The term immunization crisis refers to the current low-point in vaccinations nationwide, especially among children. So called ‘anti-vaxxers’ have become a social movement, actively lobbying against the vaccinations of their children, relying on various (often bogus) studies to back up their claims that vaccinations do more harm than good, and that they even cause illnesses like autism, epilepsy, etc, while preventing other illnesses they consider ‘minor’.
These ‘anti-vax’ parents are also making an effort to eliminate all mandatory vaccinations that are currently being administered by doctors and at school. There are recommended vaccines and so called baby shots for small children. These cover the most common vaccine-preventable diseases, such as rubella or mumps, and are recommended by nearly all physicians.
Despite the current crisis, anti-vaccination movements have been around as long as vaccinations have. Even in the very beginning, when the smallpox vaccine was discovered and made publically available, people were scared of it and many chose not to get it at all. Mind you, many of them died as the disease was at its peak then, however the idea already existed. The reasons for it were varied, and while some of them no longer apply (people felt injecting part of an animal-cow, with smallpox-counted as bestiality), others sound strangely familiar to modern ears-such as the question of whether or not man should interfere with god’s work. Granted-this is no longer a major concern, however there are always voices asking whether we are taking medicine too far.
But why are vaccinations important? A good example are measles-on the whole a fairly harmless illness, it can claim lives, however the ‘normal’ progression is unpleasant but harmless. Either way, the illness was eradicated in the US, according to the CDC (Center for Disease Control), due to vaccinations. However, with anti-vaccination movements on the rise, the illness has actually resurfaced and claimed lives again.
Mass vaccinations, especially in children have a positive effect, even on children who are not vaccinated. It’s called ‘herd immunity’ and it means that in a large group those who are or cannot be immunized are protected anyway. Leaving aside parents who simply don’t want their kids vaccinated there are always those who genuinely cannot be vaccinated for a variety of medical reasons. In order to protect those, as many of the others need to be vaccinated as possible. However, with numbers in certain states actually falling rather than rising, this can no longer be ensured and the parents are endangering not only their own kids, but also those of others.
The US government as well as almost all major (and minor) healthcare providers are taking care to raise the numbers of vaccinations through a variety of ways. Primarily they try to inform and educate by teaching parents to tell the difference between made up things and real medical evidence. They also make sure that the vaccinations are readily available, not only by making the necessary shots free, but also by making them mandatory. For example, an insurance company will refuse to insure a family unless they get all the recommended vaccinations for their children and themselves. Both of these measures have shown fairly high success rates.
The legal situation on vaccinations in the US depends on the individual states. This means that same already mandate vaccinations in schools whereas others leave it up to individual schools or parents. Obviously, the states in which certain vaccines-usually rubella, measles and mumps-are required, the overall rate of illness is much lower-the connection is obvious. However, since the situations differ, and quite a lot, that makes a one size fits all solution almost impossible as a country-wide consensus or legislation would have to be reached.
Barring that almost utopic scenario, the current US immunisation crisis with its low vaccination and comparably high infection rates cause a constant struggle to protect all its children, regardless of their parents good or bad choices, however efforts are being made towards just that goal.
References:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4162046/
http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2013/t0912_measles-outbreaks-data.html