Mandatory Vaccinations In Australia Should Motivate United States

There are plenty of unreasonable conspiracies and suspicions that revolve around the United States’ healthcare. One of the more widely-known and especially frustrating theories that many people stand firmly behind is the idea that vaccines cause autism and other defects in the human body. As a result of this belief, many parents across the nation chose to not vaccinate their children- actively endangering those around them on a daily basis. Vaccines are highly studied and tested to ensure total safety and elimination of virus. Australia has recently made a move to combat this “anti-vax” movement by requiring parents to vaccinate their kids under penalty of law. Families that chose to disobey this law will be subject to monthly fines. The United States should use Australia’s mandatory vaccination law as motivation to do the same thing.
The number of United States citizens that are still behind the idea that vaccines are dangerous is astounding. It is time for our country to take the same initiative Australia has and require immunizations in all children. If not, we could be the generation to witness the next viral outbreak of measles, smallpox, or even polio.
One of the main arguments against vaccines is a study that showed a possible link between immunizations and autism that was published in the 1990s. Granted, in the ‘90s, vaccines causing autism was a legitimate concern in the medical community once this study circulated. However, in the two and a half decades since this study was released, an uncountable amount of more modern and reliable sources have published findings that show zero link between vaccines and autism. There have been many multiple-subject studies performed that completely disprove this autism theory, yet many people continue to lean on this as a main argument against immunizations.
It is somewhat ironic that families insist on not vaccinating their children with the mindset that they are creating a safer world for themselves and everyone around them. In fact, they are doing the exact opposite. logos By not vaccinating their children, these parents are potentially exposing them to extremely dangerous viruses that have been dormant/not active (in the United States, at least) for decades. For example, polio was a very serous threat for Americans in the 1940s and 50s before a vaccine for it was available. There were more than 15,000 cases in the United States a year in the 1950s up until the vaccine was created. Since 1979, there have been no recorded cases of polio that originated in the United States. It is surprising that anti-vaxxers are not simply convinced by those numbers alone. Just 24 years after the vaccine was released to the public, it was virtually wiped off the face of our nation.
The lead that Australia has taken with vaccines is extremely important and hopefully influential enough to lead other countries (including the United States) to follow in their footsteps.
One of the larger issues that fuels the anti-vaxxer movement is lack of information/distribution of flawed information. Many people will believe someone on the internet solely because they wrote an article about it. Unfortunately this has been the driving factor for anti-vaxxers. Sure, the argument can be made that I too am just writing an article about it on the other side of the spectrum, but my opinion is also backed by thousands of medical studies and the majority of doctors throughout the world.
The United States needs to fund pro-vaccine campaigns that give our citizens the actual facts about vaccines backed up with studies that are easy to comprehend. This is a tactic that is used by Latvia, one of the other leading countries in immunizations that requires citizens to receive them. Citizens of Latvia may choose to say no to the country’s free provided vaccines, but to do so they must sit down and talk with their physician and listen to the possible consequences and major health risks that come along with turning down immunization. Then the individual must sign a document stating their refusal. However, many people decide to receive the vaccinations after the informational meeting. In fact, the Latvian vaccination compliance rate is significantly higher than the U.S. and other first world countries.
As Americans, we are extremely lucky to have access to healthcare that makes immunizations available to us. There are countless countries that do not have access to such modern medicine and rely on other countries to provide them with leftover and extra vaccinations. We as a nation need to take advantage at such amazing and useful medical technology. With a small amount of simple information and rules/guidelines for immunizations placed by officials, we can progress to be a nation that does not have to worry about life threatening diseases like polio, hepatitis, measles, and other preventable ailments.