Community Vaccination – Case Study
ABSTRACT
Community vaccination has been a source of research that spans for many years since a healthy community is very critical in the US health system. The US health system has greatly incorporated community vaccination as a key pillar in achieving its millennium goals and objectives. A community, which is healthy, is a strong determinant on the way the US society functions. This abstract outline the findings from a number of literature and books by analyzing, chapter by chapter, the process the authors used to conduct their findings and results. This case study explains in details the paramount benefits of community vaccination and, how the US health system, expeditiously dispenses it.
The main reason for community vaccinations in the US health system is to increase the immunization rates as well as reduce significantly preventable infectious diseases among the communities. The remarkable increase in life expectancy for the people of the US during the 20th century has largely been due to tremendous improvements in child survival. This is linked also with various reductions in infectious disease mortality. This humongous gain is attributed to immunization. Despite these gains, infectious diseases remain a leading cause of illness, death and disability. The current target for Immunization recommendations in the United States stands at 17 vaccine-preventable diseases across the lifespan (Andresen & Bouldin, 2010).
According to Harrington (2004), Healthy People is an example of an initiative in the US health system that ensures effective community vaccinations. Healthy People 2020 goals for infectious diseases and immunization are deeply rooted in evidence that is based on community and clinical services. They also include activities for the treatment and prevention of infectious diseases. Healthy People 2020’s new objectives that focus on the latest technological advancements, and, ensures that local public health departments, nongovernmental organizations and States are strong partners in the US’s attempt to manage the spread of various infectious diseases.
People in the US continue to get diseases that are ably vaccine preventable. Influenza, viral hepatitis and tuberculosis (TB) remain as the leading causes of death and illness in the US. They account for a substantial spending on the correlated consequences of infection. In the US, the infectious disease public health infrastructure carries out, numerous disease surveillance at all relevant levels that include the local, Federal and State and is an extremely essential tool in fighting against re-emerging and newly emerging infectious diseases. Among other paramount defenses that are used against infectious diseases, include the use of antibiotics, proper use of vaccines, testing and screening guidelines and scientific improvements in diagnosis of a number of infectious disease related health concerns (McKenzie, Pinger & Kotecki, 2012).
According to Scutchfield & Keck (2003), community vaccinations are amongst the most cost effective clinical preventive services for the various communities. They are a principal component of any package of preventive services. The community vaccinations in the US are able to reach an enormous population and are tremendously effective in the prevention and treatment of various diseases. The amount of money that an individual uses while seeking treatment in the US health system is not comparable to the cost undertaken for community vaccination. It is affordable, and the institutions responsible for dispensing theses services can easily afford.
The US government’s childhood immunization initiative, programs that are under the community vaccination programs provide an extraordinarily high return on investment. Recent research conclusively showed that community vaccinations have many advantages in the US health system. The research showed that community vaccination prevents 14 million disease cases, saves 33,000 lives, reduces health care costs that are direct by $9.9 billion and saves indirect costs amounting to $33.4 billion.
References
Andresen, E., & Bouldin, E. D. (2010). Public health foundations concepts and practices. San Francisco, CA, Jossey-Bass. http://public.eblib.com/EBLPublic/PublicView.do?ptiID=624406.
Harrington, C. (2004). Health policy: crisis and reform in the U.S. health care delivery system. Sudbury, Mass, Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
McKenzie, J. F., Pinger, R. R., & Kotecki, J. E. (2012). An introduction to community health. Sudbury, MA, Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Scutchfield, F. D., & Keck, C. W. (2003). Principles of public health practice. Clifton Park, Thomson/Delmar Learning.
