Problem: Vaccines
As the unit materials make clear, vaccines are a critical way to prevent diseases caused by viruses. However, some people, for a variety of reasons, object to getting vaccinations or to having their children vaccinated. This discussion will help you understand how vaccines protect against viral disease, and also help you make informed real-life decisions on vaccinations.
First, read the webpage, put together by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in Atlanta, Georgia, called, "What Would Happen If We Stopped Vaccinations."
Next, read the interview with Dr. Paul Offit, an expert on vaccinations and the Director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Answer the following questions:
i. According to the CDC web site, 12.5 million people contracted German Measles in 1964-65. It resulted in the death of 2,000 babies and caused 11,000 miscarriages. How do you think vaccinations have changed people's everyday lives? If you can, interview older relatives (parents, grandparents), and ask if they can remember what life was like without effective vaccinations. How do they think vaccinations have changed people's everyday lives?
ii. Why is it important that most people to get vaccinated, in order to prevent the spread of an infectious disease, such as measles or mumps?
iii. In the interview with Dr. Offit, he makes the point that states usually require children to be in car seats. In a similar way, do you think that states should require children to be vaccinated? Why or why not? Who is potentially harmed when lots of children are not vaccinated?