Advanced Essay #3: Refusal to vaccinate your kids

Introduction

My goal for this paper was to try and teach some people about the reasons behind some refusals to vaccinate. I'm really proud that I included sources that explained more about what my topic was about. Areas for improvement are that I could've elaborated more on the idea of value systems and their impacts. Another area for improvement could be that I should expand more on analyzing the quotes. Overall, I'm proud about my topic because not many people think of the reasoning behind this choice.

Advanced Essay

According to the Collins Dictionary, “the value system of a group of people is the set of beliefs and attitudes that they all share.” Refusing to get vaccines is something that some parents choose to follow for their children’s health. Nowadays, many parents are choosing to delay how often their kids get their vaccines and some also choose to just not get them. According to the U.S National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, “These reasons vary widely between parents, but they can be encompassed in 4 overarching categories. The 4 categories are religious reasons, personal beliefs or philosophical reasons, safety concerns, and a desire for more information from healthcare providers.” (McKee, Chephra, and Kristin Bohannon. “Exploring the Reasons Behind Parental Refusal of Vaccines.” The Journal of Pediatric Pharmacology and Therapeutics : JPPT 21.2 (2016): 104–109. PMC. Web. 8 Mar. 2018.) Personally, I believe that everyone should get vaccinated because I know that it would most likely prevent people from receiving certain diseases.

I think that people don’t realize that not getting vaccines is dangerous because if they’re in the same area as vaccinated kids and the kids with vaccines have something like whooping cough, the non-vaccinated kids can catch it. People could be spreading viruses onto kids that don’t have their vaccines. I think it’s important that parents should be educated enough to know what their choices could lead to. Parents should get enough information to know what would happen if their child got sick and didn’t have their vaccines. I think that children should have some say when parents are hesitant about issues that concern their public health. I believe that some value systems that have been set in place should be removed because in a way they “punish” those who have different beliefs.

I understand that it wouldn’t be ideal if some kids got to choose whether or not they wanted them because there are kids that would refuse it because it “hurts.” I’ve seen a poster at a pediatric office I intern at and it says something like, “If there were a vaccine against cancer,  wouldn’t you give it to your child?...” Most parents wouldn’t even think twice about giving their child a vaccine to prevent something like cancer, so why not for other diseases? This value system that has been set up doesn’t take into consideration that children may die if they get a disease that they aren’t protected from. What does it have to take in order for a parent to ignore their values and actually do what’s best for their child’s health? For example, there’s a story about the death of a boy named Colin Durkin. I think that the personal story of the family who lost a child is an important source because they speak about how maybe if they’d gotten the chance to give their child a vaccine, it’s possible he wouldn’t have died. In the story, the parents explain, “We never had the chance to immunize Colin as he was still too young, but an ounce of prevention could go a long way in saving your child's life…” (Durkin, Pamela and Kevin)

In situations like this, it’s difficult to receive a vaccine because the child is so young. However, this family realized that if they could’ve done something, in order to prevent this death, they would’ve done it. This is an example of how refusing to give your child a vaccine could result in something devastation, sometimes even fatal. Sometimes there aren’t “in your face” symptoms, which is why it’s important to receive a vaccine because it could detect what your eyes couldn’t.

Personally, those who don’t get it because of “religious reasons” should have to give proof that is a legit reason for the exemption. I understand the thinking behind those who do it because they’re concerned about the health of their children. “Religious reasons tend to account for the majority of total vaccine refusal, while parents with personal beliefs against immunization tend to be more willing to compromise and at least partially vaccinate their children. Parents are concerned with doing the best for their children, and hearing reports of potential safety issues or that childhood diseases are not a large threat can hinder them from vaccinating their children.” (McKee, Chephra, and Kristin Bohannon, 104-109) This quote really speaks about how most parents could be influenced in vaccinating their child if they’re told about what major illnesses it could prevent. My mom has chosen to not give us the flu vaccines because everytime that we used to get them, we would get extreme fevers and even more sick. I understand that some parents don’t want to risk their children’s health even more because of the symptoms that may occur afterwards. I think that society needs to get rid of these systems set up with specific beliefs because it doesn’t allow for those who oppose those ideas to speak their minds.

Bibliography

McKee, Chephra, and Kristin Bohannon. “Exploring the Reasons Behind Parental Refusal of Vaccines.” The Journal of Pediatric Pharmacology and Therapeutics : JPPT 21.2 (2016): 104–109. PMC. Web. 8 Mar. 2018. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4869767/

“Infant and Child Vaccines - Personal Testimonies - The Death of Colin, Pamela and Kevin Durkin's Infant Son.” Accessed March 8, 2018. www.vaccineinformation.org/infants-children/testimonies/whooping-cough/colin-durkin.asp.