Vaccination for children
It is better to prevent it than to cure it. That is the advocacy of all the health organizations throughout the world. Vaccines are a type of weapon that can be used in order to shield oneself from the known diseases, and sometimes, with diseases that have yet to find remedy to them. A vaccine is a biological agent that is injected to our bodies in order to provide immunity to their corresponding ailment (WHO, n.d.). Nowadays, more and more diseases are discovered with the advancement of technology. However, not all are able to find the cure for all of them. That is why there is a need to protect the future of humanity, the children. They must be properly vaccinated in order for them to develop the necessary antibodies that can shield any disease that may come in contact with them as they grow older.
Immunization Provider
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2016), under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, provide information about the recommended immunizations for children from birth through their 6th year of living. I think that this will greatly help not only the children given the vaccinations, but also their parents, for this will keep them from having to buy expensive medicines or lessen the confinement to the hospital. As separate group but still under the US DHHS, Vaccines.gov (2016) has a recommended immunization from birth all throughout 18 years; this is divided into two parts: birth to 15 months, and 18 months to 18 years.
Although there are a lot of vaccines and institutions available, not everyone can get the vaccines for their children. Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program is arranged in order to give free vaccines to children who are eligible with certain criteria. These vaccines are given through the VFC-enrolled doctors. The criteria for a child, through 18 years of age, to be entitled with such privilege include the children who have health insurance by the any state Medicaid program, children who are uninsured or have no health insurance, children who have American Indian or Alaska origin, and the ones who are underinsured, which implies that they have health insurances but vaccines are not covered (CDC, 2016). If the child checks with one or more of the given criteria, he or she should be provided with free vaccination. However, there are some hospitals that issue the vaccines but a payment for the administrative fee must be collected. The vaccine itself is free for it has been already paid for, but each state is granted to charge the administrative free that is similar to patient’s co-pay. $15 is the highest amount one vaccine provider can charge. This is determined by the Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). It’s either they give the vaccine and ask for $15 or a lower price, or give it for free, which will be very helpful, especially for those in need (CDC, 2016).
Arguments about Vaccination on Children
Even though CDC recommends that a child aged from zero to six must have 28 doses of 10 vaccines, there are no federal laws to authorize the vaccination (ProCon.org, 2016). There lies the problem. But, not everyone has the same way of thinking about vaccines. Some are still opposed with the idea of mandating vaccinations for children. One of their arguments is that vaccines can cause some serious, maybe even fatal side effects to the children. This is true, and the fact that each child has a different genetic makeup and may react differently with the vaccines. However, a negative side effect or an allergic reaction can be evaded if the infant undergoes an MRI scan. MRI or Magnetic Resonance Imaging is one of the most powerful tools for diagnosis in the history of humankind. This technology uses radio waves and magnetic field in order to give a full body image (Stokowski, 2005). This might not be designed for infants for they are too big and might be too risky but it can scan the baby’s body and identify the potential problems that the child could experience. The infant or kid must also be kept still in order to get the most accurate results. They might be injected with sedative if there is a need to do so. Consultation about the effects of the sedative should be discussed with a doctor first before undergoing the MRI. The findings of the MRI scan will aid in the careful selection of the child’s vaccination. With this, the fear of the negative allergic reaction of the child to a certain vaccine shall be lessened.
Another argument is that the vaccines contain harmful ingredients. This is the basic property of a vaccine; it contains a dead or little amount of microorganism that could cause a certain disease. This works as a stimulant in the body to trigger a reaction and this will give rise for the antibodies to be familiar with the said microorganism. And thus, if the disease caused by the microorganism that was introduced to the body before entered the body, the possibility of the disease getting worse is low for the body has acquired the necessary shield in order to fight the foreign trespassers. There are four types of vaccines: attenuated, killed, toxoid, and conjugate (Ben-Joseph, 2015). Attenuated are the viruses that are alive but are weakened. The vaccine for measles is an example of this. Killed vaccines have inactivated bacteria, just like IPV or Inactivated Polio Vaccine. The toxoid-type has an inactivated toxin from the bacterium. Tetanus vaccine is an example of this type. The last one is the conjugate vaccines which is the combination of the bacteria and some proteins (Ben-Joseph, 2015).
An argument about the protected religious freedoms came. And it is said that some people find that some of the contents of the vaccine are immoral. We all have different views and opinions about science because of our religion. However, the separation of the state and the church is clear. And thus, the mandatory vaccination for kids, especially the ones who need them the most, must be implemented. Others say that pharmaceutical companies should not meddle with the legal aspects of vaccination. They even argued that the natural immunity that the body also have is more effective than the vaccines. This maybe true but more often than not, our bodies suffer from different ailments. And nowadays, with all the pollution in the world, diseases are continuously evolving, making them hard to cope with. Thus, the studies that the pharmaceutical companies, or even the researchers in the universities that are carefully and meticulously conducted should not be ignored.
Conclusion
With all the arguments presented above, I think that there are more reasons why the vaccinations for children should be mandated and be a standard procedure. The parents want what is best for their children. Vaccines could give protection to their children that could save their lives one day. There are rare cases of negative allergic reaction to vaccines. And with immunization using them, people could save time, money, and worry less about the diseases that could infect their family. The future of humankind is the children. They must be protected and vaccines might be the first step in securing their future.
References
Ben-Joseph, E. (n.d). Your Child’s Immunizations. Retrieved April 03, 2016, from http://kidshealth.org/en/parents/vaccine.html
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016). 2016 Recommended Immunizations for Children from Birth Through 6 Years Old. Retrieved April 03, 2016, from http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents/downloads/parent-ver-sch-0-6yrs.pdf
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (16 Feb 2016). VFC Program. Retrieved April 03, 2016, from http://www.cdc.gov/features/vfcprogram/
ProCon.org. (28 March 2016). Should Any Vaccines Be Required for Children?. Retrieved April 03, 2016, from http://vaccines.procon.org/
Stokowski, L.A. (2005). Ensuring Safety for Infants Undergoing Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Retrieved April 03, 2016, from http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/499273
World Health Organization. (n.d.). Vaccines. Retrieved April 03, 2016, from http://www.who.int/topics/vaccines/en/
