What are the risks of not vaccinating?

Today there are many diseases infecting individuals that vaccines easily prevent including whooping cough, chickenpox, Hib, and flu (3). Unfortunately, myth still looms large around vaccines and the need to combat misinformation is our collective responsibility. One myth that continues to spread is that vaccines are deadly. This is false although science cannot guarantee a child will not get a certain disease after receiving a vaccine against that disease, it safe to understand that a vaccine will not cause the disease (1). 

Not only are their risks to the individual who do not vaccinate themselves or their children, they also risk their neighbors. People with compromised immune systems and therefor unable to receive vaccines depend on those around them to be vaccinated, thus limiting their chances of encountering the disease in the first place also known as herd immunity. 

The person who skips being vaccinated  not only risk others, but themselves. Every time an unvaccinated individual enters a hospital, ambulance, or any type of medical healthcare environment, they may require special treatment. Because vaccination is so common, treatment protocols are well established and well understood and well applied as a regular course of treatment across the board. The same cannot be said for the disease state of person who lack vaccination. It may be that different healthcare treatments are required for those who lack vaccination, requiring the medical staff to brush up on a given treatment protocol and losing valuable time often needed for effective treatment. Further, the healthcare staff involved in treating the unvaccinated individual is possibly risking exposure themselves (1). 

(2)

¹Making the Vaccine Decision: Common Concerns. (2019, August 5). Retrieved May 4, 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents/why-vaccinate/vaccine-decision.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents/vaccine-decision/index.html 

²¹Promote Influenza (Flu) Vaccination. (2018, September 25). Retrieved May 4, 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/flu/resource-center/partners/promote-vaccination.htm 

³Risks of Delaying or Skipping Vaccines. (2019, August 1). Retrieved May 4, 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents/why-vaccinate/risks-delaying-vaccines.html