Vaccines: Why are they necessary?

Certain vaccines are a requirement for all public school children — but what happens when families struggle to obtain these vaccinations and what is their purpose?

“Fully vaccinated children prevent the spread of infectious diseases and reduces the risks of outbreaks that can disrupt the school learning environment,” Crystal Jones, the Athens City-County Health Department director of nursing, said in an email. “When a significant portion of the school population is vaccinated, it creates a protective barrier known as herd immunity. This protects those who are unable to receive certain vaccines, such as infants, individuals with specific health conditions and those undergoing treatments that weaken the immune system.”

Herd immunity is particularly important when considering the effect certain illnesses may have on friends or family members outside the school setting, Sara Bode, the medical director of school health services at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, said.

The DTaP vaccine, one of seven required in Ohio, protects against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis. Bode illustrated the importance of this vaccine through the possible effects pertussis may have on those who are vulnerable or unvaccinated.

Pertussis is commonly referred to as whooping cough, and although it is usually a non-serious condition for older children, it can be life threatening for others, she said. If an older child contracts whooping cough, the result is often limited to a fever and a few days away from school, Bode said. However, should an infant or young child contract the same illness, it can have a very significant effect and even land the child in the hospital.

Measles, another school-required vaccine, has been making a slight resurgence in the Columbus area due to unvaccinated children, Bode added. Measles in particular is highly contagious, which makes the likelihood of adverse reactions and hospitalization much higher, she said.

“Another one we think about as far as school required vaccinations would be the polio vaccine as an example,” Bode said. “We thankfully have not had outbreaks of polio in recent years because everyone has been vaccinated, but there are actually areas that polio has had a resurgence and it’s completely because maybe vaccination rates have dropped.”

Polio is a highly contagious illness which results in fever, stiffness, and pain in the limbs, with 1 in 200 infections causing incurable paralysis, most often seen in the legs, according to the World Health Organization website.

All of these outcomes however, can be mitigated by properly obtaining vaccinations throughout childhood.

In the Columbus area, Nationwide Children’s works to help accomplish this task through a ‘roving vaccine clinic’ which visits middle and high schools to provide required vaccinations. The hospital also operates a team which can be booked to go anywhere, Bode added.

In the Athens area, the Athens City-County Health Department administers the Vaccines for Children program for families in need, Jones said. The program is available for children under 19 who are also uninsured, underinsured, Medicaid-eligible, or Medicaid-enrolled, American Indian or Alaskan Native, she added. The program provides the vaccines at no cost to families, she added.

Additionally, the health department hosts extended hours vaccine clinics as well as a mobile health van, which is used to bring vaccines to outlying communities.

“I don’t have exact statistics, but the chance of a larger adverse reaction to immunizations is quite small,” Whitney Warren, the school nurse for Alexander Local School District, said. “Most vaccinations have been around for quite some time, and the overall proven benefit to not only the child, but also the population, has been proven of much greater benefit than any possible risk.”