Should Vaccinations be Required for Students to Attend Public School?

Introduction

Vaccinations are non-lethal injections that stimulate immunity against diseases by providing the immune system with antigens—a copy of the disease so that the body can learn how to fight against it. Vaccinations are safe and effective tools that help prevent the spread of harmful diseases. School vaccinations are available to prevent the spread of these diseases among children and adults in schools. They can either be in the form of a shot or a nasal spray, given through the nose in liquid form.

These vaccinations are essential for keeping children healthy and minimizing absenteeism in schools due to illness. In addition, vaccinations help improve the health and economic stability of both developed and low-income countries. Vaccinations have successfully eradicated diseases like Polio, Smallpox, Malaria, and Hookworm, and more diseases continue to be treated. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), approximately 71% of children receive all seven required vaccinations. However, 30% of children are still vulnerable to diseases and may spread them to others. For this reason, vaccinations should be mandatory for all students attending public schools to protect public health and ensure a productive school environment.

Vaccination Access

In 73 low- to middle-income countries, vaccinations have saved $350 per person that would otherwise be spent on illnesses and deaths. Countries like Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Haiti, Nepal, and Zimbabwe have all seen significant benefits from vaccination programs. According to (website 1), “By potentially increasing economic productivity among some of the world’s poorest countries, the impact of immunization goes well beyond health.” This statement, along with, “In developing countries, access to and uptake of vaccines has been hugely improved over the past decade by the launch of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations (GAVI),” highlights global efforts to reduce disease spread, especially in countries with limited resources. Vaccination in these regions plays a significant role in improving both public health and economic outcomes. Seth Berkley, CEO of GAVI, further notes, “The return on investment in global health is tremendous, and the biggest bang for the buck comes from vaccines. Vaccines are among the most successful and cost-effective health investments in history.” (source seven) These countries often pay less for vaccines, which prevents premature deaths and further strain on their healthcare systems. This benefits not only the health of individuals but also the education systems, as healthier populations can contribute more to society and education.

Vaccination Benefits

In a study conducted to measure the number of averted deaths from 10 common diseases, approximately 20,000,000 child deaths were prevented. Some of the vaccines administered included Hepatitis B, measles, yellow fever, and the human papillomavirus. The same study also concluded that “Vaccination programs based on highly effective vaccines, given early in childhood, and targeting pathogens causing acute disease, have high economic benefits.” (source 1). If vaccines save this many lives, consider how much money is saved by avoiding costly funerals. The average cost for a funeral ranges from $7,000 to $10,000, and the study mentioned only accounted for the lives saved from 10 vaccinations. With 20 million lives saved, families would have otherwise faced approximately $170,000,000,000 in funeral costs. This demonstrates that, in addition to saving lives, vaccination programs significantly reduce the financial burden on families and society. When considering the reduction in medical costs, savings from fewer hospitalizations, and increased productivity from a healthier population, the economic value of vaccines becomes clear.

Vaccination Impact

“Vaccination is ranked as one of the 10 greatest public health achievements of the last century and is the number one contribution to decreased global morbidity and mortality” says (author of source 3). Unfortunately, misunderstandings between doctors and parents can stop the administering of vaccinations. Jeffrey Kluger, a journalist and author, said, “Vaccines save lives; fear endangers them. It’s a simple message parents need to keep hearing.” (Source seven) For example, the false statement that vaccinations always cause autism in small children may have happened in a few cases, however, scientists say it is very unlikely. Another is the idea that parents believe one shot is going to make their child completely immune, however, there are many strands of disease and follow-up shots are necessary to be as safe as possible. Also, diseases can still be introduced to people from foreign visitors or visiting a foreign country yourself. They can expose children to new diseases, which is why parents also need to take their children back to the doctor for the booster shots.
A major aspect of vaccination is its role in maintaining healthy school environments. When students attend school, they put more money into their school’s accounts, that they can spend on new textbooks, desks, paper, and all other necessary classroom supplies. In the United States, if these students are missing class because of illnesses, their school could be losing up to $12,000 per student a year (depending on their state and school district). Not only is the school losing money, but if parents stay home from work to take care of their sick child, they are losing money from work and spending money on medications. Vaccines help reduce absenteeism in schools, and therefore play a key role in maintaining educational productivity and ensuring that schools have the resources they need. Hepatitis B, the most common disease, has affected 2 billion people in the world and even though there isn’t a cure, the average cost for the antiviral medication can cost anywhere between $48 and $6,000, while Influenza only costs about $70 for medications.

Prevention through Vaccination

Lastly, vaccinations are considered a form of preventative maintenance. Vaccines help keep individuals immune from harmful diseases. Health insurance companies often provide a certain number of free doctor visits per year to encourage regular check-ups and vaccinations. This is because insurance providers know that preventive care, such as vaccination, helps reduce overall healthcare costs. If you contract a disease that you weren’t vaccinated against, your insurance company will have to cover your medications and treatment, which could cost far more than the price of the vaccine itself. Vaccination as preventative care saves both individuals and healthcare systems significant money by reducing the incidence of preventable diseases.

Conclusion

In conclusion, people should get their required vaccines every year and keep them up-to-date. They protect against the most common and deadly diseases, and most are affordable or even free. Vaccinations should be required for students to attend public school as they play a vital role in maintaining public health and preventing the spread of diseases within schools. Children and elderly people are more likely to contract and spread diseases, so it is highly recommended that you keep them immunized to prevent further contraction and spreading. When children are at school, they provide money for supplies and help pay for teachers, so if students are missing, there is a lower amount of money and fewer teachers the school can afford. Vaccinations in low-income countries also have significant economic benefits by reducing preventable deaths and improving health outcomes, which directly contributes to better school attendance and economic stability. Finally, your insurance companies want you to get vaccinated as well, so just help out our current and future generations by going to the doctor, getting the vaccinations you need, and keeping them up-to-date.

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