Question

• Vaccination coverage and herd immunity:

Clearly discusses the relationship between vaccination coverage and herd immunity taking into account the underlying assumptions.

• Vaccination on the secular trends of vaccinable infectious diseases

Properly articulates the impact of vaccination on the secular trends of vaccinable infectious diseases without overlooking the crucial role of social determinants of health.

• Possible reasons for growing vaccine hesitancy

Discuss all possible reasons for growing vaccine hesitancy providing an example of each.

• Consequences of vaccine hesitancy on communities

Outline the possible consequences of vaccine hesitancy on communities. Provide numbers from literature or credible sources (Approx. 0.5 page)  

• Ethics and vaccination policy

Discuss the balance between parents’ autonomy in deciding whether to immunize their child and the benefits to public health from mandating vaccines.

• Vaccine advocacy in different community groups

Discuss how could you be an effective advocate for vaccination in a situation where you meet someone hesitant or when you meet vaccine denier.

Answer 1

Q) Discuss the balance between parents’ autonomy in deciding whether to immunize their child and the benefits to public health from mandating vaccines.

Childhood immunization is the process of providing immunization or vaccination to children from the known dreadful diseases. This process is a balance between the parent's autonomy to decide that they want to immunize their children and the benefits that are presented by public health for mandating the vaccination procedure. Ethical concerns of the parent's autonomy against the mandatory process of immunization focuses various public domains that are policy makers, clinicians and professionals. In US it is seen that pertaining the balance between herd immunity and parents autonomy is an intractable target in recent debate situations. In recent situation this balance is not very well achieved but the strategies have to be implemented to provide alternative attitude of the parents. The major reason of this imbalance is the erroneous information and misinterpretation of the immunization procedure by the parents. Some strategies include effective communication with vaccine hesitant and vaccine opposing families helps in making them understand the benefits of this process. Major belief of the vaccine opposing parents shows that they have thoughts such as vaccine is harmful and will not benefit, it is better to have natural immunity and vaccines are not natural and what they prefer is best for their child. Going against these statements and thoughts hinder the ethical values of parents but vaccination is important subject and therefore balance is to be maintained using appropriate strategies.