Immunization

Specific purpose: To convince my audience to get vaccinated. 

Central Idea: By vaccinating ourselves and our children, we can help stop the spread of viruses and prevent infectious diseases  

Introduction

1. For over 100 years, Vaccinations have been proven to be one of the most effective ways of protecting ourselves and others against so many serious illnesses and viruses. They also help sick people recover as well.  Many individuals have lost their lives and their loved ones from viruses like Ebola, Influenza, corona, and many more.

1. A lot of people around the world remain very skeptical about vaccinations. 
2. The amount of people that are not vaccinated against the most common viruses represents a huge portion of the world population. 

1. I have a family member who used to have stereotypes about vaccinations and other medications, but after watching my neighbor’s son dying from a serious infectious disease ten years ago, she realized how important vaccines are.
   1. It doesn’t need to be this way. No one needs to die from something preventable.
   2. Most vaccines around the world are either free, provided at subsidized costs, or covered by many insurance policies.
2. After I researched vaccinations, I found several reasons why people should get vaccinated.
   1. Vaccines save and improve the quality of lives.
   2. Vaccinations are important in the total eradication of diseases from the planet.
   3. Vaccines represent good value for economies.
3. There are also consequences when refusing to take them or when the resources are not in place for people to take them.
   1. According to the New York State Department of Health website (2015), there are medical and social consequences of not getting vaccinated.
      1. An unvaccinated child will require specialized care in hospital
      2. A pregnant unvaccinated mother is more susceptible to disease and puts the unborn child’s health at risk. For instance, if she contracts rubella, her child might develop congenital rubella syndrome.
      3. A child may be required to stay home in case of an outbreak in the community.
      4. Illness increases cost allocations to healthcare. 

I will now discuss how vaccines strengthen our immune system and when to take them. I will then expound on the benefits of vaccines mentioned earlier, and finally, the reasons why people don’t take vaccines.

Body

1. Vaccines protect us throughout the stages of life, from birth through childhood, teenage years, and adulthood into old age. 
   1. Some vaccines, like the one against chickenpox, are like a one-time lifetime subscription.
   2. Other vaccines, like flu-shots, yellow fever, and malaria, require a person to get frequent doses. Good examples of these vaccines are taken before international travel or the ones infants are given.
      1. Research has shown that for some diseases, frequent doses are needed to increase immunity.  
      2. Some diseases like the flu have more than one causative strain, and thus an annual flu shot is recommended.
      3. Other times, the immunity wears off after some time, such as malaria.
2. Immunizations protect us from serious diseases and also prevent the spread of those diseases to others. 

1.  An article entitled “Immunizations and Vaccines” published by Smitha Bhandari in 2020 on their website mentions that you’re injected with a weakened form of the disease during immunization, which triggers your body’s immune response, causing it to induce other processes that enhance immunity.
   1. The weakened form of a disease is a small part of the germ of the virus, which will be recognized by immune cells as foreign matter and more initiate an immune response.
   2. According to the Center for Disease Control report titled “Understanding How Vaccines Work” and written in 2018, there are five types of vaccines.
      1.  Live attenuated vaccines, which are weakened forms of the germ or virus. Live attenuated vaccines are not given to immune-compromised children, such as those undergoing chemotherapy, as they have a real risk of causing disease in those groups: an example, chickenpox.
      2. Inactivated vaccines are ‘dead’ forms of the bacteria or virus that cause the disease. These require booster doses as they do not elicit a sufficient immune response in one dose—for example, a polio vaccine.
      3. Toxoid vaccines are weakened forms of toxins produced by bacteria that cause disease. An example of this is the tetanus vaccine.
      4. Subunit vaccines are vaccines where small units of the virus or bacteria are administered. These subunits are enough to elicit an immune response. An example of such a vaccine is whooping cough.
      5. Conjugate vaccines; assist the immune system in recognizing bacteria that camouflage in complex sugars (polysaccharide coats). An example is the Haemophilus influenzae vaccine.
2. Then, if you’re ever again exposed to the actual disease-causing organism, your immune system is prepared to fight the infection.
   1. The body achieves this through the immune cells (T-cells), which retain the memory of the infection, and the antibodies produced to fight it off.
3. Vaccinations are safe and effective.
   1. They are only given to children after a long and careful review by scientists, doctors, and healthcare professionals.
      1. In an article written in 2015 titled “Investing in Vaccines for the Developing World,” the non-profit organization PATH found that most vaccines take close to 15 years to be developed and approved. Vaccine development involves many trials before finally getting the required approval.
   2. They save and improve the quality of lives.
      1. Certain diseases, such as now-eradicated smallpox, are virulent and lethal. 
      2. Other diseases, like Polio, leave one paralyzed for life.
   3. Vaccinations are important in the total eradication of diseases from the planet.
      1. In the report “Polio Endgame Strategy 2019-2023” (2019), the World Health Organization reports that massive vaccination exercises will eradicate Polio in the remaining countries.
      2. For instance, let’s assume that there are two populations, A and B.
      3. Population A is healthy, and population B has virus X.
      4. If population A is vaccinated against the virus, population B will not spread the disease to them, which means that the disease will be contained in population B.
      5. Assuming that both populations are in a “closed system” and there are no imported cases, population B will eventually die out or be cured through proper treatment. 
      6. Eventually, the healthy population is left, and the disease slowly becomes eradicated.
   4. Vaccines represent good value for economies.
      1. A vaccinated population does not need to worry about the financial costs of treatment.
      2. Research has shown that Americans vaccinated against pertussis, diphtheria, Polio, measles, mumps, tetanus, rubella, hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae B, and varicella account for $43 billion in savings.
      3. Diseases that spread very fast between people easily cause epidemics or pandemics
         1. These result in public health crises, which are expensive to contain and mitigate.
         2. A good example is the current coronavirus pandemic. According to a report by the United Nations, as of 11 November 2020, the coronavirus pandemic had cost the G20 governments over $12 trillion. The International Monetary Fund estimates that over $28 trillion will be lost in the next four years.
   5. The net cost of developing and administering vaccines is cheaper than the net cost of treatment and care for the disease.

1. Therefore, by getting vaccinated, you’re not only stopping the spread of infectious diseases, but you’re also helping someone else with underlying conditions or who cannot get vaccinated due to medical reasons staying healthy. In other words, immunization means saving lives.  
   1.  According to the Center for Disease Control, immuno-compromised individuals are individuals who have a weakened immune system. The immune system is weakened through HIV infection or chemotherapy. 
   2. Immunocompromised people may not receive certain types of vaccines and thus depend on the community’s initiative to get vaccinated.

Now that we know the benefits of immunization let’s find out why some people do not take vaccines. 

1. Individuals from different backgrounds have a different perspectives about vaccines. 

1. Chephra McKee et al. (2016) classified why people refused vaccines into four; a desire for more information, religious reasons, personal beliefs or philosophical reasons, and safety concerns.
   1. Religious reasons included animal-derived gluten in some vaccines and human fetal cells for the production of vaccines like the rubella vaccine.
   2. Philosophical reasons included 
      1. The belief that children are better off contracting these diseases and acquiring natural immunity
      2. The low prevalence of these diseases in the population does not necessitate immunization.
      3. A healthy diet can achieve good health, eliminating the need for a vaccine.
      4. The belief that the disease is easy to treat
   3. Safety concerns included the belief that vaccines are inextricably linked to autism.
   4. Lastly, parents wanted to get more information about the vaccines; the risks and benefits involved.

1. Third world countries lack resources to effect mass vaccination programs

1. Vaccine development is an expensive process
   1. The United Nations estimates that a single vaccine could cost up to $500 million to produce. These funds are not readily available in third-world countries. 
2. Poor infrastructure in developing countries hinders the effective delivery of vaccines.
3. Third-world countries also have higher levels of illiteracy. Thus the general population lacks awareness of the benefits of vaccination.

1. Immunization centers locations for insured and uninsured people

1. Vaccines are available in many health centers across the nation
   1. Federally funded centers can provide service if one does not have insurance
   2. There are customized plans for payment based on one’s income.

Conclusion

1. Getting vaccinated is one of the keys to keeping our community free of infectious diseases. Stop by at your local health department or primary care physician’s office to get vaccinated.

Works cited

Bhandaru, Smitha. Immunizations and Vaccines: Benefits, Risks, Effectiveness. 12 September 2020, https://www.webmd.com/children/vaccines/immunizations-vaccines-power-of-preparation.

CDC. Where to Find Adult Vaccines. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/adults/find-vaccines.html. Accessed 21 April. 2021.

Centers for Disease Control. “Understanding How Vaccines Work.” Centers for Disease Control, no. August, 2018, pp. 1–2, https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/conversations/downloads/vacsafe-understand-color-office.pdf.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Immunocompromised Persons. 2021, https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/crypto/gen_info/infect_ic.html.

McKee, Chephra, and Kristin Bohannon. “Exploring the Reasons behind Parental Refusal of Vaccines.” Journal of Pediatric Pharmacology and Therapeutics, vol. 21, no. 2, 2018, pp. 104–09, doi:10.5863/1551-6776-21.2.104.

Muennig, Peter A., and Kamran Khan. “Cost-Effectiveness of Vaccination versus Treatment of Influenza in Healthy Adolescents and Adults.” Clinical Infectious Diseases, vol. 33, no. 11, 2001, pp. 1879–85, doi:10.1086/324491.

New York Department of Health. The Harm of Skipping Vaccinations or Delaying. June 2015, https://www.health.ny.gov/prevention/immunization/vaccine_safety/harm.htm.

Schuchat, Anne. “Human Vaccines and Their Importance to Public Health.” Procedia in Vaccinology, vol. 5, 2011, pp. 120–26, doi:10.1016/j.provac.2011.10.008.

T.Pang. “Vaccination in Developing Countries: Problems, Challenges and Opportunities.” Global Perspectives in Health, vol. 2, p. 274.

U.S Department of Health and Human Services. How to Pay | Vaccines. https://www.vaccines.gov/get-vaccinated/pay. Accessed 21 April. 2021.

WHO. “Polio Endgame Strategy 2019-2023.” World Health Organization, vol. 19, no. 04, 2019, p. 64, http://polioeradication.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/english-polio-endgame-strategy.pdf.

World Health Organization (WHO). The Human Cost of COVID-19. no. 11 November 2020, 2020, pp. 2–8.