Vaccinations in America, Should Parents Have The Right To Choose Or Should The Government Make Them Mandatory For Every Child Born And Living In America?

Vaccinations in America, Should Parents Have The Right To Choose Or Should The Government Make Them Mandatory For Every Child Born And Living In America?

Introduction

Vaccination is a process that artificially confers immunity to an individual against a specific type of disease caused by infectious microorganisms (viruses, bacteria, fungi, or parasites). Vaccines work by using the body's ability to remember previous infections. I think that government should make vaccination mandatory for every child born and living in America.

Discussion

Following are some of the reasons why government should make vaccination mandatory for every child born and living in America.

The Great Importance of This Vaccine

Among the many arguments for requiring the HPV vaccine prior to school entry, foremost is that it is an important medical achievement and a major public health milestone. A test of this anticancer vaccine has been made worldwide with more than 11,000 females between the ages of 9 and 26 years and has proven to be 100% effective in preventing the 4 HPV strains that are responsible for 70% of cervical cancers and 90% of genital warts (Charo, 2007). In addition, no serious side effects have been identified. Because this vaccine is a preventive measure, administration before onset of sexual activity is ideal; however, even females who have been sexually active can still benefit from this vaccination.

Children of School Age: An Appropriate Vaccine Audience

Mandatory immunizations for children of school age have been associated with a significant decrease in morbidity and mortality. The argument for adding the HPV vaccine to an immunization schedule for school children notes that such mandatory school vaccinations are optimal for rapid and widespread disease protection that is distributed among children regardless of race/ethnicity or socioeconomic status. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the American Academy of Pediatrics (Charo, 2007), the American Association of Family Physicians, and the American Medical Association have identified children 11-12 years old to be the appropriate age for various adolescent immunizations as well as the appropriate age for other immunizations such as meningococcal and combined tetanus and diphtheria and whooping cough boosters. For those parents who do not want the health benefits of vaccination for their child, all 50 states allow parents to opt out of required vaccinations due to medical reasons, 48 states allow exemptions due to religious beliefs, and 20 states allow exemptions due to philosophical reasons (Charo, 2007).

HPV Vaccine Is Cost Effective

Advocating for mandatory use of the vaccine includes a cost-effectiveness approach-some authorities estimate the economic burden of HPV infections and their sequelae to cost $5 billion per year in the United States alone. Sanders and Taira32 found that vaccinating all 12-year-old girls in the United States against high-risk HPV types would be cost effective and prevent more than 1300 deaths during this population's lifetime. The cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) from vaccinating against only types 16 and 18 (not including types 6 ...