Vaccinating Children Epidemic By Peyton Galyean

Vaccinating Children Epidemic

Imagine trying for years to have a child, only to have them contract a disease because someone they met or encountered with wasn't vaccinated. Over the years, it has become more common for children to be unvaccinated and “an estimated 100,000 young children have not had a vaccination against any of the 14 diseases for which shots are recommended, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report” (“Growing Number of U.S. Children 1”). The reason children aren't vaccinated varies, but as deadly diseases and outbreaks are on the rise, a change in these numbers need to change.

Vaccinations first started back in the 1790s with a vaccination for smallpox. Edward Jenner “conducted an experiment by scratching the arm of an eight-year-old boy named James Phipps using material from a cowpox sore in an infected dairymaids. Then he repeated the same experiment, but this time added a small amount of smallpox into the same child” (“History of Immunizations 1”). This experiment worked, and protected the child, resulting in the start of immunization. About 100 years after this finding, Louis Pasteur, MD, thought “disease could be prevented by infecting humans with weakened germs” (“History of Immunizations 1”).

A major Polio outbreak killed and paralyzed thousands of children during the 1940s and 1950s. Jonas Salk, MD, and Albert Sabin, MD, “developed the inactivated polio vaccine and live polio vaccine,” to help this outbreak (“History of Immunizations 1”). A vaccine cannot fully cure the disease, but it can prevent it, and the vaccines have been known to “protect a child for life” (“Does Polio Still Exist? 1”). Thanks to these vaccines, “polio was officially eliminated from the United States and the Western Hemisphere in 1991” (“History of Immunizations 1”). Before the vaccines was available, upwards to 20,000 cases of polio were reported every year in the United States and now, “cases have decreased by over 99%” (“Does Polio Still Exist? 1”). The advancement in medicine and these treatments have helped saved many lives all around the world and helped children have a childhood.

The vaccine for Haemophilus influenzae type B was licensed in 1985 and was recommended in 1989. The hepatitis B vaccine was not new, but the vaccine was recommended only for those classified as high-risk. Those at high risk included “infants whose mothers were hepatitis B surface antigen positive, healthcare workers, intravenous drug users, homosexual men and people with multiple sexual partners” (Offit 1). The, immunization of high-risk groups didn't effectively stop transmission of the hepatitis B virus, but it “was virtually eliminated in children less than eighteen years of age in the United States” (Offit 1). A recent change to control hepatitis B was to immunize all infants. New vaccines have been added to the recommendation list in the last thirty years. Before the age of two, children now can receive up to twenty-seven and average five shots per doctor's visit. However, new combinations of shots are forming to help reduce the overall number our children receive.

In the past year, it has become more apparent that children are not being vaccinated. In the past month, four measles cases have been reported in Harris County. The most recent case “involves a male, between the ages of fifteen and twenty-four, in a southeastern part of the county,” (Ackerman 1) and he was not vaccinated. The other three cases in Harris County “were all in the northwest part of the county and included two boys under the age of two and a woman between twenty-five and thirty-five” (Ackerman 1). Houston isn't the only city hurting from this outbreak, others around the state of Texas are too. One measles case has been found in” in Denton, Galveston, Jefferson, Montgomery and Bell counties” (Cardona 1) and many involve children. With only a few months into 2019, we have almost met the state total for all cases in 2018 which was nine. 2013 had twenty-seven cases, and 2014 had ten.

Texas isn’t alone. Roughly “387 cases of measles have been confirmed in 15 states,” (“Measles | Cases and Outbreaks | CDC 1”) with Washington having seventy-one. Other states that have reported their cases to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention include “Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, and Oregon” (“Measles | Cases and Outbreaks | CDC 1”). This year’s numbers are already the “second-greatest number of cases reported in the U.S. since measles was eliminated in 2000” (“Measles | Cases and Outbreaks | CDC 1”).

The numbers for the measles disease are on the rise and can be stopped. However, a reason for blame is “an increase in the number of travelers who get measles abroad and bring it into the U.S., and by further spread of measles in U.S. communities with pockets of unvaccinated people” (“Measles | Cases and Outbreaks | CDC 1”). Being vaccinated could potentially stop this serious spread. Two doses of the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine is 97% effective (“Measles | Vaccination | CDC 1”). Starting between twelve months and fifteen months, and then again at ages four and six, patients can protect themselves and others.  Symptom of measles start “10 to 14 days after exposure to the virus and include Fever, Dry cough, Runny nose, Sore throat, Inflamed eyes, and types of rashes” (“Measles” 1). The types of rashes are described as “tiny white spots with bluish-white centers on a red background found inside the mouth on the inner lining of the cheek — also called Koplik's spots, and a skin rash made up of large, flat blotches that often flow into one another” (“Measles” 1).

While the symptoms listed above are one way to look at this disease, Shel Silverstein describes the illness in so many other ways in the poem titled “Sick.” An example in the way measles is described is in the few lines “I cannot go to school today, Said little Peggy Ann McKay. I have the measles and the mumps, A gash, a rash and purple bumps. My mouth is wet, my throat is dry, I’m going blind in my right eye.” (Silverstein). The child describes the way her body feels and how it is being attacked. The final line “G’bye, I’m going out to play,” (Silverstein) can be interpreted as a child still carrying on with their life without realization of what is happening, or the “G’bye” could signify their death.

There are a number of solutions to prevent the spreading of various diseases, vaccines being one of them. As mentioned earlier, vaccines helped nearly wiped out Polio in the U.S. in 1991. You might think that these vaccines are a clear solution, and they are, however “there’s been an increase since 2001 in the number of young children who have never received a vaccination” (Krans 1). It's been reported that fewer children are being vaccinated each year because “many of these parents grew up in a world where once-common chickenpox and measles are rare. This lack of firsthand knowledge as well as unscientific information about vaccination side effects may be fueling this trend” (Krans 1). There have been numerous studies explaining reasons why parents may refuse, delay, or who are hesitant to vaccinate their children. In one study, “77% of parents polled reported having concerns about one or more childhood vaccinations” (McKee 1). There are four types of categories why parents choose to not vaccinate their children and they include, “religious reasons, personal beliefs or philosophical reasons, safety concerns, and a desire for more information from healthcare providers” (Pomeroy 1).

Religious beliefs are one of the most common reasons parents choose not to vaccinate their children. Religious reasons are different from other reasons because they are linked to “the core beliefs of the parents, and it is very difficult to dissuade these individuals from views against immunization” (McKee 1). A study was “conducted in New York State and found that the rate of school vaccination exemptions due to religious reasons between 2000 and 2011 increased sharply” (McKee 1). Because of this, lawmakers put guidelines in place, and in order for schools to grant religious exemptions, the parents had to demonstrate their belief that contradicted the use of vaccinations. Showing of proof will likely become more popular as more and more parents try to use religious freedom as an excuse to not vaccinate their children. Imdad et al. conducted the study above, and he also discovered that “the counties that had higher exemption rates, ≥ 1%, also had an increase in reported pertussis cases, 33 per 100,000 compared to 20 per 100,000 in counties with lower exemption rates” (McKee 1).

Personal or philosophical reasons is another reason as to why parents chose to not vaccinate. As strange as it may sound, some people see some benefit in having their children fall ill with preventable diseases. Some parents believe that “natural immunity is better for their children than immunity acquired through vaccinations” (McKee 1). Many parents do not want to put extra chemicals into their children's bodies. Parents also believe that if their child got one of the diseases, it would be easily treatable, as they see them as “non life-threatening diseases” (McKee 1).

Safety is the major reason why parents refuse vaccinations for their children. Parents see stories about how bad vaccines can be and they stay away. A study was conducted, and “Fredrickson et al. found that the most commonly reported reason parents had for refusing one or more vaccines was other people or media reports” (McKee 1). Stories in social media and large-scale news outlets, are often skewed for higher ratings and views. They oftentimes show a rare incident in which a child suffers as a result of an effect of a vaccine. Mass media outlets also report “that vaccines can cause autism, brain damage, or behavioral problems cause parents to be more cautious and have more concerns regarding the safety of vaccines” (McKee 1). Parents fear that simultaneously administering multiple vaccines may overload their child's immune system, which is why some parents dont allow to let their children have more than one vaccine at a time. As a result, many choose to delay vaccines in order to better protect their children.

Parents want more information about vaccines and that's it. In a study “conducted by Gust et al. approximately one-third of parents indicated that they did not have enough access to sufficient information, and the majority of those parents did not think their child's provider was easy to talk to” (McKee 1). Many parents want more detailed information regarding side effects and benefits that come with vaccines. There are “a number of resources online, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and American Academy of Pediatrics websites, as well as print resources that can be provided to parents” (McKee 1). Parents want to be able to have open conversations with their child's healthcare provider in which they do not feel judged or attacked, as well as being able to ask questions. When making decisions about their child's healthcare, Physicians are one of the most important sources of information. In a study “conducted by Kennedy et al. noted that 81.7% of parents said their child's healthcare provider was one of the most important sources of information” (McKee 1). If a child's provider does not give parents information, it causes them to “seek information from other sources that can potentially mislead and misinform them” (McKee 1).

Although there are no federal laws in place regarding vaccine administration, each state has laws dictating which vaccinations are required for children to enter school. All 50 states allow medical exemptions for certain circumstances, with 30 states allow exemptions for children with religious reasons, and 18 allowing them for philosophical reasons. Some “states that have more lenient laws on vaccination requirements also have an increased rate of exemptions granted; this can lead to greater vulnerability in the population in terms of contracting preventable diseases” (McKee 1).

Camus believed that “nothing exists that could ever be a source of meaning, and hence there is something deeply absurd about the human quest to find meaning” (Maguire 1). Camus’ beliefs relate to my topic, but he would like it. Vaccines were invented to help our health and safety, so they technically have a meaning, Camus did not agree with something having a meaning. He would agree and side with the parents who think it is wrong for us to be injecting chemicals into our children bodies to help prevent a said disease. He would find it odd and absurd that we are trying to prevent something that just comes naturally. Camus would agree with the outcome of my epidemic. Children who are not vaccinated fall severely ill and can potentially die which is how he views life. We all eventually die.

The reason children aren't vaccinated can be because of religion, personal priorities, safety, and lack of information, but as deadly diseases and outbreaks are on the rise, this needs to change. Thousands of children go each year without being vaccinated, putting more at harm than just themselves. Vaccines in the past have helped nearly wiped out certain diseases so why start all the fuss about them now? Having your child vaccinated can save not only them, but you too. Whether you agree with them or not, vaccines were introduced to help us, not hurt us.  

Works Cited

Ackerman, Todd. “Fourth Case of Measles Confirmed in Harris County.” Houston Chronicle, Houston Chronicle, 21 Feb. 2019, www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Fourth-case-of-measles-confirmed-in-Harris-County-13632303.php.

Cardona, Claire Z. “With 10 Measles Cases Confirmed in Texas, 2019 Has Already Surpassed Last Year.” Dallas News, 7 Mar. 2019, www.dallasnews.com/news/public-health/2019/03/06/10-measles-cases-confirmed-texas-2019-exceeding-last-years-total.

“Growing Number of U.S. Children Not Vaccinated against Any Disease.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 12 Oct. 2018, www.cbsnews.com/news/more-us-children-not-vaccinated-against-any-disease/.

“Does Polio Still Exist? Is It Curable?” World Health Organization, World Health Organization, 14 Mar. 2018, www.who.int/features/qa/07/en/.

“History of Immunizations.” HealthyChildren.org, 2 Nov. 2009, www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/immunizations/Pages/History-of-Immunizations.aspx.

Krans , Brian. “Vaccinations: Health Effects on Children Without Them.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 2 Dec. 2018, www.healthline.com/health-news/this-is-what-happens-when-children-dont-get-vaccinated#%E2%80%98Leave-it-to-chance%E2%80%99.

Maguire, Laura. “Camus and Absurdity.” Philosophy Talk, 27 Feb. 2015, www.philosophytalk.org/blog/camus-and-absurdity.

McKee, Chephra, and Kristin Bohannon. “Exploring the Reasons Behind Parental Refusal of Vaccines.” The Journal of Pediatric Pharmacology and Therapeutics : JPPT : the Official Journal of PPAG, Pediatric Pharmacy Advocacy Group, 2016, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4869767/.

“Measles | Cases and Outbreaks | CDC.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 Apr. 2019, www.cdc.gov/measles/cases-outbreaks.html.

“Measles | Vaccination | CDC.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 5 Feb. 2018, www.cdc.gov/measles/vaccination.html.

“Measles.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 7 Sept. 2018, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/measles/symptoms-causes/syc-20374857.

Offit, Paul A. “Vaccine History: Developments by Year.” Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 20 Nov. 2014, www.chop.edu/centers-programs/vaccine-education-center/vaccine-history/developments-by-year.

Pomeroy, Ross. “World Health Organization Declares ‘Vaccine Hesitancy’ a Threat to Global Health in 2019.” RealClearScience, www.realclearscience.com/blog/2019/01/18/world_health_organization_declares_vaccine_hesitancy_a_threat_to_global_health_in_2019.html.

Silverstein, Shel. “Sick.” Poets.org, Academy of American Poets, 24 Aug. 2016, www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/sick.