What do you think the role of government should be regarding mandatory vaccines? What is your personal opinion? Support with quotes!
1. Choose one. These articles contain the same content, but the reading levels differ.:
https://newsela.com/articles/measles-disney/id/7072/ (Grade 12 reading level)
https://newsela.com/articles/measles-disney/id/7099/ (Grade 9 reading level)
2. Read both of the articles below.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/03/opinion/reckless-rejection-of-the-measles-vaccine.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/31/us/vaccine-critics-turn-defensive-over-measles.html
3. Feel free to do your own additional research on this topic. There is a lot of good video out there as well.
4. Write your response on the blog. Summarize the vaccine debate, and take a position as to what the role of government and lawmakers should be regarding the vaccination of children. What is your personal opinion? Be sure to use a minimum of two quotes in your response.
I think there should be mandatory vaccines required just so it doesn’t spread anymore.. In the article I read it stated today, some parents choose not to have their children get the measles shot. They are afraid the chemicals in the shot will hurt their kids. Scientists who have studied that say the vaccine is safe. So that right there if the scientists are sure it’s safe then the parents should have no issue if it could possibly kill their children. Many different doctors say the shot is safe. And there has been no evidence of the vaccine shot hurting anyone. I read a lot of different articles and there should be enough to prove to everyone that this shot is needed... in a different article it stated Measles anxiety rippled thousands of miles beyond its center on Friday as officials scrambled to try to contain a wider spread of the highly contagious disease. Now it wouldn’t have caused so much anxiety if everyone just got the shot that is just my opinion.
ReplyDeleteMeasles is a disease that is makes the host of it very uncomfortable and can kill its host if not treated properly. But the scary part is that this disease is highly contagious, so going to a highly populated area is very dangerous if even one person has it, “Public health officials believe the current measles outbreak began at Disneyland a week before Christmas. The theme park attracts visitors from all over the world, including places in Europe and Asia where measles is still a serious problem.” (Newsela). Some of the symptoms are very irritating and somewhat disgusting, “Measles causes a rash that first appears on the head and then spreads to the rest of the body. Other symptoms include fever, red eyes and a runny nose. Spread by simply coughing and sneezing, measles can be contagious for four days before the rash appears and four days after.” (Newsela), these are some of the more harsh symptoms this disease has to offer. Problem with this disease going around is that some people are not properly vaccinated for it, and some of the reasons why is that the vaccine can give the user Autism, which gets people scared to take it. “Measles is so contagious that 90 percent of the people who are not immune to the disease will become infected if exposed to a measles carrier. Even after an infected person leaves the room, the virus can hang around and infect people for a couple of hours.” (New York Times). This is a very horrible disease that needs to be stopped.
ReplyDeleteElliot
The vaccine debate is whether or not parents should be forced to vaccinate their children. I believe that the government and lawmakers should make laws about having to have a preventable disease prevented by the vaccine, Because “is shockingly irresponsible of them to put other children and adults at risk of catching measles from their unvaccinated children.” Also i believe that if the child is going to public schools then they should be vaccinated. But “State and local laws vary on vaccination requirements for entering the public schools. Some have “personal belief” exemptions that allow parents to opt out of mandatory vaccinations.”
ReplyDeleteAD
The government shouldn’t play a role in the vaccinations to children. It should be the parents responsibility and choice to do what they think is best for their children. In the article “Vaccine Critics Turn Defense Over Measles” Jack Healy says ““It’s good to explore alternatives rather than go with the panic of everyone around you,” she said. “Vaccines don’t feel right for me and my family.” It isn’t the governments job to make vaccinations required for those who think they’re better off without them. The article also said “I also strongly believe other parents have the right to choose not to get their children vaccinated due to religion or health reasons.” The parents have the right to make health decisions for their children. The government doesn’t know what is best for every child and that’s why it’s better for the parents to make these kinds of decisions.
ReplyDeleteDevin D.
These articles were about measles and if parents should be forced to have their kids get the vaccinations. I think that everyone should be vaccinated. Not only for there safety but for the safety of others if you are just not getting the vaccine its not just hurting you it is hurting all of the infants that are not vaccinated yet and the elderly with weak immune systems. I also think that the government should be funding this like when people get flu shots a lot of people get them for free. They should do the same with measles. Because “Measles is so contagious that 90 percent of the people who are not immune to the disease will become infected if exposed to a measles carrier. Even after an infected person leaves the room, the virus can hang around and infect people for a couple of hours.” And what if someone who is infected goes to the doctors because they have a symptom like a runny nose then five minutes later a mother comes in with her new born child to get a checkup. Now that child is in a whole lot more danger than it was when it first went into the doctor’s office. Also if you are infected and you go to a big mall or amusement park there is a very big chance of contamination now, you are bumping into stuff touching stuff that thousand have before in that day and iv the virus can stay active on stuff for hours someone else is bound to pick that virus up. This is why I think everyone should get vaccinated and that the government should make it mandatory for people to get vaccinations, not for religious reasons but safety reasons.
ReplyDeleteZac DeGoursey
I believe that people should get the vaccine for the mumps and measles. Who wouldn’t want the vaccine that would make them immune to this disease? However, there is a huge controversy with parents and having their child get the vaccine. There have been rumors and stories that getting the vaccine could lead to many mental health problems including autism. Dr. Eric Handler, Orange county public health officer of California, says “the shot is safe”. The government wants to make it a law that you need to get this vaccine because these diseases are extremely contagious. Even some schools want to make it a requirement to get the vaccine. Most parents comply, others do not. “It scares me,” another mother, Julie Angus, said. She talked about her fear while walking her preschooler and first-grader home from school. These parents are making a decision that could hurt other children, Angus said. "I personally feel that if that’s your choice you should home-school your child." Julie Angus makes a really good point here. I know if I had a child, I would want to make sure he gets the vaccine before any possible contact with anyone who is sick.
ReplyDeleteMike Gogliettino
I think that the government should definitely make it mandatory to get the vaccine. One reason I think this is because if your child catches the measles, it makes them very sick. I don’t see why any parent would want their child to go through that just because they think the vaccine can cause problems. It is not fair to the child to be that sick. The article on Newsela talks about the symptoms saying, “Someone who gets measles will first get a rash. The rash then begins to spread. Other symptoms are fever, red eyes and a runny nose. Measles can cause serious problems.” The second reason is because the kid can get other people’s children sick. In the same article it says, “These parents are making a decision that could hurt other children.”
ReplyDeleteNick E.
Frank F.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I read from the articles whether they support vaccines or not, I got really applaud of what reasons or what people think why they shouldn't get vaccines. Particularly the whole autism thing. Take it from someone who does have autism, even if they do get autism doesn't mean their life is over. Some people think having autism is only the severe kind which is rare and is something you are born with. Plus, science now tells us that vaccines don't cause autism and was a misplaced guess. People should have the option, cause remember you are legally allowed to be dumb in america but they shouldn't complain if they have their children not allowed in school. It doesn't matter if you or your children are super "healthy", you are susceptible to the disease or at least you can't physically prove it which makes you liable to be contagious. That puts others at risk, and the school could be sued by the parents of the children who gotten sick from the disease spreading around at the time, especially if death ensues. You yourself can be held responsible too if they link it to your child in spreading it. Personally, unless there is a actual health concern with my child like being to young or having such a weak immune system where the vaccine can make them sick, the logical choice is to vaccinate your children.
The article concerning measles, in my opinion is very important and I think everyone should take the time to read it and see how important it is to get the proper care for measles and learn how to prevent it from spreading. I think the parents that disagree with the vaccinations aren’t really educated enough and they aren’t really thinking about not only what it can do to others but how it can really affect there child. The parents that aren’t taking their kids to get the vaccinations should also keep in mind that if they do send their child to school they are at a very high risk of getting it because just as easy as a cough or sneeze can cause them to have it. “If the rate of unimmunized is as high as it seems to be, you’re going to get more cases, and then you’re going to get more spread from those,” said Dr. James Cherry, a UCLA pediatric infectious diseases researcher. In 1977 over 50,000 students in Los Angeles County were told to stay home from school until they got the proper vaccinations and shots. Within days most of the students returned and the measles cases dropped quickly. This made some parent’s rethink their decisions on keeping their kids from getting vaccinations.
ReplyDeleteKenya
Theres so many people in this world its so hard not to get sick. In my opinion i think everyone should get the shot even if their parents don't want them to it should be allowed. The parents might not want it because the kids are afraid of it, or the parents just don't think its needed or safe. In the article Staying safe from measles means no school for some it states “Scientists who have studied that say the vaccine is safe.” So that shouldn't be an excuse to not vaccinate their children. Not getting the shot will cause kids and even parents to worry. Measles spread so quickly in the article Reckless rejection of the measles it states “measles is so contagious that 90 percent of the people who are not immune to the disease will become infected if exposed to a measles carrier.” Plus if these parents don't let their kids be safe from getting the shot, there putting other kids lives at risk when they enter those school doors. The only question is why put other children's lives in your children's hand. Get vaccinated!
ReplyDeleteMary.T
I think the government should mandate vaccinations. I think the government should do this because its basicly against public safety, a lot of the disease that are out there are contagious like measles. Newsela said some of the symptoms “Someone who gets measles will first get a rash. The rash then begins to spread. Other Symptoms are fever, red eyes and a runny nose. Measles can cause serious problems.”(Newsela). If you look at this as a parent you don’t what to catch a disease like this. The New York Times posted an article call Reckless Rejection of the Measles Vaccine it states “The tragedy is that there is a highly effective vaccine that federal health officials deem 95 percent to 97 percent effective, yet many parents refuse to use it either because they believe, mistakenly, that it would cause autism or they believe, also mistakenly, that measles is a disease of the past so there is no real need to have their children vaccinated” when I read this I thought that parents are just be too paranoid.
ReplyDeletekris vass
People have the option to vaccinate their children, I think that we need to make if so that every child in America gets the vaccination. Parents that do not vaccinate their kids could affect a whole community. In the article Staying safe from measles means no school for some it says “If they did not get a measles shot, they may catch the disease. If they catch the measles, they could spread it to to others.” So parents that do not vaccinate their child can make them catch the measles and if they get it they can give it to someone else. So this could become a chain reaction which would not be good for the US and other nation. The parents that do not vaccinate their child are not thinking of other children or how they are affecting their lives. In the article Reckless Rejection of the Measles Vaccine it said “But it is shockingly irresponsible of them to put other children and adults at risk of catching measles from their unvaccinated children.” The parents that do not vaccinate their child are not thinking of other kids and how it might affect their community. This all started at Disney in California. So one person did not have the vaccination so now it spread and there are now about 102 people that have the measles. So I think that everyone should have the vaccination to keep everyone healthy and communities safe.
ReplyDeleteMario F
I think that parents should take their kids to get vaccinated. If parents just take their kids to get the shot them and the other kids wouldn't have to miss school, in the Newsela article it says “At one high school in California, 24 students were kept at home.” I think that the government should send out an alert to everyone to tell their child so get vaccinated, and if not kids might end up with measles and it'll spread “Experts say that out of a group of 100 people, if 8 or more do not have the measles shot, the disease can spread very fast.” So by kids not having the shot sooner or later everyone might have it and might cause an outbreak.
ReplyDeleteMark N
Vaccination should be mandatory in my opinion. If someone is not immune to it, and has not been vaccinated, they are an easy target for the virus to spread to. In the one of the New York Times articles, it stated, "Most unvaccinated people can weather a bout of measles, but some groups are at high risk of complications. Young infants, pregnant women, children suffering from leukemia, and people with weak immune systems, among others, can’t take the vaccine and could suffer great harm from measles, including encephalitis and even death." How inconsiderate of such people to not think about the environment of people that surrounds them! I feel that the decision to not get the vaccination whether it's the personal belief that your child will have autism or that it's an, "old disease" should have nothing to do with it. It's real. It's spreading. And it's dangerous. In another New York Times article, a parent was very persistent on the idea of not giving her child the shot when she was sent home with a letter one day. The child was nervous about missing school but her mom was not trying to hear one bit of it. She states,"There is absolutely no reason to get the shot,”. Really? Because I think there is. It's not as if we live in a time period where there is no real cure for anything. If this can be preventable, then why not prevent it!
ReplyDeleteAaliyah H.Scott