Alycia Santiago

Brian Hendrickson
Engl 110
September 10, 2015

The Happiest place on earth?

Is Disneyland the happiest place on earth? This is questionable as of recently, Disneyland
is ranked one of the top theme parks in North America and averages about 53,000 people a
day(Patrick Reikofski). Unfortunately, the Measles virus resurfaced at Disney land in December
of 2014, then spreading to half a dozen states. The measles outbreak came at the worst time for
Disneyland and their guests due to their increase of activity during the holidays. (Patrick
Reikofski) December being one of Disneylands busiest months of the year. You can imagine the
horror the happiest place on earth faced, jam packed crowds and measles floating around this
was not a happy time for Disney guests or cast members.
Many people who fell ill during this Disneyland outbreak were not immunized against
measles. Parents as of recently have been avid about not getting their children vaccinated
because of fears following the vaccinations. One parent says speaking to PBS about her issue
with vaccinations, As a parent, I would rather see my child get a natural illness and contract that
the way that illnesses have been contracted for at least 200,000 years that homo sapiens have
been around. Im not afraid of my children getting chicken pox. There are reasons that children
get sick. Getting sick is not a bad thing. (Gavett Gretchen, PBS) Parents like this that are
jumping onto the anti-vaccinations boat are only in the end hurting their children, and the
children around them.

Measles is a highly contagious disease caused by the measles virus. One of the most
devastating infectious diseases known to man. (Dr. William J Moss, MD) Making it crucial for
parents to vaccinate their children. The Measles vaccine is made with chicken embryo, the
symptoms that are associated with the measles vaccination are minimal to a fever, you might feel
discomfort as you usually do when you get sick. ( Feigin & Cherrys) You might get a faint rash
about two weeks after the vaccination occurs. Background on the measles vaccine and the real
side affects can help parents to understand that a fever and cold symptoms are better than your
child having the disease. Vaccinations should be administered at twelve and fifteen months of
age, then again when entering their first years of school. Many parents are not allowing their
children to get vaccinations because they are poorly informed. The American Academy of
Pediatrics did sixty-seven studies and found that the MMR vaccine is not associated with autism.
(Jin Jill MD)
What can we do further as a country to inform the parents about the importance of
vaccines and the importance of keeping your children healthy. We are going to have to make it
mandatory for your children to get vaccinated, because parents are able to opt out of giving their
children vaccinations causes it to be a problem. We are also seeing parents opt out due to their
religious views. If that is going to be the case, then they shouldnt be able to attend public school
where they can endanger many other children. In this case I understand that we do have freedom
of religion in The United States but, when your religion starts to or could possibly harm other
human beings I think thats where we should draw the line. Get your children vaccinated or dont
send them to school with other children. In New Mexico the required vaccinations are, Tetanus,
Polio, Measles/Mumps/Rubella, Haemphilus influenza type B, Hepatitis B and Pneumococcal,
diphtheria, pertussis, and varicella. (New Mexico DOH) Measles during this time not only spread

to Disneyland but also in other parts of the country. A family wrote an article called To the
Parent of the Unvaccinated Child Who Exposed My Family to Measles. Tim Jacks is speaking
out on the issue of measles and not getting your children vaccinated. He went on to say that his
wife had been vaccinated with the two dosages so she was immune. As for him he had blood
titers which are not protected against measles. Their ten-month old son is not old enough to get
the first vaccine, their daughter has cancer therefore isnt able to receive the vaccine. As routine
they would go in to get weekly blood tests to make sure her levels were normal and they instead
found measles. They were exposed to measles by another patient. Instead of his daughter being
able to have her three weeks off from Chemo therapy she had to stay in isolation due to the
disease. (Papa Bear) He goes on to say Thanks for making us cancel our trip to the snow this
year. Maggie really wanted to see snow, but we will not risk exposing anyone else. On that note,
thanks for exposing 195 children to an illness considered 'eliminated' from the US. Your poor
choices don't just effect your child. They affect my family and many more like us. Please forgive
my sarcasm. I am upset and just a little bit scared. Papa bear (Dr. Tim Jacks Par 15) I agree with
Papa Bear I think it is unfair to not get your children vaccinated and harm other children. This
family wasnt able to get their family vaccinated right away because of real health issues. If
parents had a really good reason to not vaccinate their children maybe then it would be
acceptable, but if you are going to make that decision make it wisely and dont bring your
children out if they might be able to get an infectious disease. Although there are parents who are
avid about vaccinations, there are parents who still will not vaccinate their children. Some
parents who refuse to vaccinate their children say they know theyve been branded as Wackos
but said they have thoughtfully considered and researched their choices. (LA Times Par 13)
Nicole a mother of two from Mission Viejo says I dont want to be paraded through the mud

for my choice. She says that at least two doctors have now refused to keep her children in their
practice. Which says a lot about how strong she is standing on the thought of not getting her
children vaccinated. To cope with any illness that may arise she says, "You have to be informed,
you have to be an expert on your own child's health," she said. "Once you vaccinate your child,
you can never un-vaccinate."(LA Times)
There are many parents like this who think that in the long run if they dont get their
children vaccinated they will be fine until they arent. It was really interesting how many parent
are sticking to their word to not getting their children vaccinated. Interestingly enough when
asked if they were scared they just said Maybe Im not worried because it hasnt happened yet.
(LA Times) This seems nave and isnt in the long run going to help anyone. CDC released an
article about vaccines and how they are mandated in the Daycare and School systems, they said
School vaccination laws have played a key role in the control of vaccine- preventable diseases
in the 1850s, in Massachusetts to prevent smallpox transmission in schools. By the Beginning of
the twentieth century, nearly half of the states had requirements for children to be vaccinated
before they entered school. By 1963, 20 States, The District of Colombia, and Puerto Rico had
such laws, with a variety of vaccines being mandated. However, enforcement was uneven.
(CDC) Enforcement was uneven, much like today, again Im still baffled at the idea that a parent
wouldnt vaccinate their child, even if there are side effects, I think its better then giving them an
infectious disease.
Although all hell broke loose at Disneyland in the midst of it beginning to look a lot like
Christmas, they are now running low on measles which is good because it wasnt included in fast
pass. As for the Anti-vaccinators Wackos they are still plugging along one missed vaccine at a

time. The only way that we can make an impact is to have it mandated and make it a law. When
public health issues arise many feel pressured to start defending their rights as Americans. As
for the very smart parents who do vaccinate their children they are helping to stop the spread of
infectious diseases, so I applaud them. Again the well being of all outweighs one child not being
vaccinated. We really have to think long and hard about the impact that not getting our children
vaccinated can have on our society. As the editor of Voices for Vaccines says Laws are made to
protect the health, safety, and well-being of the majority and those who cannot speak for
themselves. Your personal freedom ends when your decisions impact the health, safety, and wellbeing of others. We live in a land of equal rights. On that note we have been through a
whirlwind of vaccinations, and how they can affect vast amounts of people. Although some of
the happy was pulled out of the happiest place on earth it is up and running measles free.

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