THE resurgence of measles in the past year has revived the debate over the need and the urgency for the government to use its police power and require parents to have their kids be vaccinated.
Even as far back as 2008, the Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine has been warning: “The United States is on the verge of a public health crisis. For decades, all 50 states have required that parents vaccinate their children against various diseases, including polio and measles, as a prerequisite to enrolling them in public schools. While virtually all states have tailored their immunization statutes to exempt those with religious (and sometimes philosophical) objections to vaccines from these requirements, widespread use of these exemptions threatens to undermine many of the benefits of mandatory vaccinations, such as preserving ‘herd immunity.’”
In California, home to the most number of Filipinos in America, there have been proposals to not grant exemption to parents for the mandatory vaccination requirement if they cite their personal views as the only reasons against vaccination. To implement this, the proposal plans to link vaccination requirements for kids to their school enrollment.
What part of the US population drives the resurgence of measles because of strong personal opinions against giving kids the shots? Surprisingly, political affiliation and ideological differences do not play as big of a role as age. And which age group has the strongest opposition to mandatory vaccination? The millennials— those who were born beginning in the early 80s.
This younger generation of parents believe they should have the choice to be forced by government to have their kids vaccinated. Many of them believe in new age principles of minimizing any chemical intervention to protect their kids from diseases.
They are also the most suspicious of drug companies and think there is a conspiracy between the government, scientists and the drug companies to push for the need to immunize kids only to maximize their profits, while exposing the small kids to risks and side effects of vaccination, which allegedly cause a lot of other illnesses, including autism. These allegations have been disproved by science.
On the other hand, the older people, who have seen the worst that communicable diseases can do to children and families prior to the nation reaping the benefits of immunization beginning in the 60s, are the ones who fully support mandatory vaccination, regardless of personal beliefs.
According to the study released by the Pew Research Institute, Prior to the first licensed measles vaccine in 1963, hundreds of thousands of measles cases were reported annually in the US In 1958 alone, there were more than 750,000 cases. A decade later, in 1968, that number fell to about 22,000, according to an analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Let me share with you the interesting findings of the Pew Research Center:
Majority of Americans say children should be required to get vaccinated. Further analysis of the survey data reveals significant age differences in views about vaccines. In 2009, by contrast, opinions about vaccines were roughly the same across age groups. Also, some modest partisan divisions have emerged since 2009, when Pew Research last polled on the issue.
Overall, 68 percent of US adults say childhood vaccinations should be required, while 30 percent say parents should be able to decide.
Among all age groups, young adults are more likely to say vaccinating children should be a parental choice. Some 41 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds say parents should be able to decide whether or not their child gets vaccinated; only 20 percent of adults 65 or older echo this opinion.
Older Americans are strong supporters of requiring childhood vaccinations – 79 percent say they hold that view, compared with 59 percentof those under 30.
About 30 percent of adults living in households earning $75,000 or more a year say parents should decide whether or not their child gets vaccinated. This holds true even among the highest of earners (those in households making $100,000 or more). These opinions are on par with people living in lower- and middle-income households.
Men and women share similar views on whether vaccines should be required or not and opinions on this issue vary little by race. At the same time, slightly more parents of minor children than those without children believe vaccinating children is a parental choice.
There are slight differences in views about vaccines along political lines. A majority of Democrats (76 percent), Republicans (65 percent) and independents (65 percent) say that vaccines should be required. But Republicans and independents are somewhat more inclined than are Democrats to say that parents should be able to decide. In 2009, there was no difference in views on vaccinations along party lines.
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Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https://www.facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos
