1. By: Karyssa Costagliola

3.  Immunizations/Vaccinations started in 1796 by a man named
Edward Jenner living in England. The first world vaccination he
created was for smallpox which he took pus from a lesion from a
cowpox sore and injected it in a young child who showed
immunity weeks later even with exposure to the disease. His
experimentation with the cowpox lesion to be used to give
immunization of smallpox started the groundwork for what we
study today in regards to vaccinations. Jenner continued to
spread his knowledge in his studies of immunizations that by 1800
100,000 people were vaccinated in Europe alone and had even
begun to spread throughout the United States. At first it was just
state regulated and a choice to have these vaccinations it soon
became required to be able to attend public schools which still
remains in effect today. When Edward Jenner was performing
these vaccinations his experiments were, “carried out in a pre-
germ theory that lacked modern methods of quality control and
sterilization”

4.  These forms of experimentation lead to a lot of risks of
contamination which made people apprehensive of
contracting something else by getting the vaccine. The
study of immunizations have come a far way and are
being closely monitored as compared to years ago
when they first begun. Some vaccines were taken
away due to the fact they were causing the illness it
was supposed to prevent in some cases killing
children. There is still a lot of research that goes into
developing these vaccines and new vaccines coming
out to prevent newly surfaced diseases. Even with the
newer technology that is in medicine now compared to
when Edward Jenner started this trend it is still a risk
and some people feel the risks of getting a vaccine for
themselves or their children is not worth it.

5.  Immunizations that are out today and
currently being used from birth through
adulthood is Hepatitis B, Rotavirus,
Diphtheria, tetanus and Acellular Pertussis
(DTaP), Haemophilus Influenza, Pneumococcal
conjugate, Inactivated Poliovirus, Influenza,
Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Varicella, Hepatitis
A, Human Papillomavirus, and
Meningoccoccal

6.  The first dose of the Hepatitis B vaccine is given at
birth and then between the one and two month
mark. The third dose of the Hepatitis B vaccine is
then given between six and eighteen months in the
beginning of life.
 Rotavirus is a two dose and can be a three dose
vaccine which begins at approximately two
months of age to six months
 The Diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis or
DTaP shot is given starting at age two months for
the first dose. The second does is given at four
months and the third does is given at six months of
age. The fourth dose is then given at
approximately fifteen to eighteen months of age

7.  Haemophilus Influenza type b is a five dose vaccine. It
is first given at two months of age and then at four
months to six months of age the second dose is given.
At and the final two doses are given between twelve
and fifteen months
 The Pneumococcal conjugate is a four dose vaccine first
given at two months of age. The next two doses are
given at four months and six months of age. The final
does is given between twelve and fifteen months.
Inactivated poliovirus is given in four doses starting at
two months old. The second dose is typically given at
four months old and then the third dose is given
between six months and eighteen months. The fourth
does is then given between four and six years old
typically before entering kindergarten

8.  The influenza vaccine is an optional vaccine that
can be given from six months through adulthood
to help prevent or lower the effects of the seasonal
flu virus
 Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine is
given first at approximately twelve to fifteen
months old. The second dose of MMR is given
between ages four and six usually before starting
school
 The Varicella vaccine is given in two doses the first
given at twelve to fifteen months and the second
being given between four and six years old
typically before the start of kindergarten

9.  Hepatitis A is a two dose series vaccine that both doses are
given between twelve and twenty-three months old
 The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is a preventative
shot that is given in a three dose series starting at eleven
years old or when a child male or female are sexually active.
This shot prevents genital warts and in girls cervical cancer.
It is not effective for all types of HPV, but is used as a form
of preventing this STD
 The Meningococcal shot is given to high risk groups like
teenagers and pre-teens it is usually given at eleven to
twelve years old and a booster is given typically between
sixteen and eighteen years old. It is said that, “adolescents
who receive their first dose of meningococcal vaccine at or
after age sixteen do not need the booster dose”
(www.cdc.gov

10.  The numbers of children that are vaccinated
are increasing, but there are still many parents
that choose not to get their child vaccinated. In
Pennsylvania alone 79% of children ages 19 to
35 months are immunized. The state that has
the highest rate of parents filling out exemption
forms for certain immunizations is in
Washington State at 6.2%

11.  These parents choosing not to vaccinate in fact
can risk the lives and well being of children
that are vaccinated and is being researched on
its effects. Some parents feel that the risk of
vaccines can be life threatening and not worth
the risk, but it is stated that, “No vaccine is
100% risk free, but the chances of major side
effects from a shot are minuscule compared to
the potential damage of your child’s health if
he or she contracted the disease itself”
(www.parents.com/heath/vaccines/facts/vac
cination-facts/?page=2)

12.  The parents that do vaccinate feel that their child is taken care of and they
don’t really worry or think about the kids that do not. In fact the people
that are unvaccinated can host a lot of infection and can pass on the
infection not being sick themselves, but harming the children that are not
fully immunized yet or that didn’t take to a vaccine. It is proven that,
“Children under one year old who are exposed to measles, mumps, and
other vaccine-preventable diseases before they have been immunized are
much less likely to survive”
(www.parents.com/health/vaccines/facts/vaccination-facts/?page=2).
 Another misconception is people feel that the diseases that have not been
seen here in centuries there is no reason to vaccinate against it. In fact it is
proven that if more vaccinated people go down the rate of the disease
increases even in the rarest disease. The world is increasing in people
traveling to underdeveloped countries, adoptions, and other vectors that
can bring these old diseases back to the states and will infect many
children. One other vaccine that parents feel is not a big deal to get is the
vaccination for chicken pox. Most parents feel it isn’t that severe of an
infection when, “Chicken pox is actually responsible for the death of one
child every week in this country”
(www.parents.com/health/vaccines/facts/vaccination-facts/?page=2).

13.  There is a lot of belief that vaccinations actually
cause things like SIDS for example, but in this
instance there is not enough factual information
that can support this claim. Another illness people
feel is caused by getting your child vaccinated is
Autism. There have been a lot of studies done and
at one point they felt the preservative thimerosal
could be responsible for the increase in children
with autism, but it was removed since 2001 and
they continued to study the effects and concluded
it was not responsible or linked to the cause of
Autism.

14.  In recent news there is a growing concern of the
Enterovirus that is spreading across the nation.
This new virus has no known or developed
vaccine, but it seems to not have affected any
unvaccinated child. All cases of children that have
the virus are all vaccinated and or updated on their
vaccines.
 Some studies have actually shown that children
who are vaccinated have a higher risk of eczema,
ear infections, asthma, hyperactivity and other
chronic infections. A study has shown that, “There
was a ten-fold increase in the incidence of
tonsillitis in the children who were vaccinated”
(www.thesleuthjournal.com).