Immunization in United States and India



Berger (2009) defines immunization as "a process that stimulates the body's immune system to defend against attack by a particular contagious disease. Immunization maybe accomplished either naturally (by having the disease) or through vaccination (often by having an injection). Immunization was discovered many years ago but the concept was made popular by Louis Pasteur during the 1800s. The concept has been expanded for many years, each year with scientist finding new ways to fight against various diseases.

This topic is meaningful to me because the idea of a child suffering from a disease or illness is unbearable, especially with all the technology currently available. Technology has lead to the development of cures for childhood diseases like measles, chicken pox and polio (to name a few) that killed many children. Immunization is a touchy subject for parents, especially new parents because of the horror stories that were broad casted via world wide news and numerous articles. I can remember wrestling with the decision to vaccinate my child was extremely difficult because the side effects were presented before the benefits. Regardless to all the negative information that is presented to parents, the major benefit of immunization is prolonged life of children for childhood diseases.

I have heard and studied the beliefs of immunization in the United States and wondered how other regions of the world viewed immunizations. India is a county that fascinates me because you often see the beautiful tourist sites but you never see the true struggles of the people. Health care is an ongoing subject in the United States with the current arguments over health care bills but very little is hear about this region's health care options. I decided to study India to learn about the benefits of immunization and ways that immunization was viewed this regin. According to World Health Organization (2010), health education was a low priority in India due to the lack of information. The World Health Organization created a program in 1985 to fight against pertsus, diptheria, tetanus and other diseases. By 1990, the program was approximately 90% successful but information is currently being gathered for current statistics. The World Health Organization is continuing to work on educating parents on immunization and overall healthy living patterns.

I would eventually like to work as an advocate for children so this is a topic that I am sure will cross my path eventually. As an advocate your major focus is to provide parents with adequate information to make a decision that benefits the child. Immunization will forever be a subject that will ruffle some feathers but we must come together and look at what is best for all children. I believe that every child deserves the opportunity to enjoy a long life and if this is the method to that long life....every child should be vaccinated.


Berger, K. (2009). The developing person through childhood. New York, New York: Worth Publishers.

World Health Organization (2010). Retrieved on November 10, 2010 from http://www.who.int/en