CCC Childhood Vaccines Discussion Reply

Write Peer Comment:

• A new mother presents to the clinic with her 6-month-old infant for a wellness visit. When taking the vaccine history you find that the child has had no immunizations. The mother is afraid that the immunizations will cause autism.
• Discuss the risks versus benefits of childhood vaccines. 
• Like medications, vaccines can cause negative effects which is why some parents are afraid to have their child or children get vaccinated (CDC, 2019). However, the majority of vaccination recipients experience minimal to no adverse effects. Fever, exhaustion, bodily pains, redness, swelling, and soreness where the injection was administered are the most frequent adverse effects (CDC, 2019). Most mild symptoms fade gone in a few days on their own. Extremely serious and long-lasting reactions are very rare, and because the CDC monitors and looks into reports of major adverse effects, we are aware that they are not common (CDC, 2019).

In contrast, babies are more susceptible to infection and severe illness because their immune systems are still developing at birth. Vaccines aid in training the immune system on how to combat pathogens (CDC, 2019). Vaccinations can strengthen your child’s defenses against germs. After immunization, protection usually takes a few weeks to manifest, but it can last a lifetime (CDC, 2019).

Additionally, vaccination can assist in avoiding related out-of-pocket medical expenses, healthcare provider costs, and wage losses for patients and caregivers by preventing episodes of vaccine-preventable infections (Nandi & Shet, 2020). Research has shown a significant correlation between vaccinations and academic achievement and cognition, pointing to the potential long-term advantages of increased economic productivity (Nandi & Shet, 2020). In low-income settings, there is new evidence that the measles vaccine can enhance immunological memory and prevent co-infections, creating a barrier against other infections and improving health, cognition, education, and productivity outcomes well into adolescence and adulthood (Nandi & Shet, 2020).

Discuss the ethical implications of vaccinations.

Vaccinations have been covered by four principles of biomedical ethics which include respect for an individual’s autonomy, the principles of non-maleficence, beneficence, and justice. In the context of clinical ethics, autonomy is typically regarded as the right of each patient or research subject to make their own decisions based on their moral convictions, with attendant responsibility for the results (Rus & Groselj, 2021).  This idea has been a cornerstone of ethical and political thought for the past fifty years, particularly in Western-influenced nations. However, contrary to what some critics have claimed, it is not an ultimate concept and should not stand for modern individualism (Rus & Groselj, 2021). Instead, it should constantly be balanced by other principles that take into consideration societal obligations and collective objectives. In actuality, informed rejection or consent is how autonomy is practiced (Rus & Groselj, 2021).

A healthcare provider must adhere to the concept of nonmaleficence, which forbids harming a patient or study subject. Primum nonnocere, or “first, not harm,” is a key medical ethics precept that dates back to Hippocrates (Rus & Groselj, 2021). This concept states that an intervention is only permissible if the benefits outweigh the potential damage, therefore, it is necessary to assess the intervention’s potential harm beforehand (Rus & Groselj, 2021).

A primary goal of healthcare professionals is to promote their patients’ well-being, which is defined by the concept of beneficence. Applying a therapy or technique that a provider determines is in the best interest of the patient is their responsibility. Benefiting society as a whole can also be the aim of research and immunization programs, in addition to helping specific patients (Rus & Groselj, 2021).

The two principles of distributive justice and equitability together define the concept of justice in general. As opposed to distributive justice, which refers to the equitable allocation of scarce healthcare resources across patients, equity refers to the treatment of people in similar situations (Rus & Groselj, 2021). Solidarity, defined as sacrificing one’s interests for the sake of others, is an essential complement to the rights-based notion of justice rather than its opposite (Rus & Groselj, 2021).

Discuss teachings you would use to help guide this mother with vaccinations.

All parents want to keep their kids and families safe. The majority of parents are immunizing their children by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ suggested schedule but vaccine hesitancy still poses a threat to childhood and teenage vaccination rates, endangering public health as well as communities (Marotta & McNally, 2021). Through parent empowerment and education and clear and understandable communication, clinicians must work to boost vaccination confidence. Studies show that parents still rely significantly on healthcare providers as their primary information source (CDC, unreported data, 2016) (Marotta & McNally, 2021).

If a parent raises issues during the vaccination visit, the provider must recognize and address the parent’s unique concerns to have a fruitful dialogue (Marotta & McNally, 2021). However, talking to parents who are reluctant about vaccinations should involve more than just facts and figures. Studies have indicated that stories with a strong emotional component influenced people’s perceptions of vaccination risk more (Marotta & McNally, 2021).

What is a catch-up vaccination schedule when the mother decides to vaccinate? 

However, to have an effective discussion with a parent who brings up issues during the vaccination encounter, the provider must first identify and address the parent’s unique concerns (CDC, 2020). However, discussing facts and figures with parents who are reluctant to vaccinate their children should not end there. Extensive emotional narratives were found to have a stronger effect on vaccination risk perceptions CDC, 2020). The CDC has created job aids known as “catch-up guidance” to help healthcare practitioners understand the vaccination schedule for children and adolescents (CDC, 2020).

Briefly discuss vaccination opt-out in the state you practice in.

A parent of a child seeking an exemption from vaccination here in the state of Nevada because of a medical condition or religious convictions must: submit a written statement on a form supplied by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Public and Behavioral Health; and those seeking religious exemptions must submit the aforementioned State form (Immunizations, n.d.). Each year, on a timetable determined by the facility, submit an Immunization Exemption Form to the child care or lodging facility (Immunizations, n.d.).

What is natural immunity and is it better than vaccination?

It is necessary to contract the disease to develop natural immunity, which is obtained via exposure to the pathogen through infection. When comparing it to vaccination, medical research should take into account the relative protection that each approach provides. Vaccination is, in my view, safer and superior.

References

CDC. (2019, August 5). Making the Vaccine Decision: Common Concerns.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

CDC. (2020, February 5). Catch-up Immunization Schedule | CDC. Www.cdc.gov. 

Immunizations. (n.d.). Dpbh.nv.gov. Retrieved November 30, 2022, from 

Marotta, S., & McNally, V. V. (2021). Increasing Vaccine Confidence Through Parent Education and Empowerment Using Clear and Comprehensible Communication. Academic pediatrics, 21(4S), S30–S31. 

Nandi, A., & Shet, A. (2020). Why vaccines matter: understanding the broader health, economic, and child development benefits of routine vaccination. Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics, 16(8), 1900–1904. 

Rus, M., & Groselj, U. (2021). Ethics of Vaccination in Childhood Framework Based on the Four Principles of Biomedical Ethics. Vaccines, 9(2), 113.