Vaccine Wars

Compared to last week, I found this assignment much more intriguing.  I had heard about second-hand smoke countless times in the media, but this week's video addressed an issue more foreign to me: vaccinations.  I've always thought vaccinations were standard protocol, something everyone had done without question.  The only exception was a family I knew with specific religious obligations, one of which was not receiving standard immunizations for diseases like Hepatitis or Polio that were discussed in the video.  The video influenced the way I think about vaccinations not by changing my views, but by strengthening them.  I agree with the scientific perspective; I believe the proper immunizations are essential for every member of the human population for the sake of global public health.  

The video also introduced the concept of 'herd immunity.'  For instance, if a certain proportion of the population is vaccinated, disease will not spread and thus herd immunity is maintained.  However, when a critical number of people are not vaccinated, herd immunity crumbles and people are at risk.  Most of the people who don't vaccinate their children believe health is a private affair, not a public responsibility.  I agree that some personal health decisions should remain private.  From a scientific perspective, however, vaccinations are necessary for maintaining public health.  In the video, one health professional made a good point that while drugs treat the self, vaccinations treat the community.  To me, parents who choose not to immunize their children are selfish.  Not only do these families put their children at risk, but they also put entire populations at risk.  If you are not a health care professional, I believe it is ignorant to refuse immunizations when encouraged by your doctor.

I also really appreciated that the video addressed both sides of what has become a political issue.  The program interviewed young mothers who had chosen not to vaccinate their children for various reasons, and it emphasized the opinions of health providers.  Many women reported that they did not want their children immunized out of fear that their children would develop diseases like autism as advocated by celebrities and internet media.  The MMR triple shot vaccine was specifically publicized to have such an effect.  However, countless scientific studies in several different countries have shown no link between the vaccination--known to contain mercury--and autism.  Also, some parents believe their children do not need vaccinations like those for polio because the major outbreak of polio occurred decades ago.  It is true that some diseases are dead, like small pox, but it should be left to health care professionals to determine.

After watching the video, it is obvious that vaccination rates need to be increased to ensure global public health safety.  During lecture today, the speaker emphasized through the "Frieden Pyramid" that telling people what they can and cannot do is ineffective.  Therefore, instead of making it a law that all children must receive these immunizations, as a public health advocate I would work to change 'structures.'  For instance, since the public media has grabbed the attention of so many on the opposite end of the argument, I would use cultural and media messages about the importance of immunizations in order to advocate it.