Posted: February 2nd, 2017

Why or why not? If a child doesn’t get vaccinated, do they pose a risk to public safety? Should they be allowed to attend public schools if they are not vaccinated?

There have been some outbreaks of certain diseases, such as measles, in recent years. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2013), “Measles was declared eliminated from the United States in 2000”, but in 2013 there was the second largest cases of measles in the U.S. since that point. The vast majority of these individuals were not vaccinated with the Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) vaccine.

Research the CDC’s recommended vaccine schedule for infants and children, the reasons why parents decide not to vaccinate their children, the research on vaccines and long-term complications/side effects, along with the recent disease outbreaks.

Should parents have an opt-out option regarding childhood vaccinations? Why or why not? If a child doesn’t get vaccinated, do they pose a risk to public safety? Should they be allowed to attend public schools if they are not vaccinated?