Immunizations

Immunizations/Vaccinations Karyssa Costagliola October9th
, 2014
Immunizations/Vaccinations
Health & Wellness over the Life Span
Karyssa Costagliola
October 9, 2014

, 2014
Abstract
This paper is to inform the reader the benefits and current controversy in regards to
immunizations. In today’s society there are many people that do not believe in shots do to
religious reasons or belief of being harmful to their children and their own bodies. Currently it is
optional to get vaccinated, but as time goes on it is becoming a requirement for most jobs unless
exempt because of religion or a doctors excuse. After reading this paper the reader will better
understand when immunizations began and what immunizations are out there and why some
people do not get them and the consequences that come with that decision. It is a growing issue
that a lot of research is being conducted to help support both sides of the argument as to whether
to get or not get vaccinated which this paper is going to lay out.

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Immunizations/Vaccinations started in 1796 by a man named Edward Jenner living in
England. The first world vaccination he created was for smallpox which he took pus from a
lesion from a cowpox sore and injected it in a young child who showed immunity weeks later
even with exposure to the disease. His experimentation with the cowpox lesion to be used to
give immunization of smallpox started the groundwork for what we study today in regards to
vaccinations. Jenner continued to spread his knowledge in his studies of immunizations that by
1800 100,000 people were vaccinated in Europe alone and had even begun to spread throughout
the United States. At first it was just state regulated and a choice to have these vaccinations it
soon became required to be able to attend public schools which still remains in effect today.
When Edward Jenner was performing these vaccinations his experiments were, “carried out in a
pre-germ theory that lacked modern methods of quality control and sterilization”
(http://www.content.healthaffairs.org/content/24/3/611.full). These forms of experimentation
lead to a lot of risks of contamination which made people apprehensive of contracting something
else by getting the vaccine. The study of immunizations have come a far way and are being
closely monitored as compared to years ago when they first begun. Some vaccines were taken
away due to the fact they were causing the illness it was supposed to prevent in some cases
killing children. There is still a lot of research that goes into developing these vaccines and new
vaccines coming out to prevent newly surfaced diseases. Even with the newer technology that is
in medicine now compared to when Edward Jenner started this trend it is still a risk and some
people feel the risks of getting a vaccine for themselves or their children is not worth it.
Immunizations that are out today and currently being used from birth through adulthood
is Hepatitis B, Rotavirus, Diphtheria, tetanus and Acellular Pertussis (DTaP), Haemophilus
Influenza, Pneumococcal conjugate, Inactivated Poliovirus, Influenza, Measles, Mumps,

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Rubella, Varicella, Hepatitis A, Human Papillomavirus, and Meningoccoccal. The first dose of
the Hepatitis B vaccine is given at birth and then between the one and two month mark. The
third dose of the Hepatitis B vaccine is then given between six and eighteen months in the
beginning of life. For this specific vaccine it is recommended especially to health care
professionals to get their titer checked and possibly another Hepatitis B vaccine shot at beginning
of employment. Hepatitis B is one of the biggest diseases contracted by health care workers do
to the exposure risks involved in the field. It is highly recommend receiving this vaccine to
ensure immunity especially when dealing with blood and or other potential contaminants.
Rotavirus is a two dose and can be a three dose vaccine which begins at approximately two
months of age to six months. The Diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis or DTaP shot is
given starting at age two months for the first dose. The second does is given at four months and
the third does is given at six months of age. The fourth dose is then given at approximately
fifteen to eighteen months of age. It is currently recommended that new mothers and people that
work close to young children receive the TDaP which is the tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular
pertussis vaccine to prevent the spread of Bordatella Pertussis also known as “whooping cough”.
Haemophilus Influenza type b is a five dose vaccine. It is first given at two months of age and
then at four months to six months of age the second dose is given. At and the final two doses are
given between twelve and fifteen months. The Pneumococcal conjugate is a four dose vaccine
first given at two months of age. The next two doses are given at four months and six months of
age. The final does is given between twelve and fifteen months. Inactivated poliovirus is given
in four doses starting at two months old. The second dose is typically given at four months old
and then the third dose is given between six months and eighteen months. The fourth does is
then given between four and six years old typically before entering kindergarten. The influenza

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vaccine is an optional vaccine that can be given from six months through adulthood to help
prevent or lower the effects of the seasonal flu virus. This is recommended especially to health
care workers, young children, and the elderly, but some people choose not to get it. Measles,
Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine is given first at approximately twelve to fifteen months old.
The second dose of MMR is given between ages four and six usually before starting school. The
Varicella vaccine is given in two doses the first given at twelve to fifteen months and the second
being given between four and six years old typically before the start of kindergarten. Hepatitis A
is a two dose series vaccine that both doses are given between twelve and twenty-three months
old. The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is a preventative shot that is given in a three
dose series starting at eleven years old or when a child male or female are sexually active. This
shot prevents genital warts and in girls cervical cancer. It is not effective for all types of HPV,
but is used as a form of preventing this STD. The Meningococcal shot is given to high risk
groups like teenagers and pre-teens it is usually given at eleven to twelve years old and a booster
is given typically between sixteen and eighteen years old. It is said that, “adolescents who
receive their first dose of meningococcal vaccine at or after age sixteen do not need the booster
dose” (www.cdc.gov). This is a list of the main immunizations given from birth through
adulthood which for most are required to be able to go to public school, but some parents fight to
be exempt for religious reasons or other beliefs.
The numbers of children that are vaccinated are increasing, but there are still many
parents that choose not to get their child vaccinated. In Pennsylvania alone 79% of children ages
19 to 35 months are immunized. The state that has the highest rate of parents filling out
exemption forms for certain immunizations is in Washington State at 6.2%. While the numbers
are growing of children that get their full range of vaccinations there is a small number that is

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continuing to grow of parents that choose not to vaccinate. These parents choosing not to
vaccinate in fact can risk the lives and well being of children that are vaccinated and is being
researched on its effects. Some parents feel that the risk of vaccines can be life threatening and
not worth the risk, but it is stated that, “No vaccine is 100% risk free, but the chances of major
side effects from a shot are minuscule compared to the potential damage of your child’s health if
he or she contracted the disease itself” (www.parents.com/heath/vaccines/facts/vaccination-
facts/?page=2). The parents that do vaccinate feel that their child is taken care of and they don’t
really worry or think about the kids that do not. In fact the people that are unvaccinated can host
a lot of infection and can pass on the infection not being sick themselves, but harming the
children that are not fully immunized yet or that didn’t take to a vaccine. It is proven that,
“Children under one year old who are exposed to measles, mumps, and other vaccine-
preventable diseases before they have been immunized are much less likely to survive”
(www.parents.com/health/vaccines/facts/vaccination-facts/?page=2). Another misconception is
people feel that the diseases that have not been seen here in centuries there is no reason to
vaccinate against it. In fact it is proven that if more vaccinated people go down the rate of the
disease increases even in the rarest disease. The world is increasing in people traveling to
underdeveloped countries, adoptions, and other vectors that can bring these old diseases back to
the states and will infect many children. One other vaccine that parents feel is not a big deal to
get is the vaccination for chicken pox. Most parents feel it isn’t that severe of an infection when,
“Chicken pox is actually responsible for the death of one child every week in this country”
(www.parents.com/health/vaccines/facts/vaccination-facts/?page=2).
There is a lot of belief that vaccinations actually cause things like SIDS for example, but
in this instance there is not enough factual information that can support this claim. Another

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illness people feel is caused by getting your child vaccinated is Autism. There have been a lot of
studies done and at one point they felt the preservative thimerosal could be responsible for the
increase in children with autism, but it was removed since 2001 and they continued to study the
effects and concluded it was not responsible or linked to the cause of Autism. The continued
studies stated that there was a slight possibility that a vaccine can trigger the onset of Autism, but
it was only in children that had that disease underlying in their genetic code. It will always be a
continued concern of parents especially fearing that vaccinations will cause their children to have
Autism, but here aren’t enough hard facts or information to support this claim.
As most research has supported that if a child is vaccinated the benefits outweigh any
risks. In recent news there is a growing concern of the Enterovirus that is spreading across the
nation. This new virus has no known or developed vaccine, but it seems to not have affected any
unvaccinated child. All cases of children that have the virus are all vaccinated and or updated on
their vaccines. This information can make a lot of people think that if their child is vaccinated
why are they getting it and not the children who are not vaccinate? This is a question that really
cannot be answered as this infection is so new and unknown. They started to look into the health
of children and the health of children who are not vaccinated. Some studies have actually shown
that children who are vaccinated have a higher risk of eczema, ear infections, asthma,
hyperactivity and other chronic infections. A study has shown that, “There was a ten-fold
increase in the incidence of tonsillitis in the children who were vaccinated”
(www.thesleuthjournal.com). In multiple studies show different sides of the spectrum as far as
getting vaccinated and not to get vaccinated which in most cases it is up to the parent to do that
for their child.

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The main concern with vaccinations and parents when it comes to their young child is the
risk it is going to pose on their overall health. In theory everything has its risks, but in most
cases these risks are minimal compared to not getting vaccinated. In most public school systems
this is not a choice and their child needs to be vaccinated before entering. It comes into question
when do the rights of the parents that do not want their child to be vaccinated end and the ones
that do get vaccinate rights begin. The risks that are posed to the community if a person is not
vaccinated is a very concerning topic to parents especially. In the United States it is a country
that respects freedoms and choices to be made up to the individual, but in the case of
immunizations it can be a very controversial subject. For now there is still ways out of getting
your child immunized especially if it is chosen to homeschooled or something along those
measures, but with the increase in newer diseases spreading and once dormant diseases now
surfacing again it is a topic that is going to be closely looked at. With the rise of international
business and the high rate of travel to other countries it seems to be almost necessary to take the
step to get vaccinated in hopes to become immunized against the harmful disease or at least
alleviate the intensity of the symptoms. The only exemption that is as of now recognized in the
United States is if the child is immune-compromised, allergies to the vaccine, or a religious
exemption. In West Virginia and Mississippi are one of the only states that do not recognize
religious reasons to not get vaccinated which might continue to spread throughout the states
depending on the growing concern of newly developed health concerns and preventable diseases.

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References
Heusel.C. (n.d.). Vaccination Facts. Retrieved October 1, 2014, from
http:/www.parents.com/health/vaccines/facts/vaccination-facts/?page=3&2
Stern, A., & Markel, H 9n.d.). The History of Vaccines and Immunization_ Familiar Patterns,
New Challenges. Retrieved October 3rd, 2014, from
http://m.content.healthaffairs.org/content/24/3/611.full
Recommended Immunization Schedule for Persons age 0 through 18. (n.d.). Retrieved October
9th,2014, from http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/hcp/imz/child-adolescent/html
Blanks, W. (2014, March 24). TheSleuthJournal-Real News without Synthetics. Studies:
Unvaccinated Children Far Healthier than Those who are Vaccinated. Retrieved October 9th,
2014, from www.thesleuthjournal.com

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