Approximately 10 years after the establishment of the Maine Vaccine Board (MVB) in 2010, consulting firm BerryDunn conducted a third-party impact analysis to assess the efficacy of the MVB's universal purchase program.
According to the Pew Research Center, there has been an increase in the percentage of Americans who believe there are “very high” benefits of the MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella) vaccine.
Despite the significant advances in immunization, there are still 1.5 million children who die every year from vaccine-preventable diseases. As a result, the WHO derived 5 crucial facts about vaccination.
The total cost for vaccinations includes more than just the vaccine itself. In fact, the cost of the vaccine is only a small portion of the total cost. There are vaccine product-related expenses and administration-related expenses.
While all states have school immunization laws that grant exemptions to children for medical reasons, not all states grant exemptions for religious or philosophical reasons. The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) examines which states, as of 2019, have religious and philosophical exemptions.
The impact of a universal vaccine purchase program in North Carolina was examined based on change in immunization rates. It was concluded that a universal vaccine program was associated with improved immunization rates, specifically for children with little to no insurance.
Marcella Bobinksy, Executive Director of the KV Foundation, compares National Immunization Survey (NIS) Numbers from two universal-select states and then compares one universal state to one universal-select state. She found that when medical providers have universal access to recommended childhood and adolescent vaccines, more children are vaccinated.
Vaccination provides more benefits than just the prevention of specific diseases. If there was universal access to vaccines, it would provide every individual the opportunity to live a healthier and fuller life. Universal access to vaccines could directly improve health-care services, protect against bioterrorism, promote economic growth, and influence various other global issues.
Rebellion against vaccines isn’t new, it has been around since the 19th century after Edward Jenner created a vaccine for the smallpox virus. Anti-vaxxers during this time believed that mandatory vaccine laws impinged on certain amendment rights, such as freedom of speech.
The fear of a link between vaccines and autism has created a major public health issue. An evidence-based meta-analysis of case-control and cohort studies found that the components in vaccines (both thimerosal and mercury) or obtaining multiple vaccines at once (i.e MMR vaccine) is not associated with the development of autism spectrum disorder.
