A recent outbreak of measles at Disneyland over the Christmas season has not only resulted in over 100 new cases of a disease thought long gone from the US, but also the renewal of the controversial vaccine debate. The outbreak has sparked a debate reaching new extremes, with some calling for those who opt out of vaccinating their children to face severe fines or even imprisonment.
What’s odd about this debate is not so much the extreme lengths to which arguers will go, but its existence in the first place. The Centers for Disease Control reports that the majority of required vaccines for children 19-35 months, including MMR, DTP/DTaP, and Varicella, are above 90 percent in terms of coverage in 2013; and while other vaccines such as polio are only at about 55 percent, all of these rates are higher than previous years. Given the numbers, vaccinating one’s child is more common than ever. Further, a Pew Research Center poll from 2009 finds not only that 69 percent of the public agrees vaccinations for children should be required, but also that 71 percent of both Republicans and Democrats agree, making vaccination one of the most agreed-upon issues across party lines.
But despite this broad consensus, outbreaks continue to occur, meaning the vaccination debate keeps recurring as well. And while the message may be tired, its importance cannot be overstated. Vaccinations are safe, effective, and necessary to protect those who cannot be vaccinated.
Obviously, the purpose of a vaccine is to protect an individual from contracting a certain disease. However, what’s equally obvious is vaccinations cannot be 100 percent effective, making it even more important that the community as a whole gets vaccinated, and not just the individual. When the community gets vaccinated, each individual’s immunity from a particular disease becomes stronger because the members of her community are far less likely to transmit that disease.
Further, there are some people who genuinely cannot be vaccinated. There are a number of vaccines that are unsuitable for infants or young children, there are those who are allergic to certain vaccines, and there are those with weakened immune systems due to cancer treatment or other hospital treatments who can’t safely be vaccinated.
Every single one of these people is even more at risk when they come into contact with people who are not vaccinated, and when these people are their family members, who are around them all the time, the risk is even greater. This is especially true for airborne diseases such as measles, which are far more easily transmitted than others. It is even more important for those who can get vaccinated to do so, because those incapable of getting vaccinated rely on them for protection.
Vaccines have been proven time and time again to remove diseases from large populations successfully and even, as in the case of smallpox, eradicate them completely. They’ve also been able to do so without large numbers of people developing autism, a commonly feared but scientifically inaccurate prediction of the side effects of vaccines. Unless you fall into the category of individuals physically incapable of getting vaccinated, there is no reason not to vaccinate. It’s an argument that people are tired of hearing and that others are tired of making, but until outbreaks like the one at Disneyland are no longer an issue, the vaccination conversation will remain.
