Reference no: EM132380155 , Length: word count:200

Assignment -

You must reply your classmates with a thoughtful researched discussion. 200 words. Add reference list.

Her discussion here, Why Parents are Against Vaccinating Their Children

I am pro vaccination. Vaccines play an important role in the prevention of diseases, with this being said there are no federal laws that states one must be vaccinated, but each state requires some immunizations to be enrolled in school. I decided I wanted to look deeper into why parents think that vaccine refusal is the answer to their child's current well-being and future. This is a growing concern in our country and many preventable diseases are coming about due to the decrease in vaccinations being given. Why parents refuse, delay or are hesitant to vaccinate their children are categorized in 4 groups, Religious reasons, personal belief, Philosophical reasons, and safety concerns. Religious reasons are the most common reason for parents to decline vaccinations for their children. With religious reasoning behind parents not vaccinating many see this as ignorance but it has to do with being loyal to their religion. With this being said many have tried to use religious reasonings to not vaccinate as a loophole to get out of vaccinating, parents must show proof of such belief, due to the increasing number using religious freedom as a bypass not to vaccinate. Main components found in vaccinations that are against religions is the animal derived gelatin used in the vaccines and human fetus tissue used in the rubella component. Personal beliefs and Philosophical reasons are two other groups in which parents refuse or delay vaccinating their children. These groups believe that it is beneficial for their child to contract certain types of preventable diseases. This group believes that natural immunity is better for the child than immunity through vaccination, these parents' personal belief is that their child's immune system will be stronger when he or she grows into an adult. This group believes the negative side effects of not vaccinating outweighs the benefits stated of getting the vaccination, these parents state that it's not prevalent to their children. Also, regarding personal and philosophical reasoning they believe if their child does contract an illness is would be easily treatable. Safety concerns about the vaccination are the greatest reason parents refuse to vaccinate their kids. Parents safety concerns relate back to what they see on media (Internet, television, radio) and from other people family, friends and community members) who are anti vaccinators. With all the mixed information people are receiving many parents opt out on vaccinating due to it being overwhelming to process the pros vs. cons. Doubts rise on short term and long-term effects of vaccinations. Fear being instilled into the world on reactions to vaccinations overrides a parent's ability to protect their children. Medical exemption is made in all 50 states for patients that have compromised immune systems or allergic to a vaccine component. I am for vaccinations; I fully understand each of the concerns above and how a parent's decision can either be compromised or already set in stone due to their religious belief or background, none the less children are being exposed to diseases that could potentially be life threatening. As health care professionals one can only continue to educate the public but also respect everyone's personal decisions even though we all might not agree which can be a difficult reality due to health care professionals because we are for raising awareness and being preventative.

McKee, C., & Bohannon, K. (2016). Exploring the Reasons Behind Parental Refusal of Vaccines. The journal of pediatric pharmacology and therapeutics : JPPT : the official journal of PPAG, 21(2), 104-109. doi:10.5863/1551-6776-21.2.104.