Immunizations for Children Entering Kindergarten
Week 3 Assignment
Matthew Kuntz
November 16, 2014
MPH 584 - Dr. Brodie
Immunizations for Children Entering Kindergarten
Introduction
Immunizations have been a much debated topic over the last few years. While it is said
that vaccinations and immunizations are “designed to protect infants and children early in life,
when they are most vulnerable and before they are exposed to potentially life-threatening
diseases”, many parents are forgoing immunizations for their children because of the suggested
and rare side effects that may or may not happen (Immunization Schedules, 2014). Many parents
today are relying on herd immunity to protect their child from many of the infectious diseases
that are threatening their children. The issue with this idea is that more parents that are taking
this route. If more and more parents keep declining immunization for their children who are
entering kindergarten, our defense against these diseases becomes very weak and children will
become sick easier, faster, and for longer periods of time. “If we stopped vaccinating, even the
few cases of diseases that we have in the United States could very quickly become tens or
hundreds of thousands of cases (Diseases & the Vaccines That Prevent Them, 2014). The truth
is, immunizations are very simple and take less time than actually pulling up a sleeve to receive
the shot. Even though children hate receiving these immunizations, one day they will realize that
their parents have actually protected them from a countless number of infectious diseases and
even saved their life.
Immunizations for Children Entering Kindergarten
Children entering kindergarten are subjected to many infectious diseases and should
receive immunizations and vaccinations to prevent the spread of these diseases. Kindergarten
aged children are especially vulnerable to infectious disease because schools are like a breading
house for germs and these children are entering schools for their very first time. Murphy and
Allen explain that “an elementary school, where kids share practically everything, is a potential
petri dish of possibility to spread germs” (2006). A lot of those germs and diseases they are
talking about are included in this chart below.
Preventable Diseases Through Vaccination
(Diseases & the Vaccines that Prevent Them, 2014)
Chicken pox
HPV
Pneumococcal
Diphtheria
Rotavirus
Flu
Measles
Rubella
Hepatitis A
Meningococcal Dis.
Whooping Cough
HIB
Hepatitis B
Polio
Mumps
Tetanus
Even though children will get still get sick no matter what the circumstances are and how
many immunizations they’ve had, following an immunization schedule to prevent some of the
most serious infectious diseases is recommended. Information on scheduled immunizations can
be found by going to the CDC website or by contacting the doctor’s office for help. According to
the CDC, the required immunizations that children entering kindergarten should have include
hepatitis A and B, DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis), flu, pneumococcal, poliovirus,
influenza, MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), and chicken pox (Immunization Schedules, 2014).
The Professionals
The CDC, WebMD, the WHO, and many state and local health departments all share a
similar position on childhood vaccinations. The position they share is that children should be
vaccinated following immunization schedules to prevent the spread of disease regardless of the
very rare and very mild side effects they may or may not occur. Describing the importance of
immunizations, the CDC says that “most parents today have never seen first-hand the devastating
consequences that vaccine-preventable diseases have on a family or community” (Vaccines for
your Children, 2013). If children continue to go unvaccinated, one day, these parents that chose
not to have their child vaccinated could potentially see the devastating effects of many
preventable diseases. Other negative outcomes of not vaccinating children are more severe
onsets of disease, longer sick times, limited travel outside of the United States, lifelong
vulnerabilities, isolation and quarantine when sick, and treatment that is out of the ordinary due
to unfamiliarity of treatment staff.
Side Effects
Even with the all of the evidence that the professionals have about immunizations and the
success that the United States has had with eradicating many of the most severe diseases, some
parents believe that immunizations do more harm than good. They believe this because some
professional organizations have reported some mild side effects of immunizations. Some of these
parents believe vaccines cause autism, immunity disorders, growth disorders and many other
forms of disorders based on studies suggesting this information. There are some studies that
suggest negative consequences of immunizations but nothing has been proved worthy of not
following the immunization schedules that have proven success for many years. “Despite
concerns about vaccine safety, vaccination and immunization is safer than accepting the risks for
the diseases these vaccines prevent” (Vaccine Side Effects,1996).
Discussion
Childhood vaccinations are very important for a child’s health, the United States
healthcare system, and the general realm of public health. Based on the evidence proved by
many professional organizations, I actually believe that some immunizations should become
mandatory and others should continue to be provided and encouraged. If you look at other
countries around the world, many preventable diseases are running ramped causing premature
death. In the United States, those same diseases are no longer problematic due to the nature of
our immunization schedules and preventative measures. In my opinion, living with a very mild
side effect from an immunization is much more acceptable than living with a crippling disease or
dying prematurely from a very preventable infectious disease. Since the likelihood of
experiencing these side effects are so rare and mild; protecting the general community,
preventing epidemics and premature death, and reducing the amount of exposure to many
diseases would be more important for Public Health than refraining from immunization based off
of personal beliefs.
References:
Diseases & the Vaccines that Prevent Them. (2014). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Retrieved June 10, 2014, from http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/fact-sheet-parents.html
Immunization Schedules. (2014). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved
November 16, 2014, from http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/easy-to-read/child.html
Murphy, A., & Allen, J. (2006). Schools Can Be a Hotbed of Bacteria. Good Morning America.
Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/OnCall/story?id=2455073
Vaccines for your Children (2013). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved June
10, 2014, from http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents/index.html
Vaccine Side Effects, Adverse Reactions, Contraindications, and Precautions Recommendations
of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP. (1996, January 1). Retrieved
November 16, 2014, from http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00046738.htm