By Jason Kwan

Staff Writer

With this year’s flu outbreak ravaging the United States, it is as important now as ever for children to get their annual immunization shots. However, there are some parents who refuse shots for their children because they view them as unnecessary or have suspicions over possible effects. Parents should be required to have their children vaccinated in order to save lives and limit the spread of infectious diseases.

According to Anne Schuchat, acting director of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), as of Feb. 3, there have been 63 child deaths from the flu season thus far. This number is expected to surpass the 101 flu-associated deaths in children that occurred during the 2016-2017 flu season. Of those who passed away, only 20 percent of them were vaccinated.

When parents opt out and decide not to have their children vaccinated, it has a profound impact on public health by increasing the risk of outbreaks in their community. As reported by the World Health Organization, immunization can be credited with saving the lives of approximately 2.5 million children from diseases every year and an additional 1.5 million could be prevented if every child was to be vaccinated.

Most vaccine preventable diseases such as polio and measles have not yet been eradicated, so vaccination is still necessary. Although these diseases are on the verge of disappearing, they can easily be brought over from other countries where they exist. The CDC reported that in 2011, there were more than 350,000 cases of measles worldwide, and in that same year, 90 percent of Measles cases in the United States were associated with those that came from another country. However, the fact that most Americans were vaccinated against measles prevented it from becoming an epidemic. When more people are vaccinated, the fewer opportunities a disease has to spread.

A study by the World Health Organization indicated a drop in polio cases from 350,000 in 1988 to only 27 in 2016. These drops in disease rates are primarily because of vaccination. The increase in people getting immunization shots for polio has saved over 16 million people from paralysis, an effect of polio. As a result of the global effort, polio is on the verge of becoming the next disease to be completely eradicated.

Although vaccines have lead to a decrease in the amount of reported cases of diseases, the viruses that cause them still exist. When a child is not vaccinated, they put themselves and those around them at risk.

According to the CDC, a vaccine is always tested extensively before it is administered to the general public. Major medical organizations such as the Food and Drug Administration and the US Department of Health and Human Services have stated that vaccines are some of the safest medical products available. Despite this, a survey conducted by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2013 revealed that 73 percent of the parents who refused or delayed shots for their children were doing so because they believed it to be unnecessary and unsafe. If parents do not do their research and learn about the benefits of vaccines, they are single handedly contributing to the threat of an epidemic.  

Even the CDC has proven that there is no link between vaccines and autism, yet there are still parents who refuse to have their children vaccinated because of this fear. A study done by the U.S Public Health Service in 2011 found that 57 percent of parents who refused or delayed vaccines had concerns about autism. Parents need to realize that immunity protects us from diseases. Through vaccination, children can develop immunity without enduring from the actual disease itself.

While the government has no way of mandating parents to have their children be vaccinated, the issues lies with the parents themselves and their awareness of diseases. Even though disease rates are low in the United States today, vaccinations are still crucial to saving lives because they prevent contagious diseases from spreading and do not solely help out individuals. Parents cannot continue to neglect the benefits of vaccines because they are allowing their children, their loved ones, and their community become vulnerable to an outbreak.