Child Development and Public Health

I chose the topic of immunizations because it is something that I believe is important for children as well as adults when necessary.  The purpose of immunizations is to prevent mass outbreaks of diseases that become epidemics that are uncontrollable.   I researched the vaccination schedule for children who live in Germany and it is not much  different from that of the children in the United States.  The only exception that I found was that the vaccine for the human papilloma virus (HPV) is routinely given to females age twelve to age seventeen in Germany, where here in the U.S. it is still a point of controversy.  Many of the countries in Europe seem to be researching the claims that immunizations are the cause of some learning disabilities in children, especially males.  I feel that as time progresses, there will be many parents afraid of the possible side effects of the immunizations that they may or may not realistically be associated with so there will be a decline in vaccinations here in the United States.  My opinion on the matter is that research should be done to prove or disprove the allegations  before parents are allowed to NOT vaccinate their children because the price for NOT vaccinating may be greater.  I think that this will impact my future teaching and interaction with students if parents of children placed in a special needs setting feel that a vaccination is responsible for the condition of their child.