Vaccinations are a key component to the health and wellbeing of communities all around the world. In order for these communities to maintain a certain level of safety, individuals have an obligation to routinely vaccinate their children against major diseases such as measles and hepatitis. Failing to do this could result in a reoccurrence of diseases that have been able to be controlled. Although vaccine awareness has increased within the last decade, many people still believe that since most vaccine preventable diseases have been eliminated from their communities, that they do not have to vaccinate their children. Similarly, opponents of vaccinations argue that all vaccines cause harmful side effects, illness, and potential death due to certain ingredients. Along with these side effects, those against believe that certain vaccinations can cause developmental disorders such as autism. 

Keeping the public aware of the changes in the medical field is beneficial because it allows them to make educated decisions about their health. For many years, it has been a common belief that since most diseases like polio or chicken pox have been virtually eradicated, parents do not need to vaccinate their children. While this may work for some parents, others have children who fall victim to a preventable disease. For example, in January of 2015, several cases of measles were reported in Southern California due to an outbreak in Disneyland (Zipprich, et al 2015). These children were affected because their parents had decided not to have them receive the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine. Many families attempt to rely on herd immunity to protect their children. This concept allows for unvaccinated individuals to remain healthy under the assumption that the rest of the surrounding population has been vaccinated. Choosing to rely on herd immunity is dangerous because not only does it put young children at risk for serious diseases, it endangers those who are immunocompromised. Due to conditions like cancer, HIV/AIDS, or severe allergies, many people are not able to receive vaccinations (World Health Organization). When parents choose not to vaccinate their children due to the mass amounts of incorrect information regarding vaccinations, they put thousands of people at risk.