The Benefits And Drawbacks Of Total Immunization - 1634 Words

Auditing The Benefits And Drawbacks of Total Immunization On April 16, 1850, many people were relieved to know that the polio vaccination became required in all US schools. At this time, doctors and medical researchers did not think that now requiring one vaccine would create such a ripple affect, as well as so much controversy. Now, in the twentyfirst century, vaccinations are one of the medical fields strongest defenders of health and have created the ability for the body to become immune to viruses and diseases that have been known to kill hundreds of thousands of diseases such as polio, smallpox, hepatitis, H1N1, the flu, and many more. Now that vaccines have become such a crucial part of the research process for physicians, this has†¦show more content†¦This battle is still in progress and has become a debate between medical professionals, religious groups, and the states’ citizens. Due to the many factors that play into the process of immunizing citizens, the decision to enforce total immunization before entering schoo l, childcare facilities, the work force, etc. has become an uprising issue between whether we still value a persons right to choose, or if the benefit of the greater good should now trump principle. From state to state, the laws and requirements of vaccinations for students and workers fluctuate. So as of right now, there are no definitive vaccinations that are nationwide for citizens. While all states and the District of Columbia allow exemptions from the requirements for medical reasons, 19 states allow exemptions based on parents’ personal beliefs. Several recent outbreaks of measles, pertussis, and varicella (chickenpox) have been traced to groups of unvaccinated children in states that allow ‘personal belief’ exceptions and homeschooling exceptions. On February 4, 1991, U.S Congress passed a bill allowing all homeschooled students the opportunity to fill out a form exempting them from any required vaccinations for students in their state. By allowing a sectioned group of students have the ability to refuse any vaccination stirs up the point of arbitrary. The point of vaccinations is so that diseases can be prevented and also the