Mandatory vaccines have been a controversial issue throughout the 20th century, but have recently caused an uproar. There are those who rejoice as people did when the polio vaccine was created in 1955, when “church bells started ringing across the country” and “parents rushed to get their kids vaccinated” (“Vaccines”). However, there are also those who believe that vaccines cause harmful side effects and should therefore be entirely the choice of one’s parents. Despite the fact that vaccines are considered one of the greatest scientific advancements of all time, vaccine rates are still falling in the United States due to a variety of reasons. Vaccines should be mandatory for all children in a population for one to protect not only themselves but the community as a whole.  

For many, vaccines are considered “one of the most significant and effective public health developments ever” (Timmer 1). Studies show that childhood vaccines are “90% to 99% effective” and “save 2.5 million children from preventable diseases every year, which equates to roughly 285 children saved every hour” (“Should Any Vaccines Be Required for Children?” 1). The vaccine administration has made huge social advancements possible and has controlled numerous diseases that were once considered fatal. Though to most, the decision to vaccinate may seem blatantly obvious, the number of people who choose not to vaccinate is higher than ever.

Though vaccines are important for the individual, they are even more important for the community.  This concept of vaccinating not solely for oneself, but for those around you is referred to as “herd immunity”. Vaccines are especially important for those members of the “herd” who are unable to be vaccinated due to age or disease, such as children with cancer, and therefore, “rely on herd immunity to prevent contraction of vaccine-preventable diseases” (“Should Any Vaccines Be Required for Children?” 2). Herd immunity, also referred to as community immunity, is 

“When a ‘critical portion’ (the percent of people who need to be vaccinated to provide herd immunity) of a population is vaccinated against a contagious disease it is unlikely that an outbreak of the disease will occur so most members of the community will be protected” (“Should Any Vaccines Be Required for Children?” 2). 

This concept requires an 80%-90% vaccination rate to be successful (Timmer 2), a number that we in the United States are slowly straying away from. Herd Immunity is a concept not many people take into consideration when making their decision regarding vaccinations, however, it is one of the most important components and should be weighed heavily. 

The trend to not vaccinate children is growing each year. Dr. Sharon Humiston, a pediatrician at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York, states that “approximately ‘1.8% of children are not receiving vaccines because their parents have refused to immunize them’’’ (“Vaccines”). Those who choose not to vaccinate their children do so for a variety of reasons. There are parents who fear the possible toxic or harmful ingredients in vaccines that can overwhelm kids’ immune systems, and those who believe the link between vaccines and autism (Allen 2). Another argument revolves around the basic human right to make one’s own choice, and also the right to be “fully informed about all risks and have the ability to refuse to allow substances you consider to be harmful, toxic, or poisonous to be forced upon you” (Mercola 7). Medical professional, Finnegan, suggests in his article that part of the problem of convincing parents to vaccinate their children is that more people “have not lived through a time when people were dying from what are not preventable diseases”, making it sort of intangible idea for some to grasp (Finnegan). 

The main “loophole” for vaccinations, however, is the exemptions. There are recognized exemptions for medical, religious, philosophical, and personal reasons, which covers almost everything. There are no mandatory vaccination laws and all states allow exemptions, contributing to the falling vaccination rates. Though it is reasonable that medical and religious exemptions be valid, a large portion of people who are refusing to be vaccinated, or are refusing to have their children vaccinated, do so because of philosophical or personal reasons. Many doctors, including those at Johns Hopkins University, have “proposed making it harder- allowing philosophical exemption only after parents demonstrate a good-faith effort to educate themselves”, to increase the percent of children being vaccinated (Allen 2). Some even believe that to strengthen vaccination requirements, religious exemptions should be limited to only “’genuine and sincere’ religious beliefs that oppose vaccination, and do away with philosophical exemptions entirely” (Lobo). Almost all of these medically-related concerns have been addressed and disproven to be valid, yet they continue to be the grounds on which those who chose not to vaccinate their children do so, citing the philosophical or personal basis. 

Like a multitude of other things throughout society, there are many misconceptions regarding vaccines; the most common is that vaccines cause autism. Though this link has been scientifically disproven time after time, there are still many people who fear vaccines for this reason. John Timmer addresses this concern in his article; “… surveys show that a quarter of US parents think that vaccines trigger autism, and rates of vaccination have continued to fall in many states” (Timmer 1). Those who believe this link seem to do so in search of an answer as to why this disease is affecting their life: 

When I came across the theory that the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine could cause autism, it made a kind of Old World sense to me. From what I could gather, it sounded as though the vaccine might blow apart some young children's immune systems, making them susceptible to all kinds of conditions. I was so worn down, so miserable in those days that I was desperate to believe there was a culprit, something or someone to blame. It was a relief to think that the problem wasn't my DNA but an outside aggressor, a mistake cause by the medical establishment's hubris (Senator 15). 

Its easy to understand why parents would want to “see conspiracy and evil where none exists” (Senator 15), and it is also understandable to want to pin this autism increase on vaccines solely because, “Few other things on the planet that nearly all children receive have grown so dramatically during the exact time period when autism cases have exploded” (Handley 2), and children in other nations, who do not prescribe as many vaccines, do not suffer such high autism rates (Handley 1). Researchers have attributed this correlation to the increase of knowledge, leading to an increase in autism diagnosis, at the same time as an increase of knowledge, lead to an increase in vaccines, however the two have no other relationship. This misconception relates to the idea that correlation is not causation, a concept a lot of people struggle to grasp.

The recent election of Donald Trump has many worried in regards to vaccinations. Since Trump’s election, the falsehood that “vaccines cause autism has regained traction”, a misfortune that may “leave Americans blind to a real risk: a loss of health and learning services for people with autism that will result from the coming changes in health care and cuts to research funding.” Trump has proposed cutting “$54 billion from some federal agencies, such as those that fund scientific research” (Wanjek), leaving this dilemma at even more of a standstill. To compensate for this, physician organizations are “urging doctors to be ready to educate patients and answer their questions about vaccine safety” (Finnegan). With such an influential member of society spreading misinformation, the medical community is worried that vaccine rates will continue to fall, and the misconception of the link between vaccines and autism will continue to rise. 

There are also a variety of other common misconceptions associated with vaccines. There are some who believe diseases that vaccines target have essentially disappeared (“Should Any Vaccines Be Required for Children?” 3), while others believe that “vaccines provide identical immunity to that obtained when you are naturally exposed to an infection” (Mercola 4). They assume that if the vaccines were effective those who were vaccinated would have been protected, regardless of those who were not, and that the blame for the recent outbreaks should be placed on ineffective vaccines not on the “unvaccinated minority”(Mercola 3). However, as mentioned earlier, this idea is invalid as herd immunity is a crucial concept to vaccination rates. 

Another consideration one must take into account when measuring vaccine rates is the correlation to socioeconomic and educational status. A prospective study conducted at the department of pediatrics, Rehman Medical Institute Peshawar in 2012, selected 300 cases to participate and interviewed on vaccination status of children from one month to five years old. This study concluded that the “overall rate of routine childhood vaccination remains below international benchmark. The rate of vaccination was significantly better in children of parents from educated and higher socioeconomic class” (Ahmad). Another study reviewed factors that influenced “adherence to childhood immunizations” and found a “relationship between the health care services and mothers with several children and families with low educational level/low socioeconomic status appear to be an important action to improve vaccination coverage” (Tauil). These studies introduced a perspective not commonly discussed; that of which reasons to not vaccinate goes beyond ones beliefs and lies solely in their ignorance or basic inability to afford certain vaccines. To reach those who fall under this category, information needs to be provided so the entire community is knowledgeable on the benefits of vaccines. The government should make vaccines available for all children, regardless of socioeconomic status and ability to pay, and thus ensuring an increase in vaccination rates. 

Vaccines are also economically beneficial to both society and individuals. The CDC estimated that “children vaccinated between 1994 and 2014 have yielded net savings of $1.38 trillion in ‘societal costs’, including money saved by preventing lost productivity due to disability and early death” (“Should Any Vaccines Be Required for Children?” 4), and the “estimated savings is currently $14 billion a year” (Timmer 1). In addition to the societal economic benefit, vaccines also save individual’s money and time; “Vaccines cost less in time and money to obtain than infectious diseases cost in time off work to care for the sick child, potential long-term disability care, and medical costs” (“Should Any Vaccines Be Required for Children?” 2-3). Vaccines cost an average of fifteen to twenty dollars per vaccine, in comparison to the possible hundreds of dollars that would be spent to treat the illness itself, between doctors visits and medication. The choice to vaccinate is one that positively impacts both the society and the individual in a variety of ways. 

Another concept of vaccines that is frequently questioned is that of their effectiveness, specifically when talking about yearly flu vaccines. The Center for Disease Control published an article titled, Vaccine Effectiveness- How Well Does the Flu Vaccine Work, which addresses a variety of commonly asked questions regarding this recent topic. The article states that the vaccine “reduces the risk of flu illness by about 50% to 60% among the overall population during seasons when more circulating flu viruses are like the vaccine viruses”. Though this may sound like a low statistic, flu vaccine effectiveness relies on two factors; the characteristics of the person being vaccinated, and the “’match’ between the flu viruses the flu vaccine is designed to protect against and the flu viruses spreading in the community.” Generally, the flu vaccine seems to work best “among healthy adults and children older than 2 years of age”, however, even if you do get sick, the vaccination proves to also possibly make your illness “milder” and reduce hospitalizations by great numbers (“Vaccine Effectiveness- How Well Does the Flu Vaccine Work?”). The effectiveness of vaccines itself should be enough to influence most that it is the right decision for overall safety and health. 

Despite the fact that "vaccines are some of the safest medical products available” (“Should Any Vaccines Be Required for Children?” 2), they are given to less and less children each year. There are a variety of factors that should influence one’s decision to vaccinate their child, those that go beyond just personal preference. From economic benefits, to protecting “herd immunity”, vaccines are both safe and effective in not only protecting against disease but also in benefitting society in a multitude of other ways. State mandatory vaccination laws should be put in place for all medically able children to protect not only themselves from disease but to protect the “herd”. 
