Should Those Opposed For Immunization Conform For The Safety As A Nation?

Between 1924 and 2013, vaccinations prevented 103 million cases of polio, measles, rubella, mumps, hepatitis A, diphtheria, and pertussis (Bailey). Vaccinating is “the process by which pathogenic cells are injected into a healthy person in an attempt to cause the body to develop antibodies to a particular virus or bacterium—successful creation of antibodies is referred to as immunity to the disease caused by the particular pathogen” (Introduction to Should Vaccinations be Mandatory). Popular conflicts regarding vaccination include the worry that this form of immunization isn’t natural, the idea that vaccination schedule for children in the U.S. takes away parents’ rights to make decisions for their children, and the concern that vaccinations aren’t safe for all children. Most doctors and scientists advocate for vaccinations in the name of herd immunity, protection against foreign diseases and prevention against pockets of disease outbreaks. Vaccinations should be mandatory for all children in the United States for who they are deemed safe and effective.

The controversy over the MMR vaccine started in the late 1990’s when Andrew Wakefield suggested that there was a connection between the MMR vaccine and autism in a scientific paper which he had published with several other co-authors. Although there has not been a proven fact that the MMR vaccine is the causation to autism it has brought concerns to parents and has caused a major drop in immunization rates. For example, Dannetun et al., 2005 states that, “Fear of side effects and beliefs

The topic of childhood vaccinations and the dangers that accompany them has been a topic of controversy in contemporary times. At the near edge of the twenty-first century, a man named Doctor Andrew Wakefield released a study which created a mass uproar in both parents and health professionals alike. Parents were panicked as to whether or not they should have their young child vaccinated (in fear of their acquiring autism), and health professionals fearful that the population percentage of people acquiring measles, mumps, or rubella (for it was the M.M.R. vaccination that the parents feared in particular) would rise to a number which would lead to a mass risk of disease. Despite Wakefields’ study, the truth persists in all types of experiments related to vaccination. Whether being tested in a replication of Wakefields’ study or in any other, vaccines have been proven to work at preventing disease and display no causation of autism.

Diseases and illnesses are studied constantly by doctors and scientists trying to find a cure for them. Plague and disease once ravaged our world killing thousands, with no hope or cure to prevent them from occurring. Today, however, is different. Technology is more advanced than ever, and people are living longer than ever before. Life expectancy in the United States has gone up by more than 30 years in the last decades. It isn’t by luck that many diseases now cease to exist, but through extensive studies, and research. The medical field is at the height of its studies with more people being cured of diseases than ever before. Most of this is to the credit of doctors and scientists developing vaccinations that help the body create antibodies, which help fight away diseases, and give the body immunity. I believe that forced vaccinations in children should be mandatory as they have the potential to prevent life threatening diseases, and save countless lives. Though many are against forced vaccinations and say they can cause mental illnesses or brain damage, this has not been proven. The rewards far out way the slight risk, if risk at all of the vaccination having side effects. The individuals who are not vaccinated are left vulnerable to illness, and can potentially infect those around them as well. Leaving scare of an epidemic, and wide spread of a virus. Forced vaccinations in the United States have been beneficial by preventing young children from contracting certain

Do vaccines cause autism is a question that has been bouncing around for over twenty years. The increase in the number of diagnosed cases of Autism Spectrum Disorder has increased significantly and due to the impact this has in people’s lives several studies have been done in an effort to determine the cause. More specifically the MMR, Measles, Mumps, and Rubella, vaccination has been accused of being the cause of autism. This accusation then contributed to families not vaccinating their children. Even though science disproves the link between vaccines and autism in several studies done in the United Kingdom, California, and Canada, many people cling to the vaccination-autism connection (Gerber, 2009).

In the United States, the law states that vaccinations are required for children entering school unless they have a valid reason that prevents them from receiving the vaccinations. Starting when children are born, they begin the regimen of vaccinations that continue throughout their adolescent years and adulthood. Each year children receive a variation of shots to protect them from the illnesses they will encounter in the world, especially once they attend school. The most common reasons parents forego getting their children vaccinated are religious beliefs, medical exemptions, and personal beliefs. Due to the rising number of parents declining to get their children vaccinated, the number of outbreaks of preventable diseases has increased. The question is now should parents/guardians be forced to vaccinate their children?

Millions upon millions of people would die everyday form deadly disease and there was nothing anyone could do about it.  As a result, vaccinations were created to stop the sickness and mass tragedy that came along with them. The measles, mumps and rubella vaccinations (MMR), that are supposed to help are being questioned by people believing they are linked to Autism. Numerous studies have shown that there is no connection between the two. The holes and lies in this theory are prevalent when looking in depth at how this theory was established, whom it benefits if it's true, and the facts that disprove it.

The whole MMR vaccination and Autism inspiration was first brought about by three key points. In the book “The Everything Parent 's Guide To Vaccines: Balanced, Professional Advice To Help You Make The Best Decision For Your Child” the author told what they were in an authentic way. It stated “The first was an observation that the number of children diagnosed with Autism increased dramatically right around the same time the MMR combination vaccine became introduced in the United States and Great Britain. The second was based on a study by Dr. Andrew Wakefield in 1998 Published in the respected scientific journal Lancet. The third is based on the fact that children with Autism were first diagnosed with the condition right after they received the MMR vaccine.” (Leslie 67). However, these three points didn’t gain an exceptional start since Dr. Wakefield was later found not credible, and his license is under legal indictment (Leslie 69). Since Dr. Wakefield did not follow through with a credible study, it severely damaged his followers opinions and did not help the theory that Autism and vaccinations are linked.

The question is, should the government mandate vaccines? Those in favor of child vaccinations, believe that they are the greatest health developments of the 20th century. While those against them believe that a child’s immune system permits either a natural or acquired resistance to diseases than putting questionable toxic ingredients into a child’s body. In the US, 50 states require vaccinations for children entering public schools, though no mandatory federal vaccination laws exist. 50 states issue medical exemptions only (1), 48 states (excluding Mississippi and West Virginia) permit religious exemptions, and 31 states exclude Philosophical exemptions. (2)

The argument that vaccines cause Autism began in 1998 when British surgeon Andrew Wakefield published a study, suggesting that the MMR vaccine given to prevent measles, mumps, and rubella increased autism in children. Autism is a mental condition involving issues in the brain development, it is

Speaking strictly of James Lobo 's argumentation, he provides a history of US court cases on Mandatory vaccination laws and a reflection of opposing views to support, defend, and challenge his argument. He points out that the measles outbreak of December 2014 in Disneyland, which had spread across the country there-afterwards, had been largely spread by unvaccinated children (Lobo 261). Orange County, where Disneyland lies, has a considerable population of parents who oppose vaccinating their children (Lobo 262). When amounted to a high schooler bringing measles to school following the end of winter break, the school had told unvaccinated students to stay home in order to keep students safe (Lobo 262). I totally understand this need. Before my mother had explained that vaccinated people may still get sick, though their sickness may not be severe, I had largely thought that vaccinated children were safe from unvaccinated children. I thought that if a person gets sick from not being vaccinated, it 's on them. Perhaps I was wrong. I still think that disease is natural. So, as long as vaccinated people don 't die or contract a disease from unvaccination people causing lifelong side effects, that should be fine, right? Still, when weighing the individual 's versus the common interest, as long as the vaccination wouldn 't harm the individual, it would be an act of kindness and very necessary it seems, to get vaccinated and protect the rest of society. Dying from illness is

We have all raised our eyebrows when the person sitting the row behind us starts coughing, and not just the “soda went down the wrong pipe” cough, but the real, mucus breaking, uncontrollable hacking. Likewise, many of us have also tried to not get too close to the person with the visibly red, irritated nose and the constant sniffling that comes with the absence of a tissue. As a society, we tend to be conscious of the threat of contracting a disease, but regardless of these common concerns, opposition to mandated vaccinations for school-attending children continue to be raised. The effectiveness and overall safety of vaccines have repeatedly been questioned by society (especially when it comes to vaccinating infants and young children), and some studies have possibly even shown the danger of certain vaccinations. However, upon closer examination, it is clear that vaccines have prevented more disease and have improved the overall health of the United States, and consequently, should—with few exceptions—continue to be mandated in our school system.

In 1963 the Noble Peace Prize winning virologist John F. Enders finally licensed his vaccine for measles. Prior to this vaccine the United States alone reported 4 million cases of the measles each year. With more scientific discoveries the measles vaccine today has evolved to include immunity against rubella and mumps along with protecting millions against illness each year. However, vaccination is a word surrounded by controversy in today’s parenting world and the Measles Mumps and Rubella vaccine (MMR) can be distinguished as possibly the most controversial vaccine of our time. Controversial because of the fear that many have that it causes autism along with other hazards. This fear has clouded

As time progressed, scientific innovations have led to the development of vaccines for various types of infectious diseases. Diseases that were once feared by the American public such as smallpox, whooping cough, and polio have now become rare. Smallpox has even been eradicated with the last naturally occurring case presenting itself in 1980. Vaccines were once welcomed with open arms by the citizens of the United States, but that all changed in the late 1990s when Dr. Andrew Wakefield and his collegues published a report the linked the MMR vaccine to autism. The MMR (measles, mumps, and rubuella) vaccine is usually administered to children 12 months and

Vaccines; a more than spectacular development of science which has prevented countless numbers of diseases by giving one’s body an immunity to a microorganism by stimulating the body’s immune system and giving it the ability to recognize the pathogen as it enters the body to be more easily and readily destroyed. Autism, on the other hand, has not yet been fully linked back to a specific cause or reason. Because of this uncertainty, disgruntled parents have chosen to believe ideas with no scientific backing behind them besides what discredited scientist Wakefield said in a paper linking the MMR vaccine to autism along with some celebrities following Jenny McCarthy’s Anti-Vaccination Movement.