The Importance of Immunizations

The debate on immunizations has been a subject of contention over the last few years.  Today, many parents are hesitant to vaccinate their children, whether for religious beliefs or the belief that vaccinations are unnecessary or harmful to the health of their children.  They still do it but really question whether or not it is the best thing for their children.  This topic is meaningful to me for a couple of different reasons.  The first is because I am a parent and strongly believe in community immunity.  Vaccines.gov states that, “If a critical portion of a community is immunized against a contagious disease, most members of the community are protected against that disease because there is little opportunity for an outbreak.”  This means that infants and pregnant women (two groups who are usually ineligible for certain vaccinations) can be protected from the outbreak of diseases because they are contained.  This is an important factor for the overall health of millions of Americans.  The other reason is because I work with children.  In community care, children easily spread germs.  If there is a chance to prevent any outbreaks that can be prevented by vaccinations, I am on board (for the health of the children and the adults that care for them). 

In the United States, vaccination rates are higher.  In Ethiopia, as of 2011, death rates among infants were one of the highest in the world.  At that time, “infant and under-five mortality rates were 59 and 88 per 1,000 live births, respectively” (Gurmu et al, 2016, p. 2307).  Although the rate for that country was much lower than in previous years, that is still considerably high.  According to Gurmu (2016), “Child morbidity and mortality in that country occurs mainly due to vaccine preventable diseases such as pneumonia, malaria, diarrhea, measles and neonatal causes,” (p. 2307).  On the other hand, in the United States, vaccination rates are higher.  “The decrease in mortality from tetanus and pertussis [alone] that has been directly attributed to vaccination has been estimated to be 99.2% and 99.3%, respectively.” (Ventola, 2016).  In Ethiopia, parents may not have access to the tools and materials that parents in more developed countries have access to.  In the United States specifically, we have access to health care that provides coverage of vaccinations as well as the ability to do our own research and draw our own conclusions about vaccinations.  Education is the most important factor.

Because I work within Air Force Child and Youth Programs, I know that even the slightest outbreak can affect the overall mission.  It is a requirement that all children enrolled be vaccinated.  The only exemptions are for allergies or religious reasons.  If there is an outbreak, those individuals must be excluded from programs until the outbreak has subsided.  The outbreak of a preventable disease could greatly affect the mission if children are affected and not allowed into the programs.  As far as the effect that this has on the future of my career, I eventually want to be in a position where I can help implement or enforce policies pertaining to Air Force.  Conducting research will help me be better informed so that I can make the best possible decision for the children and families that we provide care for on a daily basis.

References

2014.  Report shows how 20-year US immunization program spares

millions of children from diseases recent measles outbreaks underscore importance of sustaining high vaccination coverage.  States News Service.

Community immunity (“herd immunity”).  Retrieved from

https://www.vaccines.gov/basics/protection/index.html

Gurmu, E., Dula, E. (2016).  Factors influencing children’s full

immunization in Ethiopia.  African Population Studies 30(2), p. 2306-2317.

Importance of vaccines:  Top 10 reasons to protect children through

vaccination.  Retrieved from http://www.vaccineinformation.org/vaccines-save-lives/

Ventola, C. L. (2016, Jul). Immunization in the United States:

Recommendations, Barriers, and Measures to Improve Compliance.