It is true that these measles outbreaks are primarily linked to unvaccinated people. However, vaccines are not always perfect and a person can still get the disease after they are vaccinated. More recently, it has become a kind of fad to not get vaccinated. Celebrities are extremely vocal about their decisions related to vaccines.
These outbreaks are ver concerning the CDC. The CDC has reported that from January 1 to February 28, 2014assachusetts, Illinois and California there have been 54 cases of measles in Massachusetts, Illinois and California.
As for the mumps, there have been 23 confirmed cases at Ohio State University. Also, there was an outbreak on the University of California at Berkeley campus in 2011 where 29 cases were reported. This outbreak is thought to have been the result of an unvaccinated student that had traveled to Western Europe. There was another outbreak at Loyola University in Maryland in 2013 as well. 6,584 cases were reported in 2006 during a multi-state outbreak.
A study in 2013 reported California;s worst whooping cough outbreak. This outbreak infected over 9,000 people. There were many children that were not vaccinated against whooping cough, but scientists also believe that the outbreak could have been the result of a waning immunity to the vaccine.
The final disease that has reappeared recently is the chicken pox. Indiana experience a major outbreak with over 80 cases in 2012. This outbreak was thought to have been started from an unvaccinated child. It is possible for people who have been vaccinated to get the chicken pox as well because the vaccine is only 90% effective.
I chose this article because the title grabbed my attention. I always find it interesting to learn about diseases that are making a comeback. After reading this article, I can see where the people that do not get vaccinated are coming from, but I still think it is a good idea to do so. We have come so far in our knowledge of diseases and vaccines that I think it is a little silly to not listen to the CDC.
This connects to class because there have always been conflicts related to vaccines. For every disease we have studied, I find there is some excuse for people not getting vaccinated. I also think it is important for people to realize that just because a disease has not been extremely prominent does not mean that we should not be ready for it to come back.
http://time.com/27308/4-diseases-making-a-comeback-thanks-to-anti-vaxxers/
I think that the reappearance of disease is really scary! When you go through something so horrible with so many deaths, such as plague or influenza, you would do anything in your power to stop such a thing from happening again, and would be afraid if history repeated itself. In the first paragraph you mentioned how people don't believe in getting vaccinated. I think that this is a really bad idea, not only for themselves but for others around them. We can see that not getting vaccines can be directly linked to reappearance of diseases, as you mention in this post.
ReplyDeleteThis article was very alarming to me because I was unaware that parents are electing for their children not to get common vaccines. Even though vaccines are not 100% effective, there is still a higher chance that you will not contract the particular disease if you are vaccinated. Why would parents take the risk? Receiving the chickenpox vaccine seems like a no brainer to me. Especially in my generation, it is assumed that kids are vaccinated against chickenpox. I can compare this topic to the smallpox unit that we studied in class. Many people were skeptical of the vaccine because they didn't want to permit a tiny piece of the virus into their bodies. They were afraid that they would get sick and that it would defeat the purpose of the vaccine. Presently, the virus is weakened in the vaccine so it is unlikely that you will indeed contract the disease but it is possible that you could have minor/non-life threating symptoms. Overall, I think that every child should be vaccinated against Measles, Mumps, Chickenpox etc..
ReplyDeleteIt always surprises me how many people chose for their children not to be vaccinated. I wonder if they realize how deadly these diseases can be for children and how easy it is to catch them, especially if you are not vaccinated. I feel that agencies like the CDC should do more to promote the safety of vaccines and the importance of them, so more parents would chose to vaccinate their children instead of risking their health.
ReplyDeleteKasey I agree with you, why wouldn't a parent want to vaccinate their child? Vaccination isn't always perfect, but it protects you most of the time. Lizzy, I also liked the article and find it interesting when diseases make a come back. But, this comeback proves that parents should get their child vaccinated even if there isn't an outbreak of that disease. It could always come back eventually and without a vaccine you have a better chance of getting it.
ReplyDeleteFor someone like me, I can't understand why you wouldn't vaccinate your children. I grew up in a house where my parents really believe in the power of vaccines. I've gotten vaccinated for practically everything that doctors say you should get vaccinated for, and every year at the start of flu season, my parents get my brother and I the newest flu shot. Even with the relatively new HPV vaccine, when I "discussed" getting it with my parents, it was pretty just checking that we all agreed that I should get it. Also, most of the diseases discussed in the article are caused by viruses. There are no antibiotics that a sick child can take to help them fight off the disease; they have to rely solely on their own immune system, and a vaccine gives them that added boost that could be the difference between them fighting off the virus or not. I don't know why parents wouldn't at least give their children viral vaccines. They are one of the few ways that medicine can combat viruses right now, and in a world of more and more drug-resistant bacteria emerging, I'd rather get a vaccine and have that added immunity than be completely exposed to something that definitely has the potential to kill me.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you all, vaccination is a must. But it seems like from what you are saying Lizzy that scientists think that people are gaining immunity to the vaccines and therefore are catching the diseases. These are some what conflicting ideas. If we all get vaccinated too much it seems that people are getting immunity to the vaccine and in return will get sick. But on the other hand if you don't get vaccinated you will definitely get sick because you have no defense against the disease. As far as I'm concerned there is not enough evidence to not get vaccinated and therefore I will continue to get vaccinated.
ReplyDeleteWow Lizzy! I had no idea that these diseases were making comebacks and quite frankly I find it startling and disturbing. I am not a big fan of putting anything into our bodies that do not need to be, but quite frankly vaccines in my opinion are one of the things that definitely should be in our bodies. Like you stated you are indeed affecting other people, because many of these outbreaks were caused by non vaccinated people and vaccines are not always 100% effective. I respect the fact that some people may not want to be vaccinated, but for diseases that have not been eradicated or are prevalent in the part of the world you live in or travel to you should 100% be in my mind so you do not cause harm to others. This topic I agree relates to our class because not only have we talked about vaccinations in class, but we have also discussed the the CDC and their importance. Nice job with the summary it was really good!
ReplyDeleteThis was an interesting article choice. I would consider myself pro vaccination; I believe if you can prevent yourself from getting sick then you might as well do it! it is not surprising to me that these previously common diseases are on the rise again thanks to the lack of people getting vaccinated. It seems a bit strange to me that with all the resources we have, many choose not to take advantage of them. I believe it is important that the CDC gets the word out there that these diseases are going to make a comeback and people have a higher chance of infection if not vaccinated. It seems clear to me that the benefits of these vaccines outweigh the risks.
ReplyDeleteI found this to be very interesting as it directly relates to us as student. Soon we will be in college living in close quarters and with classes in the hundreds. It's odd to think some people don't get vaccinated despite the overwhelming evidence of not only its safety but also effectiveness. As ethical and educated students, I hope the majority of college kids gets vaccinated to help prevent the outbreak of diseases that I thought were no longer a problem!
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