Ever heard vaccines can cause autism? Has anyone ever told you that adults do not need vaccines? As of late, the subject of vaccinations has spiked in local news, partly due to the measles outbreak that is crawling closer and closer to Wisconsin.
With confirmed cases of the measles in Chicago, many Madison community members are concerned the disease could potentially reach our area. Doctors are encouraging parents to vaccinate their children; however, Wisconsin allows people to legally decline the vaccination for philosophical, religious or medical reasons. According to the Center for Disease Control, 4.9 percent of children starting kindergarten in the 2013-14 school year in Wisconsin were not vaccinated. As the discussion surrounding vaccines continues, it is important to know the difference between fact and fiction, whether you decide to get your shots or not.
Measles outbreak could cause state of emergency if it reaches Madison
One of the many myths about vaccines is adults (yes, even college-age students) cannot benefit from vaccinations. Well, that’s not exactly true. The window of opportunity does not close simply because you’re no longer a child. In fact, in addition to an annual flu shot, adults should check with their physicians to make sure they are not in need of any boosters, or even shots they never received as a child.
In addition to personal immunity, getting vaccinated benefits the health of the general public in your area. Sure, if you weren’t vaccinated and happened to catch a disease, you could potentially fight it off and continue life as you knew it before becoming infected. However, suppose you were to spread the disease to one or two other people, and they were to spread it further. The potential for an exponential domino effect resulting in a significant outbreak would pose a huge threat to others who are not vaccinated or simply have weak immune systems. However, if you were an individual who had received the vaccination to fight that disease, you would act as a barrier to stop the spread instead of helping it.
Especially in dorms and student-dominated apartments, the threat of catching even a common cold is practically impossible to avoid for an entire semester. Just imagine if someone in Sellery were to contract a dangerous disease — would everyone else on that individual’s floor get away scot-free? The chances are slim.
If you’re not afraid of sickness, you might be afraid of the cost of medical care associated with the treatment of certain diseases. Vaccines played a key role in eliminating and diminishing diseases such as polio, smallpox, tetanus, measles, mumps and whooping cough. Additionally, the CDC estimates vaccines have successfully prevented approximately 21 million hospitalizations and more than 732,000 deaths among children in the United States born within the last 20 years. The substantial reduction in these medical expenses has saved nearly $295 billion in direct costs and $1.38 trillion in total costs to society as a whole. That money can now be allocated toward other causes. Preventative care is arguably well worth the effort on the front end in order to avoid more costly, more painful sickness later.
The undeniably substantial benefits of making sure you have all of the recommended vaccines far outweigh the pain of a shot or the monetary cost, though the rise in prices has been cause for concern. So do your own research about vaccines, and consider checking all the big ones off the list to protect not only your own health, but the well-being of your community as well.
Payden White ([email protected]) is a sophomore majoring in community and nonprofit leadership and biology.
