Vaccine Culture War In America Summary

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Requiring vaccinations is a highly debatable topic in the United States today. An article by Ronald Bayer, “The continuing tensions between individual rights and public health,” is one of the most reliable sources in the case study. The author has a PhD from the University of Chicago and focuses his research on issues of social justice and ethical matters. Bayer has also previously been a consultant to the World Health Organization on ethical issues related to public health. This makes him very knowledgeable about the topic and a highly credible source. In the article he discusses what makes vaccinations a controversy among Americans. He says, “it would be more honest and in the long term more protective of public health to acknowledge that intervention is sometimes necessary to protect individuals from their own foolish or dangerous behaviour” (Bayer 4). This statement shows his support for vaccinations. “The Vaccine Culture War in America: Are …show more content…

The article begins with details about a recent measles outbreak originating in Disneyland. “Although epidemiologists have not yet identified the person who brought measles to Disneyland, a new analysis shows that the highly contagious disease has spread to seven states and two other countries thanks to parents who declined to vaccinate their children” (Kaplan 1). The author of this article has been a science and medicine editor at the Los Angeles Times since 2005 however she covered technology in the Business section for 10 years. This could create bias in the article and prevent her from having a complete understanding of the topic. The statistics in the article are beneficial to the reader in understanding the likelihood of the disease being spread and the importance of