Skeptics surrounding vaccines spreading disease ill-fortunately

Historically, vaccines have been forcibly attached to controversial arguments surrounding overall effectiveness and unwanted side effects. As history amounts, it seems as though an increasing number of parents are refusing to vaccinate their children in spite of vaccination rumors. Vaccines may receive heavy debate due to the complex nature of immunizing efforts. Many people simply don’t understand how vaccines work or how and what they are made of. Here is an article that aims to debunk any vaccine-related myths.

Although vaccination rates remain relatively high, an increasing number of concentrated outbreaks involving communicable diseases are beginning to spread in small clusters. A public health phenomenon called ‘clustering of susceptible individuals’ renders high rates of immunization less effective in an area where susceptible clustering occurs. This phenomenon essentially reduces herd immunity and infectious disease agents are enabled to spread more readily through populations.

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A recent study clearly depicts that vaccine refusal has negative effects on population health. The study introduces a more recent chickenpox outbreak occurring in Asheville, N.C. at a Waldorf school, which is the largest outbreak in over twenty years. Waldorf schools have different curriculum guides than public schools, focusing more on “independent and inclusive” studies. A similar study in CA found that Waldorf schools had vaccine refusal rates 19 times as high as public schools.

Alternative schools such as Waldorf schools have also been associated with international outbreaks, too. Many recent outbreaks of measles and other preventable diseases in the U.S. originated among geographic clusters of vaccine refusers. Clustered outbreaks mean public health authorities and doctors need to shift their focus on such areas of vulnerability, not just on increasing overall vaccination rates.

Vaccines provide a level of direct protection, but also minimize the likelihood of encountering the infectious disease agent to begin with. When vaccine rates in a population are above a certain threshold, risk levels are virtually non-existent (herd immunity). Not everyone is able to become vaccinated, however, depending on an array of factors. Thus, herd immunity is of heightened significance in order to protect these vulnerable individuals (autoimmune disorders, cancer patients, etc.).

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Still, vaccines are not entirely effective. Individuals with chronic medical conditions such as asthma or diabetes may succumb to severe outcomes associated with vaccine-preventable diseases more easily. For instance, people with diabetes are six times as likely to be hospitalized for an influenza-related illness as those without diabetes and three times more likely to die due to an influenza infection. Similarly, individuals with asthma have a higher risk of whooping cough.

It remains clear that clusters of vaccine refusers break the overall herd immunity threshold leading to concentrated disease outbreaks that can spread rapidly through populations. The reasons behind clustering of vaccine refusers remains a mystery, but similar ideologies and shared values among close-knit populations may acutely describe these differences.

Public health policy needs to address clustering of vaccine refusers rather than solely focusing on high vaccination rates. Starting small in municipalities and working toward statewide implementation of school immunization requirements may be a good start. Also, healthcare providers stand under the spotlight when it comes to vaccination issues since they are the ones who administer vaccinations. Patient-provider rapport must be one primed on trust, honesty, and inclusion in order for vaccine refusers to undergo a paradigm shift.

Although vaccination rates remain high, there are still large demographic and socioeconomic groups around the country that render high vaccination rates subject to infectious disease outbreaks.