Vaccines Are The Best Effective Preventative Tools Against...

Vaccines are thought to be some of the most effective preventative tools against highly infectious disease processes and their complications. Routine vaccinations in the United States have led to drastic declines in vaccine-preventable diseases (Omer, Salmon, Orenstein, DeHart, Halsey, 2010) such as mumps, rubella, polio, smallpox and diphtheria. These diseases are occurring at less than 1% of what they were during the pre-vaccine era, especially in higher income countries. Vaccination requirements can be traced back to 1855, when United States schools began requiring immunizations for school entry. As a result of this requirement, vaccine coverage levels have resulted in widespread immunity throughout the population, thus significantly†¦show more content†¦Aside from the safety and efficacy concerns, are parental concerns that their children could not handle the administration of simultaneous vaccinations. To combat this concern, 26% of parents elect to follow an alternati ve vaccination schedule (as opposed to the schedule recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices) and have been reported to refuse vaccines such as those for MMR, while another 54% delay the administration of the vaccine (Shimi, 2012). Some of the most recent parental concerns in regards to vaccine safety are a result of the unsubstantiated link between vaccines and autism. Although unsupported by a credible body of scientific evidence, there has been a marked increase in the number of parents refusing or delaying vaccinations. Plain and simple, refusing immunizations places the public at great risk and can impact the health of the community as well as the delivery and practice of public health. In 2007, an article published within the Journal of the Medical Association paralleled the annual average sum of cases and resulting deaths of assorted diseases before the advent of vaccines, to those occurring just the year prior. Before the advent of an effective diphth eria vaccine in the 1930s, the