Is Child Vaccination A Good Idea?

To vaccinate or not to vaccinate? Parents with infants and young children have been tussling with this proverbial question for several decades now. With the advent of the internet and the World Wide Web, parents have been bombarded with a plethora of information about pros and cons of vaccines from all kinds of sources, some creditable, and some are not. To the non-scientific community, these conflicting information can create problems in the decision making process; thus, forcing parents to make the wrong choices and putting their offspring and others at risk. However, this article will attempt to address the importance of vaccinations, how vaccines work, why we should vaccinate, and why parents should not be afraid to vaccinate their offspring.

[Vaccinations have lowered the death rates of Americans over the years. According to McNeil “in November 2007, death rates for 13 diseases that can be prevented by childhood vaccinations were at all-time lows…nine of the diseases, rates of hospitalization or death had declined more than 90 percent. For three…death rates had dropped by 100 percent” (Paragraph 3). This study shows that vaccinations are beneficial to children. With these vaccinations, children will be less exposed to these diseases, which will prevent them from spending time in the hospital or in some cases dying.

The vaccinations of children are a cornerstone of the United States public health measures to protect people from a host of infectious diseases and possible death. Vaccines are beneficial to the greater good of the public health including your own as well as being a cost effective way to manage infectious diseases. Diseases that used to be common throughout this country and around the world can now be prevented by vaccination. These diseases include polio, measles, diphtheria, pertussis, rubella, mumps, tetanus, rotavirus, and haemophilus influenza type b (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014).

I believe that parents shouldn’t have the right to decide if their kids get vaccinated. Kids that haven’t been vaccinated can get other kids sick The number of kids saved by vaccines is greater than the number of kids killed by vaccines. Vaccinations save kids, can eradicate a disease, and can benefit society economically. Vaccines have many benefits; therefore parents shouldn’t have the right to decide if their kids get vaccinated.

Diseases will always travel throughout the world and it will continue to affect children severely if they are not vaccinated. One source known as Benefits from Immunization During the Vaccines for Children Program Era pointed out that the number of children born each year can be prevented, “Approximately 4 million children are born in the United States each year, each of whom is vulnerable to vaccine-preventable pathogens that continue to circulate” (Whitney, Zhou, Singleton and Schuchat 4). The number of children born each year can have an enormous impact on society, there can be a massive epidemic. People do not want their child to be exposed to these deadly infectious disease, especially if they are preventable.

A 2013 CDC blog tells people that 71% of babies between ages 17-35 months are vaccinated for 7 diseases. Where is the other 29%. Most of the 29% say that it genetically passes autistic genes . others say that it will hurt the baby . Out of the 71% say that it will help save their kids from life threatening diseases.Even though the baby will cry , it's not like the baby will remember and cause malice. Not vaccinating babies can affect their lives emotionally and physically . Why is this happening to 29% of americans . All kids should be vaccinated so that it will keep them safe from deadly diseases and decrease the count of people contracting the disease.

Why move backward when you can move forward? Vaccinations are considered to be one of the greatest health developments in the 20th century. A vaccine is defined as “a substance used to stimulate the production of antibodies and provide immunity against one or several diseases, prepared from the causative agent of a disease, its products, or a synthetic substitute, treated to act as an antigen without inducing the disease.” Hundred of thousands of lives have been saved in the last twenty years due to vaccines. Although no federal law exists, all fifty states require students to be vaccinated. However, every state allows for medical exceptions, forty-eight states have religious exceptions, and nineteen states allow exceptions for

Not only does the vaccination save the vaccinated child’s saves but it also saves other childrens lives as well. Along with saving lives vaccinations give children a longer healthier life as most doctors say. Vaccinations contain medicine that prevents and makes the body immune to the infectious disease or illness. Getting a child vaccinated is a smart choice which will only benefit the child in the future by protecting them from preventable diseases and illnesses. Most childhood vaccines are ninety percent to ninety nine percent effective when it comes to preventing disease and illnesses according to The American Academy of Pediatrics. But do not misunderstand me, vaccinations are not one hundred percent effective. However just like an Ohio mom states, she would rather be safe than sorry( LaGrand ). Even with some vaccinations not being one hundred percent effective it is still important to get it because it still protects the child from the specific disease or illness somewhat. Immunizations are almost nearly one hundred effective which means that a child who gets vaccinated has less of a chance of catching the preventable illness or disease than a child who is not vaccinated against it. With vaccinations protecting against chickenpox, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, influenza, measles, polio, rabies, and many other common illnesses, they have prevented many children already from simple illnesses as well as deadly illnesses. Medical discoveries are tremendous with all the different types of immunizations available for diseases and illnesses. Vaccinations stop preventable diseases and infections saving many children from illness. Immunizations protect children and allow them to have the opportunity at a longer healthier life, so if parents vaccinate their children they would be giving their children longer and healthier

Another benefit of vaccines is that they have eradicated some illnesses. There are some illnesses, such as polio and smallpox, that have been diminished by vaccines. The author states in “Should Vaccines Be Required for Children?” “In the twentieth century, there were 16,316 deaths from polio and 29,004 deaths from smallpox yearly in the United States; in 2012 there were no reported cases of polio or smallpox.” Those disease have diminished because vaccines have prevented the diseases, and eventually, the diseases were eliminated. Because of vaccines, there are some illnesses that are

The smallpox vaccine helped the entire world be eradicated from smallpox. This means that there are no cases of naturally occurring smallpox in the world. Think about the millions of lives saved because of this vaccine. What if all children were required to have vaccines? How many diseases could we eradicate from the world? Currently, we have sixteen routine diseases that we vaccinate against between birth and eighteen years of age. Most of these diseases can cause symptoms like heart failure, pneumonia, coma, blood disorders, meningitis, cancer, brain swelling, paralysis, and death. Why wouldn’t we want to protect our children from this? Especially when the diseases are so easily spread by air, or direct

Immunizations and vaccines have been around since the 1800s (Historic Dates). The idea of immunizing the population from deadly and unpleasant diseases is not a new idea. Yet many Americans, and people all around the world are beginning to question the effects of these vaccines, mainly on children and infants. It has been in more recent years that doctors have been recommending for children to start receiving vaccines as soon as they are born. The most common misconceptions of vaccines are that they cause autism, or that they cause the person being immunized to be a carrier of the disease. This causes a lot of new parents to rethink and hesitate to get their children vaccinated. However, the effects

Today we seem to take in many conversations on whether mandatory vaccinations are good for our kids. With nearly 90 percentage parents in the U.S. understand the risk vs. benefit factor to be in favor too vaccinate, when handed the choice, about a 10 percent of parents delay or cut some shots with 1 percent that don’t vaccinate at all. (Pemberton, 2015) We see viruses from our past, which were heavily infected among our grandparents or parents ' time, such as poliomyelitis and measles, as children, appear in certain parts of the U.S., but have the feeling that these are isolated or have no significance. Many of these diseases have all but been eliminated, do with vaccinations. But the growing concern is that if we continue to choose not to vaccinate, the viruses we are straining to prevent will resurface, and may produce more potent forms of themselves. The part that grows not to vaccinate, fear or have queries on whether the risk is worth the benefit, and are usually comparing this to the narrations of others or some of the few examples that are perceived linked to side effects from receiving a vaccination. This only will lead to serious consequences, more so for infants, or young children, which could lead to be deadly. Mandatory vaccinations should be applied to all children because the importance it bears on our communities, the effect that vaccinations have, and the misplaced fears linked to vaccinations are vital to ensure that we live a healthier

Immunizations were created to keep children and adults healthy and safe. Edward Jenner administered the world’s first vaccination known as the smallpox vaccine, which had killed millions of people over the centuries (). Jenner administered the vaccine on an eight year old boy who he exposed to the fluid of a cowpox blisters, the boy developed a blister which eventually went away. Jenner then exposed the boy to the smallpox disease and the boy did not get sick, this led to the smallpox vaccine and the drastic decline in the smallpox disease. Fast-forward three centuries later and the small pox diseases is eradicated do to people receiving the vaccine. Immunizations are extremely important to the world’s overall health. Babies and children are most vulnerable to disease because they are son young and their organs and bodies are growing at a rapid rate. It is important for children to be immunized against vaccine preventable diseases such as: rubella, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough), and a host of other diseases. High vaccination coverage has significantly reduced vaccine-preventable disease morbidity and mortality worldwide, especially among children (Baggs et. al., 2011). While some people focus on the cons of vaccinations, there are many pros to children receiving vaccinations.

Many vaccines are “designed to protect infants and children early in life” (“What are the Reasons to Vaccinate My Baby?”, 2016, para. 9). This shows that scientists are working hard to protect children at a young age. When one vaccinates his or her child at a young age, it not only protects during childhood, but also adulthood. This keeps the child healthy all of his or her life. Not only do children need protection early in childhood, but also the right amounts of dosages. “Not receiving the full number of doses leaves a child vulnerable to catching serious diseases” (“What are the Reasons to Vaccinate My Baby?”, 2016, para. 10). This allows people to understand that children can still be prone to diseases if they do not have the recommended amount. For a child, it is needed to receive the full dosages to be fully protected. A recommended immunization schedule has been created for the public. This schedule proposes the design on how to protect children early on in their lives before “being exposed to the potentially life threatening diseases” (“What are the Reasons to Vaccinate My Baby?”, 2016, para. 10). Receiving immunizations at a certain age also helps the vaccine do its job in the best way. Due to children needing vaccinations early in life to keep them healthy, it creates another reason as to why people support

“Proponents argue that vaccination is safe and one of the greatest health developments of the 20th century. They point out that illnesses, including rubella, diphtheria, and whooping cough, which once killed thousands of infants annually are now prevented by vaccination” (“Vaccines”). Many deaths occur simply because children, along with adults, do not get the required shots needed. Medical treatments are not given to do a person any harm, but to keep a person and environment safe. Kids being vaccinated will give them less of a possibility to obtain a disease that could lead to death. Benefits outweigh any possibility of risking accumulating a disease. When people say that vaccinations are harmful, does not necessarily mean to develop a deadly disease, simply means some small risks. “Vaccines are not entirely harmless, but the small risks are outweighed by the benefits of a disease prevention” (Offit). Indeed flu shots must be tested in order to be able to give anyone the shot. Receiving vaccinations is only meant to help people prevent many illnesses and deaths. Although some small risks could be accumulated, those small risks are very small possibilities of anything happening to anyone. Getting immunized is not a one-time thing; people must follow up on required dates to receive them.