Mandatory Vaccines Save Lives

Adam M. Collins
ECPI University
ENG120 NFH
• Introduction
• Reasoning Behind Vaccinations
• Historical Effectiveness of
Vaccines
• Vaccination Concerns
• Cases for Exemption
• Conclusion
Introduction

• “Smallpox was declared

eradicated in 1980 following a
global immunization campaign
led by the World Health
Organization” (World Health
Organization, 2018)

• This was the first instance of

intervention bringing about
the end of a disease through
vaccination.
Fig. 1. World Health
(World Health Organization, 2018)
Introduction

• Vaccinations should be mandatory in the United States

• Scientifically proven to combat disease

• Historically effective,

• Vaccinating the majority (85-95%) can protect the unvaccinated

Reasoning Behind Vaccinations

• The exposure to an inactive sample of a disease allows the body’s

immune system to better develop a defense to the disease and
more effectively fight off the disease upon future exposure.
Historical Effectiveness of Vaccines

• 1796 Edward Jenner used pus from a cowpox lesion on a

milkmaid’s hand to inoculate a boy of his smallpox.
“Laid the foundation for modern vaccinology” (Stern &
Markel, 2005).
• 1885 Louis Pasteur helped establish the modern definition of
a vaccine as “suspension of live (usually attenuated) or
inactivated microorganisms (e.g., bacteria or viruses)
or fractions thereof administered to induce immunity
and prevent infectious disease or its sequelae” (Stern &
Markel, 2005).

• 1977 “The last known natural case of smallpox in the world

reported in Somalia” (World Health Organization, 2018).
Historical Effectiveness of Vaccines

• Vaccines are available for these 18 dangerous or deadly diseases

(World Health Organization, 2016).
• Chickenpox (Varicella) • Meningococcal
• Diphtheria • Mumps
• Flu (Influenza) • Pneumococcal
• Hepatitis A • Polio (Poliomyelitis)
• Hepatitis B • Rotavirus
• Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type • Rubella (German Measles)
b) • Shingles (Herpes Zoster)
• HPV (Human Papillomavirus) • Tetanus (Lockjaw)
• Measles • Whooping Cough (Pertussis )
Historical Effectiveness of Vaccines

• These 7 non-routine vaccines are available for people in certain

research jobs and travel situations may be exposed to dangerous
or deadly diseases that are no longer common in the U.S. (World
Health Organization, 2016).
• Anthrax
• Japanese Encephalitis (JE)
• Rabies
• Smallpox
• Tuberculosis
• Typhoid Fever
• Yellow Fever
Impact of Vaccines in the U.S.

Disease Pre-Vaccine Annual Cases 2009 Cases Percent Decrease

Measles 503,282 71 99.9%
Diphtheria 175,885 0 100%
Mumps 152,209 1,991 98.7%
Pertussis 147,271 13,214 91.0%
Smallpox 48,164 0 100%
Rubella 47,745 3 99.9%
Polio 16,316 0* 100%
Tetanus 1,314 18 98.6%
Table 1. Adapted from “Vaccine benefits”, by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, n.d.
Retrieved from https://www.niaid.nih.gov/research/vaccine-benefits
Vaccine Concerns

• In 2008, the United States experienced the highest number of

measles cases in over a decade “largely among school-aged
children who were eligible for vaccination but whose parents
chose not to have them vaccinated” (Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 2008).
• In 2013, in nearly two-thirds of the eleven outbreaks,
“transmission occurred after introduction of measles into
communities with pockets of persons unvaccinated because of
philosophical or religious beliefs” (Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 2013).
Vaccine Concerns

• An article studying the decision of parents to delay or refuse

vaccination to their children suggested that “parents' vaccine
hesitancy may have been increased by celebrities' public airing of
their own concerns about vaccines and a vocal and active anti-
vaccine movement that has encouraged parents to refuse
immunizations for their children” (Smith et al.,2011).
Vaccine Concerns

DO
• In 1997, Andrew Wakefield
published a study in The
Lancet medical journal
suggesting a link between
vaccines and autism.
• “The paper has since been
VACCINES
completely discredited due to
serious procedural errors,
undisclosed financial conflicts CAUSE
of interest, and ethical
violations” (Abraham, 2018).
AUTISM?
 Vaccine Concerns

“Most diseases that vaccines target are relatively harmless in many

cases, thus making vaccines unnecessary” (ProCon.org, 2018).

Complications of tetanus: Complications of measles: Complications of meningitis:

• Broken bones • Ear infection • Hearing loss
• Pulmonary embolism • Bronchitis/Laryngitis • Learning disabilities
• Death • Pneumonia • Brain damage
(Tetanus, 2018) • Encephalitis • Seizures
• Pregnancy problems • Death
(Measles, 2018) (Meningitis, 2018)
Vaccine Concerns

“Vaccines are unnatural, and natural immunity is more effective

than vaccination” (ProCon.org, 2018).

• With naturally acquired immunity, a person suffers the symptoms

of the disease and risks the complications.
• During the period of illness, a person may be contagious and pass
the disease to others who come into contact.
Vaccine Concerns

“The government should not intervene in personal medical choices”

(ProCon.org, 2018).

• In 1905, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Jacobson v.

Massachusetts that “the need to protect the public health through
compulsory smallpox vaccination outweighed the individual’s right
to privacy” (Sterns & Markel, 2005).
Vaccine Concerns

“Mandatory vaccines infringe upon constitutionally protected

religious freedoms” (ProCon.org, 2018).

• Exemptions exist in 47 states on the grounds of religious freedom.

• May be a justifiable exemption, but should not put the larger
population at risk.
Cases for Exemption

“Mandatory vaccines infringe upon constitutionally protected

religious freedoms” (ProCon.org, 2018).

• Amish communities do not view all vaccinations as "necessary" and

some believe that vaccinations weaken the immune system.
• In 2014 one large outbreak of measles included over 300 cases
among the unvaccinated Amish communities in Ohio (Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, 2018).
Cases for Exemption

• In addition to religious exemptions, all 50 states allow medical

exemptions.
• Many vaccines should not be given to pregnant or nursing mothers,
anyone with an allergy to any of the ingredients of the vaccine, or
sometimes to anyone with even moderate ongoing illnesses.
Herd Immunity

• “If a critical number of people within a community are vaccinated

against a particular illness, the entire group becomes less likely to
get the disease. On the other hand, if too many people in a
community do not get vaccinations, diseases can reappear”
(National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, 2014).

• In order for the exempted population of unvaccinated people to

benefit from herd immunity, the majority must be vaccinated.
Conclusion

• Vaccinations are scientifically proven to combat disease and

should be mandatory in the United States.
• Since Edward Jenner’s breakthrough, vaccines have proven to be
effective throughout history.
• No amount of poor science, debunked myths, or celebrity
endorsement can justify hesitancy.
• It is the social responsibility of the majority to get vaccinated to
protect the entirety of the herd or else the minority can
jeopardize the safety of everyone.
References

• Abraham, A. (2018). Vaccine myths debunked. Understanding Vaccines. Retrieved from

https://www.publichealth.org/public-awareness/understanding-vaccines/vaccine-myths-
debunked/
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2008). Update: measles --- United States,
January--July 2008. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 57(33);893-896. Retrieved
from https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5733a1.htm
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2013). National, state, and local area
vaccination coverage among children aged 19–35 months — United States, 2012.
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 62(36), 741-743. Retrieved from
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6236a2.htm
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2016). Vaccines by disease. Retrieved from
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/vaccines-diseases.html
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2018). Measles cases and outbreaks.
Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/measles/cases-outbreaks.html
References

• Mayo Clinic (2018). Measles. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-

conditions/measles/symptoms-causes/syc-20374857
• Mayo Clinic (2018). Meningitis. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-
conditions/meningitis/symptoms-causes/syc-20350508
• Mayo Clinic (2018). Tetanus. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-
conditions/tetanus/symptoms-causes/syc-20351625
• National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (n.d.). Vaccine benefits. Retrieved
from https://www.niaid.nih.gov/research/vaccine-benefits
• ProCon.org. (2018, July 23). Vaccines ProCon.org. Retrieved from
http://vaccines.procon.org/
References

• Smith, P. J., Humiston, S. G., Marcuse, E. K., Zhao, Z., Dorell, C. G., Howes, C., &
Hibbs, B. (2011). Parental delay or refusal of vaccine doses, childhood vaccination
coverage at 24 months of age, and the health belief model. Public Health Reports,
126(Suppl 2), 135–146. Retrieved from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3113438/
• Stern, A. M., & Markel, H. (2005). The history of vaccines and immunization: familiar
patterns, new challenges. Health Affairs, 24(3).
https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.24.3.611
• World Health Organization (2018). Smallpox. Retrieved from
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/smallpox/en/
Questions?

Mandatory Vaccines Save Lives

Adam M. Collins
ECPI University
ENG120 NFH