Week Thirteen---Vaccines and Public Health ....

Should "parents take a more active role in designing their children's immunization schedule"? ....General recommendations for childhood immunizations are just that---very general. I feel that a child's immunizations should be an ongoing dialogue between parents and health care providers. But unfortunately, Western medicine is largely "one size fits all" and most children, unless their health is already compromised, are put on the same immunization schedule. But with that---there are reasons for these schedules, including factors such as the development of a child's immune system correlated with illiciting a good immune response to a particular vaccine, protecting a child before they are in a situation, such as school, where there is a greater potential for contracting a serious illness, and finally, general public health concerns and responsibilities. Overall, I feel that a recommended vaccination administration "time range" should be given to parents ranking the importance of individual vaccines and recommended ages for their administration, including the known and potential risks of receiving each vaccine, as well as the consequences of not receiving a given vaccination, including information about the illness or disease that the vaccine is intended to prevent. If a parent is required to take a more active role in their child's vaccination schedule they may learn more about the risks involved on both sides, and therefore, make educated decisions ....and in turn, play a greater role in holding the medical establishment responsible for the true safety and efficacy of the vaccines that they develop and strongly recommend.

Would you support making vaccination programs compulsory? .....I am divided on this issue. To begin, I do have concerns about the side effects of certain vaccines, especially those adminstered to children, and too, whether certain vaccines are administered to babies and children too soon. I also feel like the public is provided with loads of conflicting information about the safety and risks of vaccinations. There is a lot to consider. Should it be a parent's choice whether or not their child is vaccinated? Or should public health concerns dominate? ....This issue is not black or white. And not every vaccine has the same risks or the same efficacy rates---I feel that each vaccine needs to be considered individually. And while I think it is important to maintain some element of choice for the parent, I do feel that the fact that many infectious diseases have either been erradicated in our country, or controlled through the use of vaccines, compared to many other parts of the world---this should not be taken for granted. People all over the world are dying of diseases that can be prevented through vaccination---and while this is a deeply complicated issue involving politics, economics and social justice .....I do not feel that we need to write vaccines off as "bad."