Nursing Blog Common Objections Parents Have to Childhood Vaccinations: How to Address Them
Common Objections Parents Have to Childhood Vaccinations: How to Address Them
They Are Unsafe
No medical intervention is without its risks. That being said, the risks of having the disease far outweigh any of the risks that the vaccine may induce. Vaccines undergo rigorous testing, year after year, to ensure that they are safe to give to children. National databases in most countries exist for reporting of any adverse effects from vaccines. These reports are reviewed, and if any adverse effects are noted, the vaccines are pulled from the market. Some side effects do occur with vaccines, but they are usually mild and short-lived. By explaining the side effects to watch out for, you can reassure your patient that the vaccines are safe for the child to take.
They Are Unnecessary
Since vaccines are administered for diseases that no longer are a threat to humanity, many parents feel that they are no longer necessary and, therefore, don't want to give them to their children. This is a fallacy in thinking. It is by taking the vaccines that the diseases are kept at bay and that they are no longer a threat to the population. For instance, in Great Britain in 1974, they stopped giving the pertussis vaccine due to concerns over the vaccine's safety. Pertussis at that point was not a threatening disease in Great Britain. By 1978, there were 100,000 reported cases and 36 deaths from pertussis. It is only by taking the vaccines and keeping current with them that we maintain our immunity.
They Are Unnatural
Many parents fear vaccines because they introduce what they consider an unnatural substance into their child's body. Vaccines are in a sense, actually natural substances. They are the natural bacteria that cause the disease state. Furthermore, they cause the natural immune response that the child would have if he or she were to catch the disease naturally. Some argue that living in an all-natural way will keep the child free from contracting these horrible diseases. Even if the child lived a healthy, all-natural lifestyle, he or she would still be at risk of contracting various diseases from carriers around them. No amount of healthy living can defeat the bacteria that cause diseases. Healthy living, however, is encouraged in addition to vaccines because it promotes a robust immune system, which is necessary in order to help children overcome diseases that no vaccines are available for.
They Cause Autism
Some parents think that the vaccine MMR, or measles, mumps and rubella, causes autism. This is due to a causal relationship between the time that autism is usually diagnosed, which is around 18 months, and the time MMR is given, which is usually around 12 months. Also, the incidence of autism spectrum disorder cases has increased since 1971 when the MMR vaccine was introduced in the United States. However, when the vaccine was introduced in the United Kingdom in 1988, there was not an increase of autism spectrum disorder cases to coincide with it. Part of the reason there seems to be a connection between autism and the MMR vaccine is because ability to diagnose autism is becoming more exact. These children may have had autism before, but were going undiagnosed. In 2000, the Immunisation Safety Review Committee concluded: that there is no relationship between autism and the MMR vaccine at a population level, that it could not rule out the possibility that MMR vaccines cause autism in a small number of children, that the vaccine schedule should stay the same, and that more research needs to be conducted. Currently, the American Academy of paediatricians and the American Academy of Family Doctors feel that the risk of not getting vaccinated far outweighs the slight risk of autism.
Do you support mandatory childhood vaccinations?Yes - 87.7%
No - 12.3%
Total votes: 122 The voting for this poll has ended on: 29 Dec 2011 - 00:00
References
Creighton University; The Pros and Cons and Common Questions about Childhood Vaccinations; Amy Kinkel, M.D.; March 2007 http://altmed.creighton.edu/Vaccination/ |
As a nurse, you may encounter parents who are against childhood vaccines. The debate over immunisations is a hot one, but the preponderance of the evidence suggests that vaccines are not only necessary, but they are the safest way to protect children from deadly diseases. Many studies have shown that the only way to protect children and the population from the diseases that these vaccines fight is to continue to inoculate children. You may encounter parents who want more information, or who have concerns that you don't know how to address. Here are some arguments in contrast to common concerns parents have about childhood vaccines.