Is Vaccines A Medical Invention?

The argument encompassing whether or not parents should vaccinate their children is ongoing. It is a very interesting matter to learn about and I possess some strong feelings about the case. This issue interests me because there are parents who don’t have their children vaccinated, and there are parents who do have them vaccinated. But all these parents share one particular quality: they all would like for their kids to be safe.

Although the negative claims behind anti-immunization stances are deceptive and discredited, some parents find it difficult to accept that vaccines are necessary and safe. Many of these reasons are due to personal or religious beliefs that have persuaded parents to bypass immunizations for their children. Consequently, health officials are seeing disquieting rises of diseases that are easily preventable. The CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) has reported hundreds of measles cases in the United States in 2011, the largest number in 15 years (Ben-Joseph, Elana). Essentially, almost all of these cases were in individuals who had not received a vaccine shot. Also found in the article was that a great amount of the quarrel over the shots comes from a 1998 study that tried to connect autism to a type of vaccine that defends against measles. However, there has been no scientific evidence that a vaccine or a combination of any of the shots induces autism. Undoubtedly, the doctor that wrote the article, calling vaccines a “deliberate fraud” ,lost his license for not submitting any evidence of his claim and causing people to neglect shots for that year. Sadly, due to that article, 1 in 4 parents still believe that vaccines are

Unfortunately, little progress has been made since then, as reports from 2015 show only 72.2 percent of U.S. children are fully vaccinated (KFF, 2017). Healthy People 2020 recommends a national goal of 80 percent to maintain herd immunity (Child Trends Databank, 2015). Despite the life-saving importance of immunization, these stagnant rates show that many mothers of U.S. children do not adhere to vaccination recommendations. These critics and skeptics of vaccines are a part of the anti-vaccination movement. Originating upon the discovery of the first vaccine in 1796, this movement has progressed for hundreds of years. Currently, through media and prominent anti-vax social figures, the public can easily be relayed messages of vaccine controversies rather than scientific facts. Falsehoods include perceived low risk of contracting vaccine-preventable diseases, “overloading” the child’s immune system, mercury in vaccines, reports of negative reactions after vaccination, and the infamously popular myth that vaccines cause autism (Mittenzwei, Morrison, & Williams,

A recent hysteria has spread over the United States as fast as it did in Salem over three-hundred years ago. When people can not understand a negative reaction from the medicine they look towards rumors as answers. An instance is “ most prominently actress and model Jenny McCarthy, who has attributed her son 's diagnosis of autism to vaccination,” (Smuskiewicz). There has been a growing number of rumors where parents attribute disorders to vaccines like multiple sclerosis, “other claims have drawn associations between the hepatitis B vaccine and multiple sclerosis,” (Smuskiewicz). All these disorders are known to deal with a weakened immune system, taking advantage of that fact upset parents are talking about “ toxic factors responsible for causing diseases and disabilities” to which doctors have logical counterclaims. Many talk of how those vaccines are used in order to keep the public as a whole protected from the spreading of diseases, but “...vaccine opponents fail to support their claims with plausible explanations for the biochemical mechanisms by which vaccines could cause the diseases, disabilities, or deaths that are claimed,” (Smuskiewicz). Experts were able to prove doctors correctly as the proportions of mercury to the vaccine were “too small” to cause any actual harm over a few minor effects. A multitude of

Vaccination is widely considered one of the greatest medical achievements of modern civilization (Harvard Law School, 2007). Childhood deaths from infectious diseases were commonplace less than a generation ago; however they’re now increasingly rare due to vaccines. In order to be effective at eliminating communicable diseases, vaccines must be administrated to a sufficient level of people in the community. However, there has been plenty of controversy over the morality, ethics, effectiveness and safety of immunization. It has been argued in the past whether laws should be introduced that render some vaccines obligatory for all children (Singer, 2009). These objections may lead to an unacceptably high number of exemptions, which can compromise vaccination programs and leave the population susceptible to outbreaks. Parents argue that it is they who should have the ultimate decision-making right on whether or not to vaccinate their children. Whereas nurses and health care officials oppose that view on the grounds that by making vaccination rates in children incomplete, we expose all children to contracting the vaccine-preventable diseases. The most recent Australian Childhood Immunization Register coverage report illustrates that 92.1% of children aged 12 to 15 months have been fully immunized in Australia (ACIR, 2014). A survey was conducted for the Mansfield community to analyze and identify the factors which prevents them from vaccinating their children.The

There is no doubt that vaccination has been one of the greatest successes of public health programs in the 20th century. Vaccinations have eradicated naturally occurring smallpox, and have substantially reduced morbidity and mortality from infectious diseases that previously ravaged the population, such as polio and measles. Despite the successes, there has been a history of “anti-vaccinationists” in the U.S., who among other challenges, argued compulsory vaccination was an infringement upon personal liberty and their right to choice (1, 2). In fact, it took a Supreme Court decision to ultimately assert whether a state mandating vaccination infringed upon the U.S. Constitution.

For years the topic of vaccination and its link to Autism has been a very controversial topic. In America, it has been an intense debate for decades. Many parents feel as though they shouldn’t have to vaccinate or be required to vaccinate their children because vaccinations can cause diseases like autism and even death. Others feel that their children shouldn’t have to risk getting infected by a child that hasn’t been vaccinated. Many people feel as if those who don’t get vaccinated are a danger to society. The government has put protocols in place for children when it comes to vaccinations. The parents who disagree with those protocols make special arrangements for their children, so that they are not exposed to the potential risks of

In America, the popular belief is that people have complete control over their lives and make their own decisions. But yet, when laws are put into place requiring parents to give their children vaccinations, parents nationwide ignore the fact that they can no longer choose what they think is best for their children. Laws requiring vaccines causes parents to immunize their children with no choice in the matter. Instead of government laws mandating vaccinations for every child, parents should have the choice whether they want to immunize their children. Vaccinations should not be mandatory, as forced vaccines go against religious or personal beliefs, are potentially harmful to young children, and have biased rules and regulations.

Many parents stress over the choice of deciding whether or not to vaccinate their children. The reason why deciding to vaccinate children is so difficult is due to the wide range of myths and side effects that are connected with vaccinations. Myths spread to parents all over the United States that the diseases don’t even exist anymore, rumors of vaccinations weakening a child’s immune system, and the risk of a child becoming autistic due to thimerisol in vaccinations. Side effects also scare parents out of getting their children vaccinated like brain damage, seizures, or allergic reactions, but then parents are pulled back to the thought of the possibility of

During the past few years a large amount of attention has been brought to the issue of childhood vaccinations and if parents should be forced to have his or her child vaccinated. Attention was brought to this issue in 2014, when a measles outbreak occurred at Disneyland (Glanz, Kraus, & Daily, 2015). This outbreak was contributed to children not being vaccinated because of their parents’ choice to not have his or her child vaccinated (Glanz, et al., 2015). This issue is an ethical dilemma in healthcare. One side of this dilemma is for healthcare providers to vaccinate all children, who do not have a medical reason not to be vaccinated, to protect the health of the entire population, which causes patients parents autonomy to be ignored. Side two of this dilemma is for healthcare providers to not vaccinate children due to his or her parents’ concern, which could cause a disease outbreak.

Within the past two decades, it has been rumored that the mercury content in commonly-recommended vaccines is responsible for the development of autism in young children. The rumor has caused many parents to deny their children the acceptance of vaccines such as the one given to prevent measles, mumps, and rubella. Despite the fact that scientific research has conclusively disproved the claims made against immunization, many new parents are choosing to raise their infants naturally, that is, without injecting foreign substances into the children's developing bodies.The new age ideals of the anti-vaccine community seem like a desirable approach to raising a healthy child, however, the lack of immunization in the younger population is causing outbreaks of harmful diseases that had previously been eliminated from our first world society.

The first argument that I found compelling – in the manner that someone with little formal training in science might be susceptible to – was the claim that there are unnatural and dangerous chemicals and poisons in vaccines. Through looking at a short list provided by the Healthy Home Economist, you can see things that would make any parent nervous: formaldehyde, aluminum, mercury, antifreeze, and many more. These are dangerous chemicals, and the anti-vaccine movement argues that they should not be injected into the bloodstreams of children, which sounds absolutely reasonable. However, the key here is dosage. A large dose of anything can be dangerous; you can drown in water, or have your kidneys fail incurring hyponatremia if you drink too much water without replenishing sodium lost through sweat during intense exercise. The same principle occurs here. Formaldehyde is ever present in day to day life. It is found in car exhaust, household products such as carpets, upholstery, and paint, and even in cough drops and mouthwash. In low doses, it is not harmful. Aluminum is also consumed on a daily basis, with the average adult consuming 30 to 50 mg per day through food, drinking water, and medicines. Vaccines that contain aluminum typically contain .125 to .625mg, which is only 1% of what is consumed daily regardless of vaccination. Mercury is perhaps the easiest to dismiss, as it naturally exists in breast milk and

“My new born child was born. He was completely healthy and he was happy. He was on track; he was walking, learning to talk and interactive with the people around him. He was at his one-year check up and it was time for his next round of shots. Without question, his shots were given, weeks later he was diagnosed with autism.” There are endless stories of this exact circumstance. Vaccines have transformed into a part of american culture and new born children are rapidly being brought to these practices without their parents even questioning what is being injected into their newborns wholesome bodies. This affair must be addressed for the sake of poor innocent children developing chronic diseases from vicious vaccines. Deciding not to vaccinate a child can save potential that may be lost every time a child is vaccinated, instead parents should trust in their own child 's immune system to fulfill the duties it was made to do without the need of vaccines.

Vaccination has been implemented into modern medicine throughout years to help prevent the spread of diseases, halting some completely. Though, in recent years, the resistance to vaccinations is growing and many affluent, well-educated communities now have high percentages of unvaccinated children (Allen). Guardians, concerned with their children’s health if they get vaccinated, are not realising the risk they are taking by denying their child proper medical care. With the amount of individuals deciding to refuse vaccinations, the possibility of deadly diseases that have been reduced or eliminated, such as, polio or chickenpox increases. However, this does not stop anti-vaccinators from choosing to opt out of getting the vaccines,

Despite vaccinations being credited for the control and elimination of several childhood diseases, there are still many critics who raise concerns about the necessity of vaccination. In a national study of parents performed in 2000, 19% indicated they had “concerns about vaccines” whereas in a subsequent survey performed in 2009 this number had risen to 50%. There has also been a rise in non-medical vaccine exemptions that has occurred over the last several years. In a 2010 national survey of physicians, 89% of respondents reported at least one vaccine refusal by a parent each month (Dempsey & Gowda, 2013). Opposers argue that making school vaccination mandatory is against their right to make personal medical decisions. They feel that the government has no place to force parents to vaccinate their children if the parents decide it is not in their child’s best interest. Many parents are disagreeable about the multiple vaccinations received at one time, which results in possible pain and discomfort for the child. Another argument against vaccination is the safety and efficacy of vaccines. Critics are concerned about the unknown risks vaccines pose to children. Some parents noted their child acquiring a “high fever” or beginning to “act different” after the administration of a vaccine. There is a belief that there is a connection between the measles vaccination and autism. Another theory is that the influenza