My essay is about the vaccination schedule and whether we need
to change it. I found many good articles evidence on reasons why we
should change the amount and times. Petousis-Harris and Nowlans article on Pox,
plague, progress and prospects for the future, convinced me on the point that
because measles is so incredibly infectious and can have horrific results for
the very young and old, that we should be vaccinating earlier (at 12 months as opposed
to 15 months) and administering a further third booster in later years. They
also advise vaccinating six month olds during outbreaks to protect them
secondary complications like pneumonia and encephalitis. Their debate is
further strengthened with evidence that countries such as Australia are now
considered endemic free due to the earlier vaccination timing of 12 months, 18
months and 4 years as as in contrast to 15 months and 4 years in New Zealand.
I used the Ministry of Health’s immunization handbook which
possesses the current recommendations for my counter argument. Reading
the handbook showed me that the Ministry of health in New Zealand sees the
current schedule to be adequate. They report that an increasing number of
the population is vaccinated, but they do wish to raise the current quota up
from 93% to 95%, this would lead to greater herd immunity that prevents the
disease infecting at risk and non-vaccinated population.
Due to our vaccinations being free it seems that our health system
is restricted by the amount that can be funded by Pharmac. The New Zealand
Minisrty of health, and Pharmac should comparing our infection rates and
outbreak statistics which are embarrassingly high compared to other developed
countries.
There seems to be a lack of public knowledge on
vaccinations, when asked all of my friends and co-workers, most of the
over 30 year olds did not know whether they were vaccinated! I also talked to
one pregnant woman that did not get tested for rubella antibodies which is
quite frightening. One person told me that they were advised by their doctor
not to immunize, and another couple said that the vaccination nurse was so ill
informed that they lost the confidence in vaccination and did not immunise
their children. This research also showed me the see a lack of public
attention to the impact that these diseases can have on the population. One of
the people I talked to asked "why should I worry if my child is not
vaccinated, its not hurting anybody?, if they get sick its a risk that I
decided to take for my child", which I explained to them the impact it may
have on an non vaccinated pregnant woman, they were horrified and said that
they "never thought of that".
Which makes me believe that the current campaign for vaccination
is weak and ineffective.
References
Ministry of Health.
(2014). Immunisation Handbook 2014 (6th ed.). Wellington: Ministry of Health.
Retrieved from http://immunisation.book.health.govt.nz/General+information
Petousis-Harris, H.,
& Nowlan, M. (2014). Pox, plague, progress and prospects for the future.
New Zealand Doctor, 34-35. Retrieved from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com
You have found some great information on this topic! I agree with the statements you made about a lack of knowledge, it seems more information needs to be given to the public as well as nurses and doctors to help encourage more people to vaccinate both themselves and their children. Herd immunity is also a very good point as some people are unable to be vaccinated and therefor rely on those who can for protection. I feel that if people realized this, more would chose to vaccinate.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting information Melinda, I had no idea how the vaccination programs worked in New Zealand, but you blog gave me a quick insight of it. Its concerning indeed. In Brazil, the government has a vaccination program that has been running for decades. It is very informative, heavily publicized as to emphasize the importance of vaccination, and free to the entire population. I grew up going to the public medical centers periodically for my jabs, so it was all very normal to me. That is why I am a firm believer in vaccination and the benefits of it and I will make sure that may baby boy will have all the immunization that he needs.
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