination(DeStefano, Frank & Thompson, 2004).
Misinformation may also spread because today vaccines are very successful and in today United States almost no patient with polio and measles would be seen by the clinicians. Due to the effective vaccination, and no diseases found, it would be easy for people to not see its importance and spreading misinformation.
Let us take an example of measles. It is estimated by WHO that due to vaccination against measles, since 2000 21 million deaths were prevented worldwide. Although today more than 91 percent of children are vaccinated for measles, vaccinations localized dips have caused measles recent resurgence in parts of America. 370 individuals this year are affected by the recent year 17 measles outbreaks that are reported by 10 states. In the year 2017-18, influenza caused more than 80,000 deaths in America in the flu season(Plennevaux et al., 2010). Many of them were children who are not vaccinated. The best way for us to avoid getting flu disease is through the flu vaccination, and very fewer symptoms could have been seen that led to hospital admittance or deaths.
It has been recorded in 2017 that American adolescent comprising only 49 percent received HPV vaccine recommended doses, which protects in its best from the development of cancers of a certain type in both females and males. These certain types of cancers include anal, cervical, throat, and mouth cancers. One teenager out of five that is approximated to be from 4.5 million people has not received vaccination of bacterial meningitis. This fast-moving disease although could cause the healthy child in getting organ failures, amputations and deaths within the onset of disease in 24 hours. Among people who are experiencing homelessness and take drugs are experiencing hepatitis A multistate outbreak. With the help of vaccination, this disease which can be avoided that can lead to failure of liver and death using an effective and safe vaccine.
We should be happy with our achievement and not critical. The measles breakout recently is a reminder for all of us that the disease which we might think to be a very rare one in the United States is still affecting unvaccinated people with sometimes dire consequences(Olpinski & Marian, 2012). Measles in children could have fatal complications. These diseases can be avoided by using effective vaccination so that we could only read about these diseases in our history books. The misinformation regarding the vaccination should be countered with the correct information reaching the masses so that anti-vaccine sentiments could not be fueled among parents who are earnestly trying protecting their children.
Works Cited
DeStefano, Frank, and William W. Thompson. "MMR vaccine and autism: an update of the scientific evidence." Expert review of vaccines 3.1 (2004): 19-22.
Ołpiński, Marian. "Anti-vaccination movement and parental refusals of immunization of children in USA." pediatria polska87.4 (2012): 381-385.
Plennevaux, Eric, et al. "Immune response after a single vaccination against 2009 influenza A H1N1 in USA: a preliminary report of two randomised controlled phase 2 trials." The Lancet 375.9708 (2010): 41-48.
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