Parental Attitudes to the Immunization of Young Children - Essay Example

With a marked increase in the number of vaccinations in the first 2 years through needle injections(5 immunization injections at each 2,4,6 month visits),it is quite natural for parents to weigh in their options regarding risks and benefits.Immunization and the National Immunization program have come under attack by organizations and parents due to allegations that vaccines cause chronic diseases,such as autism due to MMR ,Multiple sclerosis due to Hepatitis B vaccine etc. Concern also has been expressed that thimerosal, an ethyl mercury-containing vaccine preservative, might lead to a greater mercury exposure in infants receiving multiple thimerosal-containing vaccines.

In addition to the above,parents worry about the possible known adverse effects listed in vaccine info statements like paralysis due to oral polio vaccine and febrile seizures due to DTP(Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis).This compounded by confusing scientific processes,may lead them to believe that the risk of adverse side effects from the vaccine far out-weighs the risk of the disease itself.Parents also tend to feel pressurized into making the decision to vaccinate their children due to the requirement that they be given the recommended vaccines before entry into school or child care.

Inadequate financing of vaccines is another major impediment to the delivery of all recommended shots .The Federal Government's vaccines for children program covers the poorest kids ,but for others insurance might not cover all of the required shots.With increasing vaccination costs,they can prove to be quite expensive for parents. (Jon Abramson,Febuary 2002).There is also a common misconception that too many vaccine shots weaken the immune system of the body.Parents who have not been vaccinated themselves ,tend to believe that vaccination is not natural and prefer disease induced immunity.

So they resort to throwing "measles parties" for children as an alternative to vaccination.Today's parents,unlike the generation before them don't see the evidence of devastation of the deadly diseases,thanks to years of successful vaccinations.Therefore they don't fear risk of infection and live under the false notion that immunization of other children protect their own.(Sanford R.Kimmel,January 2005)