Public health concerns justify compulsory immunization

I affirm, Resolved: Public health concerns justify compulsory immunization. I would like to offer the following definitions to clarify the topic. Justify: to prove or show to be just, right, or reasonable. The Value for today's round must be: Maximization of the Principle of Safety of Person. Safety of Person is the freedom from a risk, a risk can be an infected person with a disease that will infect you with the disease at some time. The Criterion for today's round must be: Achieving Herd Immunity. Herd immunity is the epidemiological principle that the more people we immunize against a disease, the better protected an entire society is. However, by having up to 95% immunized, we not only protect individual citizens against epidemics, but the world community. Contention 1 The principle of safety of person, which is a requirement of all just states, requires compulsory immunization. Sub point A Safety of person is the guiding principle behind compulsory immunizations, as well as a wide variety of other public concern legislation. Since those that I come into contact with are immediately put into danger if I am a carrier of disease, as well as the exponential number of people exposed after initial contact, I am violating the principle of safety of person. Sub point B Violations of the principle of safety of person with regards to immunization lead to unnecessary loss of human life. Alice Park details an outbreak of polio in Nigeria that occurred in 2001. The disastrous effects of the outbreak were caused directly by the violation of this principle of safety of person and entirely preventable. She states: "That's what happened in the current measles outbreaks in the western U.S., and that's what happened in Nigeria in 2001, when religious and political leaders convinced parents that polio vaccines were dangerous and their kids should not receive them. Over the next six years, not only did Nigerian infection rates increase 30- fold, but the disease also broke free and ranged out to 10 other countries, many of which had previously been polio-free." Contention 2 Compulsory immunizations save more lives than it puts at risk. Based on the latest World health organization estimates for 2008, trends related to Global vaccination coverage continue to be positive, Compulsory immunization currently averts an estimated 2.5 million deaths every year in all age groups from many different diseases. More children than ever before are being reached with immunization. In 2008, an estimated 106 million children under the age of one were vaccinated with three doses of DTP3 vaccine and the estimated number of deaths that year of kids less than 1 due to DTP3 was roughly 150,000 children. Due to this amazing result in 2008 more nations have been making more vaccinations compulsory. Three regions the Americas, Europe and Western Pacific maintained over 90% immunization coverage. Number of countries reaching 90% or more immunization coverage with DTP3 vaccine in 2009: 120 countries compared to 117 in 2008. Number of countries reaching over 80% DTP3 coverage in 2009: 151 countries in 2009 compared to 150 in 2008. Contention 3 Immunizations are both medically sound and empirically beneficial. Sub point A Vaccines' benefits to both the individual and society clearly outweigh any harm, real or perceived. As Dr.Pazos stated previously, the benefits of vaccination far outweigh the minor risks. Besides the individual protection that vaccines provide, the real impact of vaccines was discussed previously by Alice Parks and her analysis of the Nigeria polio outbreak. Dr. Pazos continues, discussing the concept of herd immunity: "...vaccines are broadly administered in order to establish what is referred to as "herd immunity." Most infectious diseases require a ready supply of healthy hosts in order to continue spreading. So, if enough people get vaccinated, entire illnesses can go from serious public health threats to occasional isolated incidents. This way the young, the elderly, the sick, and even those who are unsuccessfully vaccinated are protected by the majority. Vaccination rates necessary to establish herd immunity vary by the pathogen, but they can be as high as 95 percent—very little room is left for those who voluntarily choose not to get vaccinated, which is why mandatory vaccinations are widely instituted." If we review the principle of liberty, and consider the populations of people who medically cannot be vaccinated, then herd immunity is a necessary state that we must achieve to maximize the protection of all citizens. Hence, with vaccines presenting no general medical dangers and with people's lives resting on whether herd immunity can be achieved, the only just action is compulsory immunization. For these reasons I urge you to affirm, I now stand for cross examination.