Parents Should Vaccinate Their Children

We must not forget how catastrophic disease was in the 17th century. Many people, especially children died early deaths because their bodies just could not fight those diseases. We live in a time and age where vaccines are available to help us fight off diseases that once killed so many. I truly believe that vaccines are essential in maintaining health in human populations. “The number of young children who are not fully vaccinated for preventable diseases has been steadily increasing over the last decade” (Daniel A. Salmon)”. With so many more parents claiming nonmedical exemptions, from what was once routine vaccinations, they are not only leaving their children vulnerable to diseases, but everyone that the unvaccinated child comes in contact with; From the classmates and teachers of these children, as well as other people and children in their community. Vaccines are necessary, and the risks of not being vaccinated far outweigh the small risks associated with vaccination. Preventable diseases can cause permanent disability and death. There has been no correlation between vaccines and developmental disorders such as autism. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, “most childhood vaccines are 90-99% effective in preventing disease” (Vaccines ProCon.org)”. Vaccines are beneficial for everyone’s protection. Child Vaccinations should be mandatory.

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.

To Vaccinate or not to vaccinate, has been a question many parents in America have been asking themselves for years. Some parents believe that it is their right to decide if their children will be vaccinated; while some states believe that all children should be vaccinated. There are logical and illogical reasons for this argument. There should be a federal law that requires parents to vaccinate their children because it will lower the number of deaths, benefit those children who have lower immune systems, and it can get rid of some diseases all together in the future.

Some people oppose vaccinations and compulsory immunisation requirements, believing that parents should have the right to choose whether or not they wish to vaccinate their children. Some people also believe that vaccinations are potentially harmful due to the presence of toxic chemicals, such as mercury, formaldehyde and aluminium, within their make up (The Healthy Home Economist, 2010; International Medical Council on Vaccination, 2011). These theories were encouraged by a paper published in 1998 supposedly linking the MMR vaccine with the development of autism in children. However, it was later found that this paper had been falsified, and it was eventually retracted in 2010. It is thought, by some, that the pharmaceutical companies producing vaccinations cannot be trusted, as they are money oriented and have been accused of

Exposing a child to a virus or disease strand, no matter how small the dosage, is frightening. There are multiple complications that come with it but I believe that the benefits outweigh the costs. Vaccines have saved the world billions of dollars and have been the reason behind the decline of deadly diseases such as smallpox and measles. Some parents are against vaccinations because they feel as if the outcomes are unreliable. Parents should get their children vaccinated because it helps lower the infections and diseases related to mortality rates, is a smart financial investment, and is considerate to the lives of those around them.

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

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

As humans, we have been taught about the “Black Plague” simply what it was, what it did, why and where it came from. Children, adults, and elderly were all impacted from such a virus that could not be stopped. The impact it made on history is indescribable. The amount of lives lost due to no vaccinations back during that time frame is proof of what life would be like without vaccinations. In today’s generation it is important that we vaccinate our children. The risk of viruses and diseases in today’s society is right in front of us. Choosing not to vaccinate is a mistake made and regretted. There are more than just viruses that vaccinations

Parents often wonder whether or not to get their kids vaccinated. Many parents think that it is a waste of time and money and some even don't believe in it for religious reasons. According to voices for vaccines, up to 40% of parents reject vaccinations for their children.

Imagine sending your child to school unknowing that they might catch a severe illness or even a disease. This is the fear of many parents who vaccinate their children; they are worried because of the lack of children with vaccines could effect their children in the long run. Although, the effects of certain vaccines can benefit the child, there are also several negative effects. It comes down to a personal view on vaccines for many and whether getting your child vaccinated should actually become a mandatory law has caused serious debate.

This topic is extremely significant to my audience because a growing number of parents do not vaccinate their children due to fear of side effects. Parents today have lost confidence in in the vaccination industry as a consequence of sensationalism brought about by false evidence published and the celebrities that latched onto that claim. Sadly, some people have taken to considering the strong opinions and may not research vaccinations before making decisions

These five articles talk about the opposite side of the debate on vaccines and show what the parents think about this debate, these articles show where the distrust comes from and how parents are manipulated to believe unaccredited claims. In Kluck’s article she writes, “She (a nurse) assured me in vague terms that it was completely safe and I had nothing to worry about.” We see a common trend in these articles and that is doctors/ nurses give the parents vague terms to assure them that their children will be fine and that the vaccines are completely safe; but parents want more than a nurse telling them, the vaccine is very safe and it is very rare for children to have side effects. They want evident with facts and test to prove it. However, some test that parents find are found to be severely manipulated, in John E. Calfee’s article we see him talk about an article written by “Andrew Wakefield and coauthored by 12 others, the article wrote

In the past 60 years, vaccines helped eradicate smallpox and are close to eradicating another which is polio. Should parents vaccinate their children? This a controversial topic which has parents on the verge of deciding whether to vaccinate their children or not. While some believe it causes autism, others believe it to have side effects and the preservatives in vaccines are dangerous. That is why some parents question the safety of vaccines. Over the years, some parents have found vaccines to be beneficial to their children by prolonging their life and keeping their immune system up to date with current diseases. The last thing a parent wants is to see their children die because of a mistake that could have easily been avoided by the use

First, in 1796, a doctor named Edward Jenner performed the very first vaccination. “Taking pus from a cowpox lesion on a milkmaid’s hand, Jenner inoculated an eight-year-old boy, James Phipps. Six weeks later Jenner variolated two sites on Phipps ' arm with smallpox, yet the boy was unaffected by this as well as subsequent exposures” (Minna & Markel, 2005)& (Cave, 2008). The first vaccination allowed people to recognize that it was beneficial for their health. It provided the base for the rest of the variations of vaccinations to come. Vaccinations began with the notion that it is rooted in the science of immunology. Throughout history, there have been many variations of this first vaccine for things such as small pox, mumps, malaria and guinea worm. (The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, n.d.)

Vaccinations have been proven safe for consumer use time and time again, yet people are still wary or hesitant to have their children receive vaccinations. Often times, people who argue against vaccinations are undereducated or miseducated about the real advantages and dangers of vaccinations, and many times these concerns are due to widely spread misconceptions. However, these have been proven wrong by a plethora of reputable pharmaceutical companies. Proven by many , vaccinations prevent epidemics, save money for the nation, and protect the future.