For
the
past
few
decades,
many
people
may
have
believed
that
humans
conquered
infectious
disease
and
the
battle
was
over.
The
recent
measles
outbreak
across
the
United
States
is
just
one
of
many
infectious,
reemerging
diseases
that
have
proven
this
argument
wrong.
Reemerging
diseases
are
diseases
that
were
once
major
health
problems
but
then
were
either
eradicated
or
declined
significantly
(Understanding
Emerging
and
Reemerging
Diseases
2007).
Other
reemerging
diseases
that
are
beginning
to
cause
health
problems
in
the
United
States
again
are
diphtheria
and
pertussis.
There
is
a
common
theme
among
these
reemerging
diseases
and
that
is
they
are
all
vaccine
preventable.
Inadequate
vaccination
of
individuals
in
the
United
States
has
contributed
to
the
resurgence
of
many
diseases
that
were
once
eradicated
or
were
on
their
way
out
(Vaccines
and
the
Law
2014).
In
this
policy
brief,
the
problem
of
reemergence
of
infectious
diseases
will
be
discussed
and
followed
by
an
evaluation
of
potential
policies
that
can
be
implemented
to
address
the
problem.
Environmental
Implications
of
Reemerging
Diseases
Policy
Brief:
Reemergence
of
Infectious
Diseases:
Vaccines
as
a
Solution
Issue
1,
April
8,
2015
The
environment
plays
a
major
role
in
the
transmission
of
infectious
diseases
for
two
reasons.
First,
diseases
that
had
been
eradicated
in
the
United
States
like
polio
or
measles
can
be
brought
back
after
travel
to
a
different
country.
The
few
recent
cases
of
Ebola
in
the
United
States
demonstrate
how
easy
it
is
to
bring
infectious
diseases
from
around
the
world
to
the
US.
However,
we
need
to
also
realize
how
easy
it
is
to
spread
disease
across
state
boarders,
similar
to
what
happened
in
the
recent
measles
outbreak.
Thus,
the
agent
is
spread
from
one
location
to
another.
Secondly,
in
some
areas,
people
who
refused
vaccination
are
clustered
together
and
provide
easy
transmission
of
the
infectious
agent
from
person
to
person.
This brief was
designed:
• To provide
information
about the
importance of
vaccination
AND
• To reach
people who
are interested
in preventing
disease and
death through
effective
vaccine
policies
Introduction
2
Defining
and
Detailing
the
Problem
Reemergence
of
infectious
diseases
are
occurring
more
frequently.
For
example,
in
2011
the
United
States
experienced
11
outbreaks
of
measles
followed
by
23
measles
outbreaks
in
2014
and
a
current,
large,
multi-‐state
measles
outbreak
in
2015
(Measles
Cases
and
Outbreaks
2015).
These
outbreaks
have
caused
significant
problems
for
populations
in
the
United
States.
Furthermore,
the
measles
outbreaks
are
just
one
sign
of
more
to
come.
It
would
be
safe
to
assume
that
if
people
are
not
getting
vaccinated
against
one
thing,
they
are
probably
not
getting
vaccinated
against
others.
If
this
trend
continues,
the
United
States
is
likely
to
see
more
resurgence
of
infectious
diseases
that
were
once
a
thing
of
the
past.
The
good
news
is
many
of
them
can
be
prevented
with
vaccinations.
The
bad
news
is
many
people
are
choosing
not
to
get
vaccinated
due
to
personal
beliefs,
religious
beliefs,
and
medical
reasons
(Vaccines
and
the
Law
2014).
Many
ethical
controversies
have
been
sparked
by
the
idea
of
vaccinations,
and
there
are
still
debates
in
regards
to
the
regulation
and
use
of
vaccines
despite
the
fact
they
have
proven
to
be
effective.
The
fact
is,
according
to
the
World
Health
Organization,
immunizations
have
proven
to
be
an
effective
tool
for
controlling
and
eliminating
infectious
diseases
worldwide,
and
is
estimated
to
have
prevented
2-‐3
million
deaths
per
year
(2015).
Furthermore,
they
are
one
of
the
most
cost-‐effective
health
investments.
The
people
of
the
United
States
needs
to
use
the
technology
that
is
available
to
protect
themselves
against
life
threatening
diseases
that
could
present
in
the
future.
Reemergence
of
infectious
diseases
are
occurring
more
frequently.
3
1
After
the
smallpox
vaccine
was
developed,
many
vaccination
mandates
began
to
be
developed.
However,
with
the
decreasing
incidence
of
smallpox,
regulations
requiring
vaccinations
began
to
loosen
and
there
was
subsequent
reemergence
of
infectious
disease.
Currently,
there
is
no
federal
law
to
mandate
vaccinations
in
the
United
States,
but
all
states
require
certain
vaccinations
for
children
to
enter
schools
and
day
care.
(Government
Regulation
2014).
Despite
the
fact
the
Centers
for
Disease
Control
and
Prevention
developed
a
schedule
of
recommended
vaccinations
for
children,
states
are
not
required
to
abide
by
the
recommendations,
and
thus,
vaccination
requirements
differ
among
the
states.
Furthermore,
many
states
allow
exemptions
from
vaccinations
due
to
religious
or
personal
beliefs
(Vaccines
and
the
Law
2014).
The
lack
of
consistent
and
strict
regulations
on
vaccinations
has
contributed
to
the
reemergence
of
dangerous
infectious
diseases.
People
2
need
to
return
to
one
of
the
oldest
but
most
effective
methods
of
prevention,
vaccinations,
in
order
to
protect
themselves
and
the
population
from
life-‐
threatening
diseases.
There
are
several
ethical
dilemmas
involving
the
rights
of
people
when
it
comes
to
regulating
vaccinations.
Regardless,
the
health
of
a
population
is
a
community
effort
and
so
rights
of
individuals
may
have
to
be
somewhat
limited
in
order
to
prevent
harm
and
illness
to
other
members
of
the
community.
Getting
vaccinated
is
not
only
important
for
an
individual’s
health,
but
it
is
also
important
to
protect
the
public’s
health.
People
should
take
all
available
precautions
to
prevent
themselves
and
others
from
exposure
to
a
life
threatening
disease.
It
is
especially
important
to
get
vaccinated
when
you
can
in
order
to
protect
those
who
cannot
get
vaccinated
due
to
age,
their
parent’s
choices,
or
medical
reasons.
When
enough
people
in
the
population
get
vaccinated
to
prevent
other
susceptible
unvaccinated
people,
herd
3
immunity
is
achieved
(see
figure
below).
This
is
important
because
this
is
sometimes
the
only
method
of
prevention
for
some
people
who
medically
cannot
be
vaccinate.
Thus,
individual
rights
are
important,
but
“EVERY
INDIVIDUAL’S
RIGHTS
NEED
TO
BE
BALANCED
AGAINST
THE
RIGHTS
OF
OTHERS,
AND
THE
RIGHTS
OF
THE
COMMUNITY
AS
A
WHOLE”
(Vaccines
and
the
Law
2014).
When
the
health
of
the
entire
public
comes
into
play,
it
may
be
necessary
to
impose
on
individual
liberty
for
the
benefit
of
the
community.
With
that
being
said,
there
are
several
policy
options
for
vaccine
regulation
including:
enacting
consistent
laws
and
requirements
throughout
the
United
States
and
tighter
regulations
on
exemptions
from
vaccination.
Alternative
Policies
There
is
an
improved
policy
option
for
vaccine
regulation
involving
enacting
a
consistent
law
and
requirements
throughout
the
United
States
and
making
it
harder
for
people
to
opt
out
of
vaccinations.
4
Herd
Immunity:
”
When
a
critical
portion
of
a
community
is
immunized
against
a
contagious
disease,
most
members
of
the
community
are
protected
against
that
disease
because
there
is
little
opportunity
for
an
outbreak”
(Community
Immunity
n.d.)
“
Evaluation
Criteria
Policies
to
regulate
vaccines
will
be
evaluated
using
the
criteria
of
cost
effectiveness,
population,
health
costs,
wellness,
and
constituent
approval
(Staley
2015).
Evaluation
of
Alternative
Policies
Tightening
the
regulation
of
vaccinations
and
reducing
the
number
of
exemptions
through
a
federal
law:
Although
individuals
have
their
rights,
sometimes
they
must
be
imposed
upon
to
protect
others.
For
example,
parents
should
have
the
freedom
to
determine
how
to
raise
a
child.
However,
children
also
have
rights
too
and
when
a
parent
refuses
to
vaccinate
them,
their
health
and
the
health
of
others
are
being
put
in
danger.
The
law
has
the
right
to
intervene
to
protect
vulnerable
people
including
children
(Vaccines
and
the
Law
2014).
Therefore,
a
federal
law
with
stricter
regulations
on
vaccinations
is
part
of
the
duty
of
the
government
to
protect
vulnerable
populations.
Another
reason
as
to
why
this
law
would
be
beneficial
is
because
the
costs
associated
with
treating
a
disease
are
much
higher
than
the
costs
of
getting
vaccinated
(both
financially
and
physically).
While
there
are
some
risks
that
are
associated
with
vaccinations,
they
are
very
rare
and
the
risks
and
likelihood
of
contracting
the
disease
is
much
higher.
Thus,
the
benefits
of
vaccination
far
outweigh
the
risks,
and
the
cost
effectiveness
of
vaccines
has
proven
to
be
substantial.
Additionally,
contracting
an
infectious
disease
that
could
have
been
prevented
with
a
vaccination
will
require
lost
days
of
productivity
and
an
overall
unwell
feeling.
Thus
enacting
a
law
to
require
tighter
regualtions
of
vaccinations
will
prevent
people
from
having
to
experience
this.
The
only
potential
problem
with
this
law
is
constituent
approval.
However,
like
with
most
things,
not
everyone
will
be
happy
especially
when
it
involves
imposing
on
their
personal
freedom.
It
is
important
to
remember
that
this
law
is
being
enacted
to
protect
everyone
from
harm.
5
The
recommended
policy
is
to
tighten
regulations
on
vaccines
and
to
reduce
exemptions
to
those
who
medically
are
unable
to
get
vaccinated.
Again,
while
the
rights
of
individuals
are
important,
there
is
a
balance
that
must
be
maintained
with
the
rights
of
others
in
the
community
in
order
to
protect
the
public’s
health.
People
who
chose
to
opt
out
of
vaccines
and
now
are
required
to
get
them
by
the
new
policy
should
be
reminded
that
vaccines
undergo
extensive
testing
and
clinical
trials
before
they
are
put
on
the
market
and
administered
to
people
(Vaccines
and
the
Law
2014).
Furthermore,
choosing
not
to
vaccinate
puts
an
individual
at
risk
for
contracting
a
harmful
and
even
deadly
pathogen.
Even
if
an
individual
takes
extra
health
precautions
after
they
refuse
to
get
vaccinated,
such
as
staying
away
from
sick
people,
the
individual
cannot
fully
protect
his
or
herself
from
the
unexpected
such
bioterrorist
attacks
where
infectious
pathogens
are
used
as
a
deadly
weapon.
It
is
also
important
to
remember
that
although
certain
diseases
have
been
eradicated
in
the
United
States,
the
current
ease
of
traveling
around
the
world
provides
the
opportunity
for
many
different,
dangerous,
infectious
diseases
to
be
acquired
in
a
different
country
and
Conclusion
The
Target
Population.
The
target
population
for
the
recommended
policy
is
the
United
States.
Specifically,
adults
who
have
not
been
vaccinated
and
parents
who
have
previously
decided
to
not
vaccinate
their
children.
The
Goal.
Herd
immunity
is
the
goal
of
the
new
policy
recommendation
so
that
when
a
reemerging
disease
is
reintroduced
into
the
population,
the
disease
cannot
spread
and
the
public’s
health
is
prevented.
This
is
especially
important
for
people
who
physically
cannot
get
vaccinated
instead
of
just
choosing
not
to.
The
recent
measles
outbreak
in
the
United
States
is
a
reminder
of
how
easy
an
infectious
disease
can
be
acquired
and
spread
among
a
population,
especially
when
introduced
into
areas
where
people
have
not
been
vaccinated.
Policy
Recommendation
The
enactment
of
a
federal
law
that
is
consistent
between
states
with
tight
regulations
on
vaccinations
is
important
to
protect
the
health
of
the
public.
While
it
may
impinge
slightly
on
individual
rights,
it
is
for
the
overall
good
of
the
community.
The
recent
resurgence
of
infectious
diseases
of
the
past
indicate
a
need
for
policy
change
sooner
rather
than
later.
References
Staley,
J.
2015.
Policy
Analysis
[PowerPoint
Slides].
Retrieved
from
Kent
State
Blackboard
Community
Immunity
(“Herd
Immunity”).
(n.d.).
Retrieved
April
8,
2015,
from
http://www.vaccines.gov/basics/protection/
Government
Regulation.
(2014,
July
31).
Retrieved
from
History
of
Vaccines
April
8,
2015,
from
http://www.historyofvaccines.org/content/articles/government-‐regulation
Immunization.
(n.d.).
Retrieved
from
the
World
Health
Organization
April
8,
2015
from
http://www.who.int/topics/immunization/en/
Measles
Cases
and
Outbreaks.
(2015,
February
9).
Retrieved
from
the
Centers
for
Disease
Control
and
Prevention
April
8,
2015,
from
http://www.cdc.gov/measles/cases-‐outbreaks.html
Understanding
Emerging
and
Re-‐emerging
Infectious
Diseases.
(2007).
Retrieved
from
the
National
Institutes
of
Health
from:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK20370/
Vaccines
and
the
Law
an
Advocates
Tool
Kit.
(2014,
September).
Voices
for
Vaccines.
Retrieved
from
voicesforvaccines.org
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