Child Development and Public Health: Immunization

I decided to investigate and concentration on the pending issues of immunization. Speaking with a great friend of mine that recently obtained her MPH from Drexel University gave me a wealth of insight from her extensive research on child development and the leading concerns that have been occurring in our society for centuries. According to research, tremendous controversy remains at large of vaccinations assisting or affecting children and their developmental progress physically, mentally, and emotionally. The two potentially conflicting values in this controversy are beginning with the desire to eliminate disease yet, the desire of parents to protect their children from damage. For decades it's been know for children's vaccines to pose risk as well as non vaccinations and diseases to do the same-pose risk. Parents are struggling to make hard decisions in a medical questioning routine and extensive vaccination to the extent public health laws propose enforced vaccination.

For as early as the 1920's, studies on the risks of vaccines began when a smallpox vaccination program caused an outbreak of encephalitis, [an inflammation of the brain, usually caused by a viral infection], and secondary result of Guillain-Barre Syndrome, an ascending paralysis ending in death. The polio virus produces a breakdown of the myelin sheath, called poliomyelitis, [a severe infectious viral disease, usually affecting children or young adults, that inflames the brainstem and spinal cord, sometimes leading to loss of voluntary movement and muscular wasting], which results in paralysis. Encephalitis, whether caused through disease or as a result of vaccination, can cause demyelization of the nerves.

This particular topic grew greatly sensitive to my interest due to the lack of knowing the serious interventions in how vaccines may indeed assist as well as affect the lives of our children. Prior to researching this topic, I was fully unaware of the possible association of autism and how this mental illness may have a direct association with various vaccines. For example, the FDA, CDC, and other government agencies are aware that there very well may be a connection between children's vaccines and autism spectrum disorders or other neurological developmental disorders. What appears to be happening is that that there is continually more recent research that is showing that there might be a connection between childhood vaccinations and autism spectrum disorders. If an understandable concern is revealed that there might be a connection between autism, or other developmental disorders and children's vaccines, anxiety could lead to concerned parents withdrawing their children from the mandatory schedule for routine vaccinations, which could eventually lead to epidemic or even pandemic cases of other childhood diseases such as measles.

On a holistic global approach to this pending and growing concern, The Global Immunization Vision and Strategy (GIVS), estimates that by vaccinating 90 percent of the world's children against 14 illnesses for which there are vaccines (diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, measles, polio, tuberculosis, hepatitis B, Hib disease, rubella, meningococcal disease, pneumococcal disease, rotavirus, and, where applicable, Japanese encephalitis and yellow fever), another two million child deaths could be prevented. (www.scientificamerican.com)

I find that whether or not vaccinations may or could possibly inflict disorders within our children, the more children and adults that are vaccinated, the less likelihood of various outbreaks will be found in commonplaces such as schools, hospitals, churches, etc,.

 

To learn more on children immunization/vaccinations please visit the following resources:

• www.cdc.gov
  
• www.scientificamerican.com