Informative Speech: Measles Vaccination

Therefore, anyone entering the area has a high probability of contracting the virus through the respiratory system or even by touching a surface contaminated with the droplets and then touching their mouth, nose, or eyes ("Transmission of Measles," 2015).  The risk factors are high for a Measles outbreak in a community in that an anti-vaccination movement has become popular among some parents who believe that vaccinations can be bad for their children.  Statistics show that most of the non-vaccinated children that become exposed to the virus will more than likely acquire the virus (Ross, 2015).

Purpose: The purpose of this speech is to inform my audience on the importance of vaccinating their children. My central idea is that current education is too lax, we need to better educate our new parents on the importance of vaccinations.

Imagine traveling to the “Happiest Place on Earth”, Disneyland, with your family. While you are there a person that has not been vaccinated is walking around with the measles virus in their system. While that person shows no signs or symptoms of the measles, they are infecting others that haven’t been vaccinated, due to young age or other purposes. Now what turned out to be many people’s family vacations is now a life-threatening situation for some. This type of outbreak actually occurred during December of 2014, where 40 Californians were exposed to the measles at Disneyland and 91 additional cases of the outbreak strain also occurred from the people exposed affecting others (Blumberg et al, 2015). Outbreaks likes this can potentially be

Well you probably will most likely clean your cuts and scrapes with cool water. Then, you will use a soft washcloth to clean the surrounding skin around the wounds. Lastly, you will put a bandage or two on the wounds to prevent an infection.

The new trend of parents not having their children vaccinated for measles is causing harm to the child and contributing to future outbreaks of the disease.

As many are aware, the measles was a huge threat to children before people developed a successful vaccine for this disease. Before vaccines, “an average of 500,000 annual” cases of the measles got reported each year in the United States; since 2000, when vaccines became popular, there have been about “62 cases per year” (Omer). As one can see, the amount of cases of the measles decreased since the measles vaccine. This data shows how vaccinating children decreases the chances of contracting a dangerous disease like the measles.

When a majority of a community is vaccinated against a contagious disease such as measles, most members of that community are also protected because there is little chance of an outbreak occurring. This also protects those who are not eligible to receive these vaccinations such as young infants, pregnant women, and those who aren’t able to receive vaccinations due to health reasons. Herd immunity protects you, your mother and father, your aunts and uncles, grandmothers and grandfathers, sons and daughters, your friends, and your neighbors.

I am writing to you today to stress the importance of people having themselves and their children properly vaccinated against various communicable diseases. Being properly vaccinated helps a person protect themselves, protect those around them, and can help wipe out dangerous diseases. Some people think it is not important to be vaccinated against certain diseases because the disease does not seem to exist anymore. The reason for this is because the vaccine is doing its job. Being vaccinated against diseases like small pox, measles, or meningitis helps a person protect themselves against contracting the disease.

In Michelle Fox’s article, Expect measles outbreak to continue, says doctor, Dr. William Schaffner, Vanderbilt University’s School of Medicine, says that the outbreak will continue for some time because there is a sufficient number of unvaccinated children to continue the spread of measles. According to the CDC, there have been 84 cases of measles and 67 of those have been linked to the outbreak at Disney. Dr. Schaffner also reiterates that measles can be brought to the United States from overseas. If someone from another country comes here with measles and is around unvaccinated children, there is potential to spread the disease.

Some anti-vaxxers claim that they don’t need to vaccinate their children because “measles isn’t really that bad” (Ross, np). Measles is a respiratory disease within the lungs and breathing tubes that results in fever and rash, and it is very contagious (CDC, np). Measles causes cough, runny nose, rash, diarrhea, and ear infection (CDC, np).

Imagine, if you would, a small infant being rushed to the hospital; Her parents are desperately crying out for help as she is starting to turn blue. She is coughing so violently that she can no longer breathe. The sounds of the infant gasping for air fills the room. She was recently diagnosed with pertussis and it has progressed so quickly that now she is in respiratory failure. She is rushed to the intensive care unit where doctors and nurses rush around her in chaos. She is starting to crash, so they place a tube down her throat, an IV line into her head, before finally placing her onto a machine that will mechanically breathe for her. They maneuver around her limp body as they do everything they can to try and save her life. Her future is unknown because pertussis is dangerous and can be fatal. This could have been prevented if she had been vaccinated. Vaccines for children should be mandatory. It will prevent them from suffering through the long-lasting effects of diseases and even death. Vaccines were developed to save lives.

During this time and period, vaccination has become an emotionally charged health issue among many families. Anti-vaccination groups believe that vaccines cause birth-defects and autism in young children, and many families are scared to get their children vaccinated. Studies have shown to disprove these side-effects to vaccination, however, parents are still not convinced and refuse to get their children vaccinated. Therefore, the Center for Disease Control organized an advertisement campaign to promote positive messages such as "Spread music. Not Flu.", "Shots aren't just for kids.", and "The FLU ends with U" to encourage vaccination.

Throughout history, the introduction of vaccinations in societies around the world have significantly reduced the threat of deadly viruses. Despite the many benefits of immunizations, some parents refuse to vaccinate their children due to the health risks associated with them. In order to increase vaccination rates, healthcare officials have implemented immunization mandates and extreme educational sessions that exemplify the dangers of preventable viruses. However, these impositions ultimately have adverse effects; many parents turn to anti-vaccination protests and remain determined on not permitting immunizations. Vaccination requirements and severe informational meetings are forms of coercion and force, which limits parents’ freedom to

First Sentence and AGD: According to Barbara Loe Fisher, President of the National Vaccine Information Center, “Today, 1 child in 6 is learning disabled. In 1976, it was 1 child in 30. Today, 1 child in 9 has asthma. In 1980, it was 1 child in 27. Today, 1 child in 50 develops autism. In the 1990s, it was 1 child in 555 (Fisher). Also, Henry Bearn writes that “It is perhaps not generally appreciated that in the United States diabetes…has increased about 300 percent over the last fifteen years” (Coulter). What has caused this major increase in health issues in our modern society?

In order for a child to start pre-k and/or kindergarten at a normal public school in the United States, children are required by law to receive a specific list of documented vaccinations before they are allowed to start the long journey of their school careers. I feel as though this should not be mandated but rather a choice of the parent. The amount of immunizations that are currently required by law are continuously growing. However, the last time I checked, there were no cases of polio or small pox in any neighborhood I have ever been to. Also, the last time I checked, my child is my own and not property of my state. This ever-growing problem should be a choice of my own and not something my child necessarily has to go through before dealing with the stresses of school. According to the CDC, twelve different vaccinations are required for our children. While some of these vaccines are still prevalent on diseases our children may encounter, not all are still prominent in our society. Some vaccines even do more damage than helping our child. Today’s society has changed in many ways than that of previous generations, and I do not mean by the leaps and bounds of advancement in technology and medicine, but by the all mighty dollar. Society needs to realize that we have rights, and those rights should include how we as parents see fit to raise our children, not how someone else tells you to raise them! I am not saying that vaccinations are all irrelevant and horrible