Prescott's Microbiology 8th Edition by Joanne Willey, Linda Sherwood, Christopher J. Woolverton, Lansing Prescott, John Harley, Donald Klein

Exercise 4

Vaccinations against various childhood diseases have contributed to the entry of women, particularly mothers, into the full-time workplace.

a. Is this statement supported by data comparing availability and extent of vaccination with employment statistics in different places or at different times?

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b. What is the incubation time and duration for measles, mumps, and chickenpox? Before vaccinations became available, what impact would these childhood diseases have had on mothers who had several elementary school-age children if the mothers had full-time jobs and lacked substantial child care support?

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c. What would be the consequence if an entire generation of children (or a group of children in one country) were not vaccinated against any diseases? What do you predict would happen if these children went to college and lived in a dormitory in close proximity with others who had received all of the recommended childhood vaccines?

Step 1 of 3

a. The idea that childhood vaccinations can assist in the ability of mothers to work full-time is an interesting one. Preventable childhood diseases such as measles, diphtheria, and mumps can require weeks of care. Particularly if there are multiple children this can certainly be a barrier to women entering the workplace.

There is some evidence that this may be the case. For example, a 2012 study in the International Journal of Disease showed that Nigerian children whose mother was the sole income earner had a higher chance of being fully vaccinated. However, it can be difficult to separate out whether childhood vaccinations lead to more mothers in the workforce or whether more money earned by women results in the tendency to vaccinate children. The latter is certainly the case for vaccination rates in developing nations.

Many studies have shown that an increased education level and empowerment of women result in a higher likelihood that their children will be vaccinated. This is because women are in a position to make and implement informed healthcare decisions.