Pros And Cons Of Vaccines

The world has seen several infectious diseases as time goes on from typhoid to strep, smallpox, meningitis, the common flu and many more. Through the use and progression of vaccines, many deadly and horrible diseases have been completely cured or side

For many of years, parents have been dealing with the idea of having their child vaccinated or choosing not to vaccinate them at all. Some parents would argue about the different viewpoints of the vaccinations given to children. Some parents

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,

Controversy concerning the risks of vaccinations will always exist. As is the nature of a preventative intervention, it is difficult to rationalize giving a completely healthy child an injection that is known to have varying degrees of sides affects5. Additionally, these injections are to provide immunity to children for diseases that have an extremely low risk of circulating within a population. Since these vaccines have been able to protect so many individuals from experiencing these dangerous infections, most parents do not even have personal experiences regarding the impact of these diseases. As such, many parents do not see the vaccine-preventable disease as a threat to their child. This often causes parents to not fully understand the risk their child has for contracting a disease and the subsequent danger of a vaccine-preventable disease infection verses the potential side effect of a vaccine which is normally only mild to moderate discomfort for their child15.

The issues of vaccination controversy is about parents making the choice for their children whether it’s the best for them to associate with the medical procedure. Today every child born are expected to receive with some 30 vaccines by the age of 18 months and and also by the age of five years old with the total up to 38 shots. Even though the parents are unaware that the vaccines can contain ingredients that are safe in the amounts used, but some of the ingredients may be harmful. Some parents might second guess themselves by thinking about the certainty of side effects caused by the vaccine.

Although some people believe that vaccinations are not the best choice for them or their children, many negative effects can be seen when people choose against vaccines. Paul A. Offit in Deadly Choices: How the Anti-vaccine Movement Threatens Us All, saying “We’ve reached a tipping point. Children are suffering and dying because some parents are more frightened by vaccines than by the disease they prevent” (191). Since the anti-vaccination movement began people have been believing that vaccines are unhealthy, when in reality vaccines are protecting people from the unhealthy diseases. This movement has lead to an increase in outbreaks of preventable diseases throughout the United States. Figure 3 is a list of the “notifiable diseases”, which are diseases that must be reported to the government authorities. This figure shows how diseases such as measles and tuberculosis had a high number of cases before the introduction of vaccinations. Although it is good that the number of

Anti-vaccination movements are hurting children and the people surrounding them. On the contrast, there is a pro-vaccination movement to advocate for those who cannot protect themselves. However, this movement is diminishing due to skewed facts in the media. This only comes back to haunt the parents who do not vaccinate their child, and the people who cannot be protected against it. Using vaccinations can irradiate diseases that have evolved over the years, saving millions of lives, and giving peace to lives lost from the disease (Jacobs, Charlotte DeCroes).

The last decade has seen the seemingly brilliant solution to disease epidemics turn into a highly controversial subject. The ongoing debate between pro-vaccine and anti-vaccine has credible arguments on both sides. Those who are pro-vaccine have the overwhelming statistics of disease prevention to their disposal, and the anti-vaccine argument can argue that there are potentially safer ways to prevent the spread of disease. The health aspects of vaccines have been

Almost everyone has heard of the benefits and dangers of childhood vaccines. Parents are especially eager to do what is best for their child to protect him or her. Some people have different opinions on what the best specifically entails when it comes to childhood vaccines. Vaccinations are a controversial discussion as parents question whether it should be mandatory or optional when they feel the cons outweigh the pros. The government says it is the right thing to do for parents and their families to remain safe from illnesses and diseases. However, there have been opinions of opposition voiced by parents and health

The controversy concerning vaccination for children has been a debate for many parents. A vaccine is defined by the American Center for Disease Control and Prevention as, “a biological agent used to prevent very serious illnesses and diseases, such as smallpox, measles, influenza, tuberculosis, and hepatitis by injecting a weakened infectious organism into the human body” (CDC). Once the dead organism is injected our bodies create antibodies from them which can begin protecting us. Some parents are skeptical of how injecting kids with weakened diseases could ultimately protect them which manifest some distrust in doctors. Also, a big fear of parents are the side

People always have their own values and beliefs about social issues that arise in our society. Some of these issues have been a problem for several centuries and we haven’t been properly informed to know what causes certain epidemics. One of the problems is the question whether people should vaccinate or not. Opposition of vaccinations have existed since the 1800s, it has only been these past few years that I have started to hear about the increasing negative feedback about vaccinations. The terms pro-vaccination and anti-vaccination were introduced to me recently through the medias discussion about the two. The reason people are for or against vaccinations is based on many different unanswered questions such as, religion, research, personal incident, and other values people have about the subject. I will be discussing the benefits of vaccinations versus not taking vaccinations and bringing both of the ideas together by responding to a YouTube debate.

Pro-vaccine parents and doctors use research conducted on vaccinations to support their reasoning for why vaccines are safe for children and do not cause developmental problems. There needs to be a better response because of the “rise of the anti vaccination movement,reduced incidence of vaccine-preventable diseases, increased consumerism and interest in alternative therapies, public health workers will be increasingly compelled to respond to community concerns about vaccines” (Leask and McInTyre, 4701). They believe the debate against vaccines are “fueled by parents’ fears that vaccines are not safe for every child…Some worry that the measles vaccine causes autism – a theory that has been thoroughly discredited by numerous scientific studies” and that these are not legitimate reasons for the fear and rejection of vaccines (Foxhall, 1). Those who are pro vaccines also note that “Opposition to vaccination occurs through organized lobbying to ups of mainly parents or individual spokespersons who medical or scientific background lends credibility to their claims” (Leask and McIntyre, 1).This side of the argument for vaccines does not have as much media attention because it has been the accepted way of child healthcare for many people. We know that vaccines do help children stay healthy from very deadly diseases. Our rate of these deadly diseases occurring has decreased because the health care field has been able to find ways to keep us all healthy through vaccines. The wonderful thing about having the majority of the population in the United States vaccinated is that it protects young children or very sick children who cannot get vaccinated yet from contracting a disease. Those individuals who are not getting vaccinated can still be kept safe because everyone else is getting vaccinated, which is known as the herd affect.

During the 20th century, the advancement of immunizations was perhaps the greatest beneficial public health measure. Vaccine manufacturers’ work with society to develop safe and effective means of vaccinations to decrease both compliance with vaccinations, but the cost. Despite smaller public groups trying to go against the administration of vaccinations, causing suspicion and misconception, many people still trust the benefits of vaccinations in comparison to the risk of not receiving them. One of the biggest steps in allowing society, families, parents to understand the benefits and to build a trusting relationship with vaccinations, is to first and foremost educate them.

Vaccines are a very large controversy in the United States today. From California requiring all children to be vaccinated before entering schools and the Disneyland Measles outbreak, to the claim that vaccines may cause autism, there is huge talk throughout families and the media today about vaccinations. There are many people with differing opinions about vaccines. Whether it is about what the vaccine consists of, whether it is a right that we, as American’s, are allowed to make regarding our freedoms, or the risks when children are vaccinated or the risks when they are not vaccinated, there is a very large variety of thoughts that are involved in this topic.

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