Why Vaccinations In The Schools Should Be Mandatory
Taking a Shot at Death Prevention in Children
Across the country each year, in numerous amounts of school age children go to school in the fall. As demanded by all fifty states, before they can ever step foot into the school there are some steps the parents must take for their children. To attend any school the children all over the United States must receive mandatory vaccinations. These efforts that push for the vaccinated in these young children is all in an effort to prevent deaths from deadly infectious diseases. It is not only a necessity but also the law. It is a critical piece in keeping our children safe.
The vaccine laws are mandatory not just for the local and state enforcement it also federally mandated. This means that refusal to vaccinate your child it can be considered a federal crime and the repercussions that come with that. The vaccines are considered to be Tort Law. In simplified terms as described by Cornell University Law School, a Tort Law is a when a wrongdoing results in injury or harm to a certain party, the party is provided relief for the injury or harm. Also, it is put into place to deter others from committing the same act. It is punishable by imprisonment (Tort Law). The Center for Diseases Control (CDC) is responsible for making the laws in regards to vaccinations. ("Federal Recommendations VS. State Vaccine Requirements - NVIC.") The very first law about vaccinations took place in Massachusetts in 1809.Since then it has been standardized across all fifty states(Malone, Hinman)
The very first mandatory vaccine was enforced in 1922. This was the smallpox vaccine. Then by the 1980’s, it became mandatory for numerous vaccines. It became required to take twenty-two doses of the 7 required vaccines. These required vaccines include polio, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, measles, mumps, and rubella. The must receive all twenty-two doses before they step foot into a kindergarten classroom. Now as of 2014, quite a few more doses of these lifesaving shots is required. The new requirements involve sixty-nine different doses from the day the child is born all the way until they turn eighteen ("Federal Recommendations VS. State Vaccine Requirements - NVIC.").
According to the UNICEF website, mandatory vaccinations contribute to the most successful public health initiative. They claim that it has saved from 2-3 million deaths in children. Having a simple vaccine helps to keep our beloved children safe from horrid diseases like measles, diphtheria, pertussis and many other potentially morbid diseases. Through vaccines, the Center for Diseases Control has completely removed smallpox out of the equation. They have also almost completely got rid of polio. On out of five children that don’t receive all three doses of the DPT3 vaccine, a vaccine to eradicate diphtheria, is completely helpless to the fatal diseases. These vaccines really do save lives and are necessary for our children to see a long and healthy life (IMMUNIZATION FACTS AND FIGURES April 2013).
Dr. Samuel Katz, a specialist in child vaccines, made a note to the fact that statistically, the states that require a measles vaccine have a significantly lower amount of measles outbreak cases. It is important to require this because we can see from the past that for it to truly protect the masses you need to vaccinate the masses. Dr. Katz spoke about how in the sixties and seventies that despite a safe vaccine being offered only sixty percent of the community was vaccinated for the measles. Due to the lack of a mass coverage of the vaccines, the measles outbreaks were still prevalent. This brought to the attention that a mandate was necessary to protect everyone. (Why Are Vaccines Mandated?")
In conclusion, vaccines are necessary for ensuring our children’s future and their health. If we do not vaccinate it could be potentially fatal. Also, It is the law and must be abided for your children to attend school. So for all these reasons mandatory vaccinations in children are crucial and a serious matter.
