{"id":72306,"date":"2026-02-04T08:54:59","date_gmt":"2026-02-04T13:54:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/?p=72306"},"modified":"2026-02-04T15:14:28","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T20:14:28","slug":"opinion-immunization-is-a-responsibility-not-just-a-choice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bridgemi.com\/guest-commentary\/opinion-immunization-is-a-responsibility-not-just-a-choice\/","title":{"rendered":"Opinion | Immunization is a responsibility, not just a choice"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A year ago, I turned 11 and received the last three of my childhood vaccines \u2014 including meningitis, HPV and Tdap. I know vaccines matter \u2014 they keep me safe and keep the vulnerable safer. According to the World Health Organization (WHO)<\/a>, immunization can prevent 3.5-5 million deaths annually.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Headshot
Simran Adnani is a 7th grader at The Roeper School in Birmingham. (Courtesy photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

However, lately, more Michigan students are going to school without vaccines; vaccine waivers are rising. According to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services<\/a>, the vaccination waiver rate in Michigan has reached 6.2%, the highest in over a decade. Based on 2024 data<\/a>, 6.8% of kindergarteners and 6.1% of seventh graders obtained vaccine waivers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If this number keeps rising, the community will lose herd immunity<\/a> for most vaccine-preventable diseases. This means a rapid spread of infectious diseases, not only hurting immunocompromised people, people who cannot get vaccinated due to medical conditions, but also affecting vaccinated individuals. Vaccination is not a personal responsibility; it is a shared one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the falling childhood vaccination rates in Michigan, we will begin to see more measles, chickenpox, whooping cough (pertussis), and even polio, which has been eradicated in the United States. Our health care professionals will not know how to treat these historic diseases and public health infrastructure will break.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A recent rule in Florida<\/a> removed vaccine mandates for school-age children; parents can choose not to vaccinate their kids against common vaccine-preventable diseases. These diseases can easily cross borders and cause outbreaks in other states, especially states with higher rates of unvaccinated individuals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our generation never had to worry about getting sick from polio or smallpox, but today as I sit in my classroom, I realize how much our safety depends on the collective action of our society. We have been taught to trust science, but now, with rising vaccine waivers and plummeting immunization rates, we are witnessing the consequences of misinformation unfold in front of us. The rise of vaccine waivers is not just a statistic \u2014 it\u2019s a threat to public health. It’s a dangerous choice and a call for action. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My hope is for everyone to understand that vaccines exist to protect not just one individual, but communities. They save lives.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We have been taught to trust science, but now, with rising vaccine waivers and plummeting immunization rates, we are witnessing the consequences of misinformation unfold in front of us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":260,"featured_media":72307,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":true,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"2026-02-04T13:55:03Z","apple_news_api_id":"0d58aff6-5d59-47ca-b549-2b188306dc04","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2026-02-04T20:14:31Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQ==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/ADViv9l1ZR8q1SSsYgwbcBA","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"hidden","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[2442],"tags":[1510,1546],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[2539],"class_list":["post-72306","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guest-commentary","tag-michigan-k-12-schools","tag-michigan-school-opinions","entry"],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\nOpinion | Immunization is a responsibility, not just a choice - 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