NURSING- vaccinations #2 – Discussion Replies

Please reply to the peer discussion posts below. Replies must be 250 to 400 words. Please cite two sources per reply. References must be within the past 5 years (peer to peer only). Statistics and information used THAT IS NOT YOUR OWN, MUST BE CITED. 

Answer the following questions:

Reply to your peer. Provide your own examples of situations in which you have had to discuss immunizations/vaccines. What suggestions might you provide your peer in terms of dealing with misinformation related to this topic?

Discussion 

Question to original posting :

Patient #4: Your final patient of the day is a three-month-old baby. The nurse states that the mom is refusing vaccinations today even though the babys records show she is up to date on her immunizations. Mom explains that she feels like her baby is getting too many shots and since everyone else is being vaccinated, they can skip a few of the vaccines and her baby will be just fine.

What is herd immunity and how can this help protect individuals who are not vaccinated? What are the rates for your state related to immunizations, and how could this affect herd immunity?
What immunizations should this patient receive today, and is there any leeway in the schedule to help alleviate some of the moms concerns?

Peer discussion:

  “What is herd immunity and how can this help protect individuals who are not vaccinated? What are the rates for your state related to immunizations, and how could this affect herd immunity?
          Herd immunity is a term that has been widely used since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite its recent popularity, the concept has been around since the start of the 20th century. Herd immunity is when a population becomes immune to an infectious disease which limits further spread (Desai & Majumder, 2020). Once a population reaches herd immunity the risk of a disease spreading from person to person decreases which protects those who are not immune and susceptible. In Massachusetts, schools have immunization requirements where the students must provide proof of immunization or have a religious or medical exemption. The state average of kindergarten students with an exemption is 0.5%, and the rate of kindergarten students not meeting the school immunization requirements is 5.1% (Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 2021). The western and southeast parts of the state have higher rates of exemption putting many people at risk. The higher rates of exemption could weaken herd immunity and make community members more susceptible to vaccine-preventable diseases. 
What immunizations should this patient receive today, and is there any leeway in the schedule to help alleviate some of the moms concerns?
          For the mother who is hesitant on vaccinating her three-month-old child, I would recommend thats she continues with the vaccination schedule. At three months old, the baby is eligible for the second dose of the RV, DTap, Hib, PCV13, and IPV as long as it has been at least four weeks since the first vaccination (CDC, 2021). If the mother continues to be concerned with the vaccine schedule, there is some leeway. Although all of these vaccines may be given together, there is a time window available for vaccine administration. One possibility would be to vaccinate the baby with half of the vaccines today, and come back in four weeks for the other half as they are typically given at four months (CDC, 2021). Additionally, I would provide the mother with resources on the diseases that the vaccines are preventing and the importance of herd immunity.”