Public health officials in New Jersey have ignited another vaccination debate by proposing to require pneumonia and flu vaccination for preschoolers and children attending licensed daycare centers. Additionally, the new rules would add vaccinations against whooping cough and meningitis for 11- and 12-year olds.
Vaccination opponents link current practices with grim outcomes ranging from hyperactivity and autism to neurological disorders. Vaccination proponents insist that anti-vac's are ill informed at best and responsible for spreading illness at worst. Thanks to handy Internet research that promotes more panic than science, both the pro- and con- sides of the vaccine debate can find plenty to back-up their arguments.
Vaccination is essentially a free rider problem, economic theory's explanation of the impact of the inaction of a few (who choose not to vaccinate) on the health and well-being of many (those who do vaccinate). In other words, if enough people decide not to vaccinate, it won't matter what you or I believe or choose to do in regard to our children. Vaccination only works if most of the population participates. Witness the ravages of disease on 19th Century and early 20th Century children or modern-day Africa to see what happens when people opt out.
