COMBATING VACCINE HESITANCY: A GUIDE ON LIFESAVING CHILDHOOD VACCINATIONS

Abstract

My senior honors investigates the science behind vaccinations and their critical role in preventing serious infectious diseases. With growing vaccine hesitancy, especially among parents of young children, my project focused on explaining a complex topic in a simple manner. I began by dissecting the way vaccinations work in the immune system. I briefly described the key cells and the role that they play. Then I went on to highlight the importance of herd immunity and booster shots. Lastly, I talked about significant vaccine developments and highlighted the important improvements that have happened in the last couple of centuries. After the written portion, I created three brochures using graphics and easy to read terminology to inform parents about lifesaving childhood vaccinations. The aim of my project was to provide facts despite more and more parents becoming more hesitant to vaccinate their children due to misinformation.