- The Washington Post/Kristine Guerra/October 276, 12016
- Vaccines are only effective if a high percentage, 90 - 95%, of the population have had vaccines. The movement afoot these days if for parents to forego vaccination of their children believing, mistakenly, that vaccines cause autism and pose other extreme health risks. Sometimes the gamble not to vaccinate pays off. Sometimes it does not, and a family is left to deal with the results of their faulty logic.
- Why is this relevant? We are teachers, and our primary focus should be our students. While many parents are choosing not to vaccinate, this leaves sometimes large swathes of students unprotected. The decision to not vaccinate is, of course, a personal one for parents. However, some people do not have the choice to vaccinate or not. They cannot due to health reasons. These people depend on the theory of herd immunity. Again, herd immunity can only be reached assuredly with vaccination levels of 90 - 95%. However,some of our students cannot be vaccinated due to health concerns, such as compromised immune systems. Our prime focus is to make sure all of our students are safe and healthy.
Saturday, November 12, 2016
She didn’t think a flu shot was necessary — until her daughter died
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This is an interesting topic. I agree with the families whom choose not to vaccinate due to other health concerns, but i find it difficult to understand some of the other reasons. I am not sure how exactly each district handles this, but I know that the registrar at my school is legally required to notify families of missing vaccines. Students have a cut off date and if they do not meet with the requirements they cannot attend school. This was explained to me that is was done for their safety and that of others. This is a sticky topic, but we do have to think of the health and safety of every student not just one.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting article, and has been a big issue in our society. This highly pertains to students in a class like mine, who are medically fragile. They are students who have most certainly had their flu shots, but there are others in the school who may have not. As you said, they may not necessarily be protected if too few of the students have had their shots. I agree that choosing not to vaccinate is a gamble, and not one that I feel people should take.
ReplyDeleteWhat a heartbreaking story! The flu shot is a controversial topic and I guess we would all like to think that it’s a personal choice, but when choosing not to have it opens up the possibility of an epidemic, we need to think twice about it’s importance in protecting our students. In my setting, where almost all of our students have compromised immunity, it’s imperative that the students not be exposed to any viruses. During the flu season, from November to April, any employee who chooses not to have a vaccine is required to wear a face mask when in contact with patients.
ReplyDeleteThanks for finishing with our focus being making sure our students are safe and healthy. Keeping it in perspective can be hard when there are people shouting at each other from one side of the aisle to the other. I admit I have fallen prey to being one of the shouters, but it's important to remember that we are all here for the kids.
ReplyDeleteThis is a topic that needs to be discussed by all parents, even if there is a disagreement. It really does not help our children when we avoid difficult topics that can impact our children and the children of others. If one has concerns they should look at all the information and have an open mind when doing so as it is with an open heart and mind that we make the best decisions.
ReplyDeleteThe controversy with vaccination of children is very relevant, given that many people beliefs on their effects. However, in a public school setting parents must think about the other children's health, and that some students cannot be vaccinated due to health concerns. I agree with your closing statement that our prime focus is to make sure all of our students are safe and healthy. This is really sad story and I hope this tragedy leads to a conversation about parents responsibility to public safety.
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