Should Vaccination be compulsory for children?

With the growing anti vaccination movement now leading to real out breaks of vaccine preventable illness and actual deaths in some parts of the world. It seems right to pose the question. Should vaccination be made compulsory for children?

I think that the answer is a resounding yes. Vaccination is the best protection that we have against terrible and debilitating infectious diseases. If vaccination rates are allowed to fall below herd immunity levels. There will be outbreaks and people will die. There have been several deaths of infants from pertussis in Australia and California this year. These deaths occurred in babies too young to be vaccinated against the disease and in areas where vaccination rates are low. It can be stated with some confidence that these deaths were preventable.

Vaccine Safety  

Are Vaccines safe? Yes. Like all medical interventions there is not, and can never be, a 100% guarantee of safety. There are some people that will suffer an adverse reaction to a vaccine. And in extremely rare cases this may be an injury that persists for life. But these cases are the down side of what has otherwise been one of the greatest medical interventions ever devised. There is no evidence for the harm that is claimed by many in the anti-vax lobby. I have covered vaccination before in a post related to the Immunization Awareness Society. In that post I did a brief summary of the claims for harm from vaccines and what the evidence actually shows. Since that post a new study by the CDC has put more weight behind the idea that there is no link between vaccines and negative neurological outcomes.

With vaccination, as with all medical intervention, there is a risk vs. benefit. The benefit of vaccines is clear and cannot be denied (Tho some will try). And although the risk is real. It is so small in comparison that the use of vaccines is really a no-brainer.

Vaccine Efficacy

Are vaccines effective? Yes. In the 20th century alone it is estimated that smallpox killed between 300 and 500 million people! Once again. Between 300 and 500 million. So why does no one die of smallpox these days? Because it was eradicated by vaccination. Polio has been driven out of the industrialized world. And yet it still remains a threat to millions in part because of resistance to vaccination in the developing world. These communities refuse vaccination for a variety of reasons. Including; Bad information, mistrust, superstition, religion, and more. Then there are other diseases that we haven't yet managed to eradicate but have made a significant dent in. Pertussis, Measles, Rubella, Mumps, Tetanus to name just a few.

The counter to this that I am most familiar with is that infectious diseases were on the decline before vaccination was introduced. And that it is our improved living conditions and nutrition that has lead to better health and fewer deaths. I'm sorry but this argument just doesn't hold weight. Any study of the data will find that the introduction of vaccines correlates with massive drops in both infection and death rates form the ailment concerned. Improving conditions of living and diet have of course led to improved health. But the idea that a person can fight off any disease if they are healthy enough is wrong and a dangerous piece of misinformation.

Herd Immunity

Some people will counter the call that vaccination should be compulsory by saying that a vaccinated child is protected and so not vaccinating is only putting the unvaccinated child at risk. This is incorrect. Vaccination is not 100% effective. Not everyone that receives the vaccine will develop immunity. And there are some individuals that cannot be vaccinated. This can be because they have a known allergy to one of the components. Or they may be Immunocompromised due to an illness, genetic defect or treatment they are undergoing. Or they are just old and sick. Vaccination has to be given at a certain age. Children that have not yet received the vaccination are vulnerable.

This group relies on the rest of the population to be vaccinated in order to maintain herd immunity. Herd immunity occurs when enough of the population is vaccinated and sufficiently dispersed that the individuals susceptible to the infection are protected. This is because it is very difficult to sustain a breakout of an infection if the large part of the population are immune. In areas where herd immunity is being lost. Parts of the US, Britain and Australia. Outbreaks of vaccine preventable diseases are occurring and children are dying. 

Conclusion

There are laws that protect children from the actions of their parents. Children are not allowed to be neglected, beaten or abused. In my mind. Not vaccinating ones child is the same as failing to get them adequate medical attention when they are ill. And the decision not to vaccinate a child affects not just that one child. But any vulnerable person that child may come into contact with. Vaccination should be a requirement for sending children into daycare, Kindergarten, Playcentre or School. If a child can be vaccinated. They should be. No exceptions.