ENGL 1133 RESEARCH-BASED POSITION PAPER.

Running Head: GLOBAL VACCINATIONS 1 Global Vaccinations Student Name Prairie View A&M University ENGL 1133 Z01 25 th April, 2015 Global Vaccinations 2 Global Vaccinations Vacci nations were originally created to protect individuals from virus that were potentially dangerous to individual’s health. In order for the vaccination to work it must contain some of the disease germ that is either dead or weaken. However , not all vaccinations contain the germ. The reason the germ is put into the vaccination is so that when the germ enters the body, the body will create antibodies to fight off the germ. The only way a person’s body can receive antibodies is if the individual gets the disease or the vaccination. The function of an antibody is to remember how to fight off germs. So once the germ has entered a hu man’s body the antibodies are created, therefor e anytime the germs return to the body the antibodies will be strong enough to fight the virus. Hence , individuals are faced with a choice to either get the vaccination which is a safer method , or on the other hand , the individual can get the disease with the possibility of disability, or death. Today in the United States , all 50 states require students entering kindergarten to receive the following vaccinations, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, measles , and rubella . Likewise , depending on the college, they also require their students to be vaccinated in order for the school to accept their admission. However , there are vaccination exempti on laws which were created . The Institute for Vaccine Safety was bro ught forward for those students who may have medical problem such as cancer, allergies, or an immune disorder and may not receive vaccinations because it can be harmful to the individual’s health. This law is known as a medical exemption which is in all 50 states. On the other side is the non -medical exemption or better known as religious exemption or philosophy exemption. These exemptions were created for those individuals that disagree with medicine totally and it is not part of their religion. There have been recent debates over whether or not vaccinations are beneficial to the human body. This paper will review the meaning of beneficial to the human body; explain why Global Vaccinations 3 vaccinations are beneficial to the human body, explore articles that evaluate vaccinations, examine result s of individuals who receive vaccinations and those who don’t, and finally , clarify what should be done to create a world of global vaccination . Beneficial is best defined as helpful or good to so meone or something. In this case vaccinations are helpful and good to the human body because they protect individuals from viruses and disease that could possibly cause significant impairment in their lives. The article “The Global Value of Vaccinations” w ritten by Jenifer Ehreth, detailed an experiment put on to see whether or not vaccinations were effective. In the experiment the author reviewed documents detailing references and statistics from public agencies and academic centers in the U.S., UK, Austra lia, France, and Switzerland. They also reviewed government documents and publications with the terms ’ vaccination, vaccine, immunization s, and many other words related to type of diseases and viruses that have vaccine treatments. As well as examining the cost effectiveness of vaccines and the firs t two stages of vaccinations . Ehr eth found from her research , “Although vaccination saves up to three million children's lives each year, another three million lives are lost world -wide from diseases that are preventable with existing vaccines. More widespread use of vaccines could prevent an additional 1.6 million deaths a year among children under the age of five” (Ehreth, 2003). She clarified that if one individual were to get vaccinated it would protect an entire group of people, and would continue to have that effect throughout other countries resulting in glob al influence. Ehreth specified the most important thing, individuals today have not seen an individual affected by these harmful d isease, due to the fact that vaccinations are doing their job, “When there is no longer an imminent fear of contracting a dise ase, the public may forget about the limitations of cures and can become apathetic about prevention” (Ehreth, 2003). The article “Vaccine Refusal, Mandatory Immunization, and the Global Vaccinations 4 Risks of Vaccine -Preventable Diseases ” also agrees with Ehreth article , that vaccinations are beneficial to the human body. In the article “Vaccine Refusal, Mandatory Immunization, and the Risks of Vaccine - Preventable Diseases ” the writes reviewed the requirements for school immunization, looked at the consequences of not receivin g vaccinations, and how it can e ffect a community. The authors discuss the type of exemptions and gave an example of how the rates of non -vaccinated individuals increase due to the exemption laws. “ In the period from 2006 through 2007, the state - level nonm edical -exemption rate in Washington was 6%; however, the county -level rate ranged from 1.2 to 26.9% ” (Omer, Salmon, Orenstein, Dehart , & H alsey, 2009). Likewise , in the article they evaluated a study of children who were exempt from vaccination and those w ho weren’t and found that, “… children with exemptions were 35 times as likely to contract measles as nonexempt children , children with exemptions, as compared with unvaccinated children, were 22 times as likely to have had measles… and almost six times as likely to have had pertussis ” (Omer, Salmon, Orenstein, Dehart, & Halsey, 2009). The authors explained that it is important for individuals to get vaccinated because those who can’t receive vaccinations due to medical reason dep end on the individuals that have received the immunization shot to keep them safe. The authors also conducted a survey finding that 69% of the parents that refuse to vaccinate their child are because they believe the vaccination is harmful. In the articles conclusion, it explains that parents who are refusing to vaccinate their child are focusing more on the concern of the safety of vaccinat ion rather than the risk of diseases , and the authors believe that these individuals need to be informed of the risk they are taking when they refuse to get themselves or their children vaccinated. Bailey also agrees with the two articles above, individuals who refuse to get vaccinated put others at risk. Global Vaccinations 5 In Bailey’s article “Refusing Vaccinations Put Others at Risk” he explained the relationship between the numbers of children with vaccination versus the ones who aren’t and the risk that they stand. He also clarified what “herd immunity ” is and how it is effective. Herd immunity was described as a group of individuals that make up a community which provides safety and protect those wh o may not be able to receive a vaccination for whatever the reason. He explains that non -vaccinated individuals reap the benefit of the herd immunization because if most of the community is vaccinated the se individuals stand at a greater chance of not catching the virus. However , if more people continue to join those who aren’t vaccinated there won’t be a herd immunity anymore , which will increase the chances of receiving diseases. Bailey gave an example of a 17 year -old unvaccinated girl who traveled out of the country and when she returned she brought the deadly disease measles back with her. In her return she infected 34 other people, who were unvaccinated . Ho wever, the doctor who obtain ed a vaccination was infected. Bailey explained, “ Despite the medical technician’s bad luck, the good news is that the measles vaccine is thought to protect 9 9.8 percent of who get the shot” (Bailey, 2013). From this example it show s that this girl was able to make it 17 years throughout her life without being vaccinated or catching a disease, possibly due t o the herd immunity. However , once she left that community she exposed herself to the reality of the diseases and not only harmed herself but other individuals as well in the process. Additionally , in the article Bailey gives an analogy of , Oliver Holmes , a good libertarian principle metaphor, “‘ the right [s] to swing my fist ends where the other man's nose begins ’… people who refuse vaccination are asserting that they have a right to “swing” their microbes at other people. There is no principled libertarian case for their free - riding refusal to take responsibility for their own microbes ” (Bailey, 2013). In this quot e bailey explains that individuals who refuse to get vaccinate feel as though they have the right to walk Global Vaccinations 6 around with the potential of harming others. Not only are they running the risk of harming individuals in America but also other individuals in differ ent parts of the world. Eric Walkinshaw explains that in many other countries their vaccination plans differ depending on the country. Eric Walkinshaw’s article “ Mandatory vaccinations: The international landscape ” describes how different countries enforc e vaccinations laws and how they vary from America. For example in Australia they offer incentives for individuals who take their child to get vaccinated, “p arents receive nontaxable payments of a $129 for each child who meets immunization requirements bet ween 18 and 24 months of age, and again if the child meets requirements between four and five years of age ” (Walkinshaw , 2011). Sin ce vaccinations aren’t required by law in Australia the Maternity Immunization Allowance and Child Care Benefit reward the parents that keep their child up to date with the vaccinations. In Australia children don’t have to be vaccinated to attend school however, if there is a case that an outbreak occurs the children who aren’t vaccinated are prohibited from the school. Wa lkinshaw quoted chief executive officer of the Public Health Association of Australia , Michael Moore, ‘“ the implications of this become apparent when the parents have to take time off work ’” (Walkinshaw, 2011). Walkinshaw also mentions Slovenia as “one of the most aggressive and comprehensive vaccination programs” (Walkinshaw, 2011). In the program they require the citizens to get the nine following vaccinations in the time limited they set, “w ithin the first three months of life, infants must be vaccinated for tuberculosis, tetanus, polio, pertussis, and Haemophilus influenza type B. Within 18 months, vaccines are required for measles, mumps and rubella, and finally, before a child start school; the child must be vaccinated for hepatitis B ” (Wal kinshaw, 201 1). Al so this program is mandatory , for those who do not obey the law they Global Vaccinations 7 will receive a fine. Furthermore in Slovenia they do not have law exemption for religious or morality reasons, the only exemption is for medical reasons . In Walkin shaw’s closing he explains, the World Health Organization (WHO) does not have any programs placed regarding vaccinations, and they are hoping that with high community demands for vaccinations and acceptance which requires vaccinations, that will be enough for everyone to want to get a vaccine. Walkinshaw add that “WHO is ‘ very interested in learning from the experience of countries who introduce compulsory vaccination in order to better understand the impact on immunization coverage and the strengths an d we aknesses of such approaches ”’ (Walkinshaw, 2011). As it has been mentioned vaccinations are beneficial to the human body because they protect individuals from harmful and deadly diseases. It is important for all individuals to get vaccinated because the v accination s eliminate all possibilities of the disease coming into existence, as well as protecting the individuals who absolutely can’t get the vaccinations due to medical issues. It’ s also been proven that vaccines are cheape r than the treatment of catching a disease . The National Institution of Allergy and Infectious Diseases identified , “ In a 2005 study on the economic impact of routine childhood immunization in the Unit ed States , that for every dollar spent, the vaccination program saved more than $5 in direct costs and approximately $11 in additional costs to society” ( Vaccine, 2014). Additionally, i t was expressed in an article about benefits vs. risk of vaccinations that, it may be difficult to base global profits of immunization to a person’s own child’s health, however getting their child vaccinated during the recommended time can protect their child from all the potential diseases that are out there by the age of two. The dangers and difficulties of these diseases can cause major problems su ch as , long -standing disabilities, and worst case scenario , death. Statistically speaking, “one in five children Global Vaccinations 8 worldwide are not fully protected with even the most basic vaccines. As a result, an estimated 1.5 million children die each year — one every 20 seconds — from vaccine -preventable diseases such as diarrhea and pneu monia ”(Vaccine Delivery, 1999) . It has been statistically proven that vaccination saves liv es, which in essences make it beneficial to the human body. In conclusion some ways that will promote global vaccination is following the Slovenia program and making vaccinations mandatory and only excusing individuals who have medical issues exempt and fining those that refuse to vaccinate their child. This will promote a herd comm unity, reducing the risk of an epidemic, and save millions of lives while not causing a finical burden. In effect when each community starts to adopt the herd immunity it will take over a state, which will transfer to other states, then will transfer to ot her countries, and in a blink of an eye vaccinations will whip off number of preventable disease cases throughout the globe.

However this will only happen if it is mandated that everyone that can, get vaccinated and those who don’t reap the punishment. Eve ryone must do their part to create global vaccination. Global Vaccinations 9 Work Cited Bailey, R. (2013, December 6). Refusing Vaccination Puts Others At Risk. Retrieved April 27, 2015, from http://reason.com/archives/2013/12/06/vaccine -free -riders -1 Beneficial dictionary definition | beneficial defined. (1996, June 28). Retrieved April 27, 2015, from http://www.yourdictionary.com/benef icial Birnbaum, M., Jacobs, E., Ralston -King, J., & Ernst, K. (2013, January 21). Correlation of High Vaccination Exemption Rates Among Kindergarteners. Retrieved April 20, 2015, from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1552019374/1EEF69696A494D50PQ/9?acc ountid= 7062 Ehreth, J. (2003, January 30). The Global Value of Vaccination. Retrieved April 19, 2015, from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1490973772/658FF4 5FFF384F6BPQ/6?accountid=7 062 Institutional links. (2014, January 20). Retrieved April 27, 2015, from http://www.phac - aspc.gc.ca/im/vs -sv/vs -faq01 -eng.php Omer, S., Salmon, D., Orenstein, W., Dehart, P., & Halsey, N. (200 9, May 7). Vaccine Refusal, Mandatory Immunization, and the Risks of Vaccine -Preventable Diseases. Retrieved April 20, 2015, from http://search.proquest.com/docview/223910735/1EEF69696A494D50PQ/17?accountid = 7062 Vaccines. (2014, March 6). Retrieved May 5, 2015, from http://www.niaid.ni h.gov/topics/vaccines/understanding/pages/vaccinebenefits.aspx Global Vaccinations 10 Vaccine Delivery. (1999, August 9). Retrieved May 5, 2015, from http://www.gatesfoundation.org/What -We -Do/Global -Development/Vaccine -Delivery Vara, C. (2012, February 22). Where Does Your Stat e Stand on School Immunization Exemptions? Retrieved April 27, 2015, from http://shotofprevention.com/2012/02/22/where -does -your -state -stand -on -school - immunization -exemptions/ Walkinshaw, E. (2011, October 11). Canadian Medical Association Journal. Retrieved May 5, 2015, from http://www.cmaj.ca/content/183/16/E1167