Paper Example on Immunization

Articulating the Issue

Immunization is a process that involves the administration of a weakened or dead disease-causing organism into a child. In recent years, the issue of immunization has raised controversies especially in the way parents who refuse to vaccinate their children are subjected to a firestorm from the proponents of this exercise. The advocates of immunization maintain that it not only protects children from deadly diseases but also limits the ability of such diseases to spread from one child to another. On the contrary, parents who do not immunize their children often cite cultural reasons such as the tendency for his or her community members to not vaccinate or an alleged negative effect on someone they know that they believe was due to the vaccine (Opel et al., 2014). Understanding the basis of the controversy is significant since it will assist in ending the constant blame game and public rifts of parents that immunize their children routinely and those who do not. This controversy boils down to the question of what benefits vaccines provide to children and the public at large.

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Framing the Issue

In an attempt to demystify the controversy of immunization, Dube et al., (2016) introduce a term known as "vaccine hesitancy", which they define as a range of immunization beliefs and behaviors varying from the absolute rejection to the absolute acceptance of vaccines. Similarly, Hendrix, Sturm, Zimet and Meslin (2016) shed light on the term "childhood immunization", which they identify as a balance between parents' ability to decide if they will vaccinate their children and what the society stands to gain from authorizing vaccines. In their study meant to understand the level of vaccine hesitancy in Canada, Dube et al., (2016) found out that a majority of the research participants were convinced that vaccination rates are reducing as each day passes and thus bring about the need for immediate intervention by the Canadian healthcare fraternity. Additionally, Dube et al., (2016) identify false and damaging information about immunization on social media platforms as the root cause of vaccine hesitancy in Canada. However, most patients consider medical experts as the most reliable individuals to give information about vaccines with regards to their possible benefits and reassure parents on the need to vaccinate their children. Therefore, from a social and healthcare professional's perspective, this paper attempts to quash the prevailing falsity about immunization being harmful to children in Canada by arguing that it is important for parents to vaccinate their children.

Analyzing the Issue

As stated above, this paper tries to enlighten parents and the public about the significance of vaccinating children. One reason why immunization is important revolves around the health benefits brought about by vaccines in guaranteeing the immunity of a child and the public, which would, otherwise, not be realized if children are not vaccinated. To this end, Compton (2015) argues that regular childhood vaccination provides herd and individual immunity benefits by thwarting the spread of communicable diseases. Not only do vaccines improve the resistance of a child to diseases but also inhibit the outbreak of infections when a majority of children are less vulnerable to diseases. Another scholar, Witteman (2015) argues that the health benefits of child immunization considerably outweigh possible dangers on a social and personal level. Witteman (2015) supports this claim by giving the example of her husband who struggled with measles during his childhood years since he was not immunized until the age of 12. Based on his husband's ordeals and from an ethical dimension, Witteman (2015) purports that she would fervently accept the trivial risks that may be associated with vaccination since she cannot stand the sight of her children being destroyed by a vaccine-preventable infection or infecting someone else who is not immunized. Such an outlook would go a long way in resolving vaccine hesitancy since parents will become more aware of what to gain after vaccinating their children.

This paper presents an argument of the importance of childhood immunization. Apart from the health benefits mentioned above, child vaccination is a crucial undertaking since it also assists in reducing mortality rates among children. Ventola (2016) states that mortality rates in Western nations associated with transmissible diseases have greatly reduced owing to the implementation of childhood immunization programs. For instance, in the US, for every birth cohort that undergoes child vaccination, over 40000 death cases are prevented. This huge number of lives saved can be attributed to the effectiveness of vaccines in curbing the catching and spreading of preventable diseases. From a social angle, some people recognize this effectiveness regardless of the false information about vaccines circulated over the internet. For example, Public Health Agency of Canada (2016), in a study to assess parents' attitudes towards immunization, found out that 97% of the participants agreed that vaccines are effective with 95% aware of their safety. To cap this argument, Ventola (2016) calls for healthcare professionals to facilitate more immunization programs as an approach to combating mortality among children.

This paper explains why it is imperative to vaccinate children. This is because vaccination also presents a social value by integrating people from different cultural backgrounds. Luyten and Beutels (2016) acknowledge that child immunization can bolster cohesion by offsetting societal undercurrents such as stigmatization caused by the transmission of contagious ailments. In States that are home to a high migrants' population, the integration of minority groups is key to the peaceful coexistence of their members. Having a good reputation greatly improves the relations between these groups. Ethnicities that are plagued a bad public image are also likely to portray a high occurrence of deadly infectious diseases. For instance, Wagner et al., (2010) mention Indian migrants as the cultural minority group in the UK that is most affected by enteric fever and Tuberculosis, which stands at 80% and 57% of all migrant cases respectively. By vaccinating children, the rate of incidence of these diseases reduces thus improving how other communities view the affected ethnic group and foster social integration.

Conclusion

In an attempt to resolve the controversies surrounding child immunization, the above argument has illuminated why administering vaccines is an important exercise for children and society. To support this standpoint, the first argument was that immunization presents health benefits that are specifically seen in the enhanced immunity of a child to preventable diseases such as measles and polio. Secondly, child vaccination reduces mortality rates owing to the safety and effectiveness of vaccines in curbing deadly diseases. Thirdly, child immunization promotes social integration by mitigating social dynamics such as stigmatization due to infectious diseases. Understanding this controversy is imperative for nurses to help them improve their knowledge of the effects of vaccination, which they can use to counsel parents who refuse to immunize their children. In spite of the importance of vaccinating children explored in this paper, people should also consider the possible side-effects of vaccines that may partly result in vaccine hesitancy.

References

Compton, J. E. (2015). Canada's Best Shot: Policies to Improve Childhood Immunization Coverage.

Dube, E., Gagnon, D., Ouakki, M., Bettinger, J. A., Guay, M., Halperin, S., ... & Fisher, W. (2016). Understanding vaccine hesitancy in Canada: Results of a consultation study by the Canadian Immunization Research Network. PloS one, 11(6), e0156118.

Hendrix, K. S., Sturm, L. A., Zimet, G. D., & Meslin, E. M. (2016). Ethics and childhood vaccination policy in the United States. American journal of public health, 106(2), 273-278.

Luyten, J., & Beutels, P. (2016). The social value of vaccination programs: beyond cost-effectiveness. Health Affairs, 35(2), 212-218.

Opel, D. J., Feemster, K. A., Omer, S. B., Orenstein, W. A., Richter, M., & Lantos, J. D. (2014). A 6-month-old with vaccine-hesitant parents. Pediatrics, peds-2013.

Public Health Agency of Canada. (2016). Vaccine coverage in Canadian children: Results from the 2013 childhood National Immunization Coverage Survey (cNICS).

Ventola, C. L. (2016). Immunization in the United States: Recommendations, barriers, and measures to improve compliance: Part 1: Childhood vaccinations. Pharmacy and Therapeutics, 41(7), 426.

Wagner, K. S., Lawrence, J., Anderson, L., Yin, Z., Delpech, V., Chiodini, P. L., ... & Jones, J. (2010). Migrant health and infectious diseases in the UK: findings from the last 10 years of surveillance. Journal of Public Health, 36(1), 28-35.

Witteman, H. O. (2015). Addressing vaccine hesitancy with values. Pediatrics, 136(2), 215-217.