Thoughts on Engagement

As parents continue choosing not to vaccinate their child, they are putting not only their child at risk but are also putting entire communities in danger of being exposed to fatal diseases. As this uneducated decision is becoming more and more prevalent,  I believe that the first step in making a change is through education on how immunizations work and what makes them successful. Vaccinations are small amounts of dead (or weakened) proteins of particular diseases or infections. When injected with this small amount, your body uses white blood cells called antibodies to trace the antigens and mirror their characteristics, hence disarming the antigen as they surround it. Now that the vaccine has enabled the body to form antibodies, the chance of acquiring that disease in a real-life scenario is lessened. Despite parents' beliefs, vaccinations have a low chance of causing reactions or unexpected symptoms and will not harm the child - they keep a child from being harmed. They are especially important to protect elderly (with weakened immune systems) and previous cancer patients whose bodies have been depleted of white blood cells thus are unable to receive vaccines. Fortunately, these people can be protected from diseases if the people around them are vaccinated, often referred to as "herd immunity".


After education comes to the step of advocacy. On my contact list, I have an advocate who can inform me of the most effective ways to advocate for vaccines, judging from past results. I also have to keep in mind that advocating is pointless unless it shows a solution. For example, you can tell poor communities they need to be vaccinated all you want but they probably just don't have a doctor or local health center. Relating to this, another person on my contact list works to open more health clinics which could pose as a solution to improve vaccine accessibility. I will also contact Sarah Davis, a current elected State of Texas Representative for District 134 who works to encourage Congress to form laws including a mandate that children should not be permitted to attend school unless they have been vaccinated and that schools should reveal their vaccination rates publically. After all, if kids aren't allowed to bring peanuts to school because of one kid's allergy, they should not be able to bring diseases to school harming another kid's health. 

In conclusion, my anticipated plan is to make a difference through education and advocacy. This includes educating myself and becoming comfortable with speaking in front of students and parents about the importance of this issue. I am expecting to have parents be my main audience to target as I will work to convince them that vaccines are safe and have proven time and time again to be successful in lowering disease outbreaks and improving public health. I will take advantage of connecting with our local Immunization Partnership as they exemplify successful ways of advocating for vaccines and educating parents. By educating myself through connecting with various people in this field, I hope to spread my knowledge and advocate for a solution to this problem.

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