Vaccination is one of the most crucial developments in the history of humankind. From the early spreads of plague and cholera to more recent measles, smallpox, and coronavirus, the diseases have resulted in hundreds of pandemics, killing millions of lives and devastating communities and economies. However, vaccines have played a crucial part in preventing and eradicating diseases, such as smallpox or influenza. Vaccination has been the subject of many controversies. A small cohort of vaccinated individuals became victims of physical disabilities, mental disorders, and even deaths because of the vaccines.
The documentary The Vaccine War is informative and provocative (Palfreman & McMahon, 2010). The main topic is the public’s opinion about the vaccines, the ingredients of which they assumed to be the sole cause of unwanted regression, such as autism and deafness, and the facts stated by medical experts. Vaccine skepticism has been linked to lower trust in the government and healthcare professionals (Iwasaki & Omer, 2020, p. 295). Nevertheless, scientists proved several times that vaccines do not cause adverse effects. I believe that science does not lie and that some people are inherently more sensitive to neutral ingredients, which can negatively affect them.
It is important to effectively publicize all necessary information about the vaccines. Resources such as social media, website posts, and ads can be a very efficient approach to reaching a significant number of people. Flyers, brochures, seminars in communities, and advisory sessions about vaccines can effectively dispel patients’ misconceptions about vaccination and its efficacy, thus making people more liable to get vaccinated. A vaccine’s success depends on clinical and scientific preparedness and public readiness (Hudson & Montelpare, 2021, p. 1). Therefore, getting people to know everything they need about vaccines is essential.
State laws governing school-entry vaccine mandates and the permitted exemptions (medical and non-medical) from those mandates have come under scrutiny as vaccine hesitancy has increased and vaccine-preventable diseases have spread (Buttenheim et al., 2020, p. 2620). There is a wide range in the types of exemptions offered in each state, and exemption rates are typically lower in states with stricter or onerous exemption requirements. California has passed a vaccine exemption for personal, medical, and religious beliefs.
References
Buttenheim, A. M., Joyce, C. M., Ibarra, J., Agas, J., Feemster, K., Handy, L. K., Amin, A. B., & Omer, S. B. (2020). Vaccine exemption requirements and parental vaccine attitudes: An online experiment. Vaccine, 38(11), 2620-2625.
Hudson, A., & Montelpare, W. (2021a). Predictors of vaccine hesitancy: Implications for COVID-19 public health messaging. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 1–14.
Iwasaki, A., & Omer, S. (2020). Why and how vaccines work. CellPress, 290–295.
Palfreman, J. & McMahon, K. (2010). The Vaccine War [Film]. FRONTLINE, Palfreman Film Group, Kate McMahon Productions, LLC. Web.