Pros And Cons Of Vaccines

The choice to vaccinate a child holds much debate in society today. As a person that lives in America, you may feel it is your right to be able to choose what medical needs and necessities you would want for your child or yourself. “The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends getting 29 doses of 9 vaccines (plus a yearly flu shot after six months old) for kids aged 0 to six. No US federal laws mandate vaccination, but all 50 states require certain vaccinations for children entering public schools. Even though vaccines are considered extremely safe there are cases where in some people have a type of allergic reaction. Most states offer medical and religious exemptions; and some states allow philosophical exemptions” (Wadman, 2017). This point calls for a lot of debate, both in the scholarly world and among average citizens. Some people claim that such medical conditions, such as autism are the result of over vaccinating or dosing at early ages of development. Reasons on the topic vary, and concerns can end up in long legal disputes. Such disputes have raised the question of vaccine safety, prevention, and government intervention.

The topic whether Vaccines are harmful or beneficial has become a very controversial topic. Vaccines are some type of substance in which is made as antibiotics to provide immunity to the human body against harmful and even deathly diseases. In this controversial topic, we see two sides of the topic, one is those who believe that vaccines are beneficial and the other side which believe the opposite which is that vaccines are harmful and have side effects. Even though Vaccines have been proven to help from clearing diseases, people seem to believe that vaccines cause problems and risks to people that take them. I will be providing 3 articles which represent why vaccines are really no harmful and have been beneficial to us human. Also, other 3 articles which will be providing information in which why people believe vaccines are such a harmful substance to the human body.

Why are vaccines such a big deal? Well, it is all about public health. No one really wants to catch an illness that can infect other people that sends a chain reaction into the public, making everybody sick. That is why there are doctors and researchers that spend their time coming up with vaccines that can help prevent illnesses.Vaccines are one of the many topics that has been disputed for years. Some people believe that vaccines help prevent illnesses such as mumps, chickenpox, influenza, and even polio. Some believe that vaccines don't have any health benefits, but instead they trigger another illness. There are different methods of vaccine delivery, like using a needle and injecting the vaccine or inhaling it by spraying a mist up into the receivers nose. Sometimes, a person is required to get vaccinations before starting school and sometimes, a person can decide whether to get a vaccination before traveling out of the country. There are so many types of vaccinations. Some of which are are optional, while some are mandatory.

Vaccinations are a much-debated topic whether they are necessary or even safe for our children. There is a great amount of evidence that suggests, vaccinations are not only safe for children but are lifesaving. Even though it is reported that vaccines are the surest, most effective treatment for reducing and preventing diseases, some researchers dispute vaccine safety. It is reported that vaccines can cause serious side effects that may be associated with ADHD, autism, and other chronic illnesses. There is supported facts that claim, those who choose not to vaccinate their children are not only risking the health of their children but jeopardizing the lives of other individuals that are unable to receive vaccines, such as those with a weakened immune system due to cancer or other diseases that affects the immune.

We live in a country where not only adults, but children are being forced to take different vaccines for the “safety” of other children. Some vaccines of course are necessary; however, there is one vaccine on the market that children are being forced to take. This vaccine is known as the MMR vaccine also known as, the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine. This vaccine used to be three separate vaccines until the 1970’s when they decided to combine them to make them more convenient for parents. Ever since these vaccines were combined, the rate of autism has gone up exponentially. Parents do not have a choice to have their child receive three separate shots and are being forced to give their child the combines MMR shot. Vaccines are also not tested as thoroughly as pharmaceutical drugs. So how do you know if this vaccine is safe to give your children? You don’t. People should have the choice to give their children the MMR vaccine all at once or as separate shots for precautionary measures. This vaccine should also be vigorously tested the same way as pharmaceutical drugs for the safety of all children.

Ever since the introduction of vaccinations by Edward Jenner in 1796, vaccinations have been a highly debated topic. Jenner was the first US citizen to propose a vaccination method for the small pox disease. He proposed that patients be infected with tissue and fluid from a cowpox blister. Jenner noticed that people who were exposed to cowpox due to them working with cows often, did not contract smallpox at a later time. His first test subject was a young boy who was inoculated with tissue from a cowpox lesion. Aside from a mild fever, the boy had no other adverse reactions. When he was inoculated with a dose of smallpox lesion 2 months later, the boy was perfectly fine and did not contract smallpox. Even then, Jenner was obviously met with skepticism and dubiousness. Some reasons for this skepticism included religious and sanitary reasons. More notably, it was until the late 1800s when the amount of controversy about vaccines increased dramatically. In 1885, Louis Pasteur expanded on Jenner’s work by creating a vaccine for rabies, this time using an attenuated, weaker form. Pasteur is more commonly known for his process of pasteurizing milk by heating it to destroy the bacteria. Another notable vaccine was created in 1955 by Jonas Edward Salk. Salk helped create the vaccine for polio. In my next paragraph, I will discuss how vaccinations work.

For example, 95% of people in a community get vaccinated and the other 5% do not due to medical issue, that 5% will be protected from the virus due to herd immunity. The 95% will act like a blanket protecting the 10% who can not protect themselves.

Imagine living in the year 1950. The public pool is closed; movie theatres are shut down; camps and schools deserted; water fountains are avoided. All of this done in an attempt to prevent the contraction of polio –a potentially deadly and debilitating disease. Fortunately, you live in the year 2018 where polio, and other diseases, are able to be prevented with the simplest of actions. Vaccinations. Vaccinations are key in preventing many illnesses such as polio, measles, and whooping cough. Additionally, widespread vaccination can help to prevent unvaccinated people from contracting life-threatening diseases. Unfortunately, according to statistics from The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, nearly 1.5 million children under the age of 5 die of vaccine preventable diseases every year. Even though these illnesses are easily prevented, some parents still refuse to vaccinate their children because of fear of adverse effects. Parents should be required to have their children vaccinated unless a medical exemption applies because vaccines prevent harmful diseases and spread herd immunity.

In recent years, the vaccine and anti-vaccine issue has hit major headlines. As of July 2016, California law states “Public elementary schools and secondary schools cannot admit children unless they are immunized against 10 diseases: diphtheria, Haemophilus influenzae type b (bacterial meningitis), measles, mumps, pertussis (whooping cough), polio, rubella, tetanus, hepatitis B and chicken pox.” Children with medical conditions such as immune-system deficiencies and allergies, confirmed by a physician, can be excused from immunization. (Perkins) California does not stand alone, all 50 states have some variation of this law. Despite the law, should these vaccines be a requirement to enroll in public school? Vaccines build your body's immune system so that, in the future, it's able to fight against a specific disease. Having children vaccinated early on in their academic careers is beneficial to all of society.

“In 1953, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommended 16 doses of 4 vaccines by age 6. In 1983, it was 23 doses of 7 vaccines by age 6. Today, the CDC recommends 69 doses of 14 vaccines by age 18, with 50 doses given by age 6” (qtd. in Loe Fisher). The purpose of a vaccine is to prevent or ultimately eliminate a disease. And it makes sense to assume that if one increases the vaccination rate, those receiving it should be healthier. However, this is not the case. Chairman of the World Mercury Project (WMP) and author of the book “Thimerosal”, Robert F. Kennedy Jr states, “children of the United States are the most vaccinated population in the world, however, they are most chronically ill demographic to ever exist” (qtd. in Bollinger 36). Over the years, the vaccine schedule has risen, and perfectly correlating with this are the numbers of chronic illnesses. If there were no risks involved with the current vaccine schedule, then this would not be such a controversial issue. There are mounting concerns associated with the current vaccine schedule that include doctors not being educated and informed on the ingredients of a vaccine or what an adverse reaction might look like. An examination of components of vaccines and the hepatitis B vaccine in particular, are crucial in understanding why vaccines are a concern. Finally, conflicts of interest are evident within the CDC, and not enough studies are being conducted to determine their safety.

Vaccinations are one of the greatest medical achievements known to man. Diseases that may have been occurring decades ago, are now increasingly rare because of vaccines. Measles, polio, rotavirus, pertussis (whooping cough), neuropils influenza, diphtheria, and several other illnesses are prevented due to the phenomenon that is a vaccine. Sixteen types of diseases are now preventable, and lifespan has increased thirty years thanks to vaccines. However, there have been several arguments about the vaccine between parents and physicians for as long as the vaccine has existed. There have been various conspiracies that have been researched online. The most argued theory is: “The MMR shot is a cause of Autism”. Even though doctors have backed up that this statement is not true with medical evidence, parents seem to still go against their physician’s advice and don’t get their children vaccinated. The decision to not vaccinate a child has been a controversial issue widely discussed. Not vaccinating a child may seem like a safe and healthier route, but in reality, it may be the most harmful option.

The choice to vaccinate is becoming a topic of high controversy, many are pondering on where vaccines originated, the true benefits of vaccinations, the risks that are withheld, and whether or not there are links to those who have gotten exemptions from getting vaccinated is affecting others around them. Many upcoming families are coming in contact with the choice to vaccinate. Children are being denied their rights of education, because they have not gotten the required vaccines to enter public school.

Unfortunately, many diseases kill millions of children every year. These pathogens, whether bacteria or viruses can invade the body, increase rapidly, and deny the body vital resources to function properly. Consequently, children are more susceptible to becoming ill because of their developing immune system. In what capacity would children be able to be protected by the repulsions of these pathogens? The answer is by vaccinations. After much research and findings, it has been proven that vaccines help to prevent diseases, saves lives, and kept the spread of diseases at an all-time low. However, in recent years, there has been a rise in parents against vaccines and vaccine hesitancy. Thus, the term vaccine hesitancy is gaining recognition. According to Professor Elizabeth Miller (2015), there is an interrelationship between those who are accepting of vaccines and the ones who refuse them and it is not beneficial to characterize either as “anti-vaxxers” (p. 2). If the risks of a child receiving vaccines do not outweigh the benefits of being vaccinated and therefore vaccines should be made mandatory.

Most parents of this generation never had to experience what life was like before vaccines were used. Public health officials credit the mandating of mass vaccination to the almost extinct instances of the communicable disease vaccines help prevent. So why are routine vaccinations such a hot parenting debate? Could the reason be financial, religious, personal, fear, or just plain ignorance?

It is a common argument debated about whether or not a child should get vaccinated. Many parents will argue that vaccinating their children isn't healthy. Some individuals believe vaccines can cause more damage than not getting vaccinated. Many doctors are encouraging parents and guardians to vaccinate their children for the antibodies in the vaccinations help protect people if they are exposed to the virus in the future. Vaccines have saved many lives and will continue to as long as people are vaccinating. Vaccines are safe, with FDA approval vaccines are monitored for safety and are studied to be administered to protect children. Vaccines does not cause autism, this is the main argument for parents not wanting to vaccinate their children. Vaccinations should be mandatory in order to keep diseases from spreading and killing off people like it has in the past.