Vaccine preventable disease continues to be a threat to the public in the United States.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that during 2011, a total of 222 cases of measles were reported. 90% of those cases were associated with importations from other countries. (MMWR. 4/20/12).
There are several factors as to why patients refuse vaccination. A misconception regarding side effects is a common reason for vaccine refusal. Parents and/or patients believe that the vaccine is made up of the live virus and can in turn make the recipient ill. They do not understand the process for manufacturing vaccines …show more content…
There is a lack of trust in the federal government, which oversees the approval of vaccine released to be administered. An important factor to vaccine safety is not only the manufacturing process but also maintaining the cold chain for proper vaccine storage. Maintaining the cold chain is an important factor in ensuring that the vaccine being administered is viable. Maintaining the cold chain relies on more than one person or entity. The cold chain begins with the manufacturer and is then transferred to the delivery of the vaccine and the proper storage. The last phase of the cold chain is the administration of viable vaccine to the patient. There are several areas in this process that allow for vulnerabilities in this process as demonstrated by the Office of Inspector General Report from 2012, Vaccines for Children Program: Vulnerabilities in Vaccine Management (Levinson,