The Debate Over Vaccinations for Adults and Children Essay

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.

As more and more vaccinations are being set in place for our children to receive, the society including parents, caregivers, teachers and even researchers begin to develop fears about whether or not they are truly safe for children. Researchers have argued that vaccinations could potentially be unnecessary for our children. Due to studies that show that the targeted diseases have essentially disappeared. This raises the question of why children are still required to receive large amounts of vaccinations at a young age. Another argument focuses on the financial motives. A statement released talked about the government benefiting trillions of dollars from vaccinations since 1994 (Whitney).

Despite significant progress in the fight against preventable disease, millions still die needlessly each year. According to UNICEF, originally known as the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, a vaccine preventable disease is responsible for 2 million fatal infections worldwide each year. About 75% of these deaths occur in children under five years of age. (N) In more vivid terms, UNICEF notes that vaccine-preventable diseases kill a child every 20 seconds. (D) Due to high rates of childhood vaccination, the United States has experienced a dramatic reduction in such deaths. A comparison of the years 1950 and 2010 clearly illustrates the benefits of vaccinations. During this 60-year period, deaths from diphtheria reduced from 410 to 0, tetanus from 336 to 3, pertussis from 1,118 to 26, and polio from 1,904 to 0. Measles deaths dropped from 468 in 1950 to 0 in 2008, the last year a United States death rate was recorded. It’s not surprising that vaccinations have been touted as one of the top ten health achievements of the 20th century by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

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.

Recently, many diseases that had been eradicated because of childhood vaccinations have been making an appearance. Health officials are concerned that diseases will spread and lives will be lost. Officials all agree that vaccinations will benefit the population. Some parents feel it is an infringement on the right to keep the children healthy and safe. Vaccinations should be mandatory for all children because it will prevent diseases from spreading, protect future generations, and save children and parents time and money.

​Over the past decade, the concern among parents regarding the safety and effectiveness of childhood vaccinations has become a concern in the United States and other countries around the world. A survey of physicians showed that 89% of the physicians who were surveyed reported at least one refusal of childhood vaccinations by parents each month (Gowda & Dempsey, 2013). Other researchers have noted that as many as 77% of parents have concerned about one or more of the childhood vaccinations that are recommended for children (McKee & Bohannon, 2016). However, organizations such as the World Health Organization (2017) note that not only are childhood vaccinations safe, the reduction in children receiving childhood vaccinations has brought back diseases such as measles that had been completely wiped out in the United States. It is clear that there are opposing viewpoints about childhood vaccinations that need to be understood and examined to determine which side has a better argument.

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.

According to the CDC (2014) vaccinations are one of the best ways to put an end to the serious effects of certain diseases, some that can be deadly. Parents who choose not to vaccinate their children are not just gambling with their child’s life, they are also gambling with the lives of others. It is always better to prevent a disease than to have to treat it after it occurs. People with weakened immune systems are not as strong such as pregnant women, newborns, cancer patients, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive people, transplant recipients, and the elderly are also affected by the choice not to vaccinate.

Secondly, vaccines minimize the risks for many possible illnesses. For example, when children go to school they are putting other children at risk every day by not having been vaccinated. Children spread many microbes and without vaccines there would be more viral and bacterial infections in schools than ever. Without being vaccinated children are greatly susceptible to infections and would have to keep days off from school until their immune system kicks the infection. Health-care costs would be through the roof and many individuals already lack health care. There are many clinics that offer low-cost or free immunizations to infants and school aged children (ProCon.org, 2013).

Most parents believes “that vaccination may actually be causing chronic health problems.”( “The Vaccine Controversy.” http://www.know-vaccines.org/?page_id=456.)

As a mother it is my instinct to keep my daughter safe, therefore I feel like all parents should be required to vaccinate their children. I don’t believe we should have a choice. Vaccines have gotten rid of so many deadly diseases, if it wasn’t for them we could still have the black plague or small pox killing off our

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.

Preventing disease is much easier than treating a disease once it occurs. Vaccines can prevent most childhood diseases such as measles, diphtheria, polio, and small pox. There has been much discussion in the news recently over whether or not to vaccinate children. One argument is that vaccines are not safe and contribute to autism. The vast majority of people continue to believe childhood vaccines are safe and choose to have their children vaccinated. If deadly diseases are going to continue to be prevented, it is necessary to have children vaccinated.

Vaccine overload is the belief that giving many vaccines at once may overwhelm or weaken a child's immune system and lead to unfavorable effects. Some parents of autistic children believe that vaccine overload causes autism. If you rely on some forms of social media, you may hear about the controversies and celebrities that are on an anti vaccine crusade. For example, Jenny McCarthy and Holly Robinson are anti-vaccines while Amands Peete stated in an interview that parents who do not vaccinate their children are "parasites." The resulting controversy has caused many parents to delay or avoid immunizing their children. Included hypotheses are that vaccinations can cause sudden infant death syndrome, seizures, multiple sclerosis and autoimmune disease. Are most vaccinations even 100% effective? No, they are not. Most are 85-95 % effective in preventing disease. Although they may not be 100% effective, they still offer outstanding protection. Without vaccinations, we can expect society to be like it was years ago and we would suffer from the diseases of our grandparents.

“Proponents argue that vaccination is safe and one of the greatest health developments of the 20th century. They point out that illnesses, including rubella, diphtheria, and whooping cough, which once killed thousands of infants annually are now prevented by vaccination” (“Vaccines”). Many deaths occur simply because children, along with adults, do not get the required shots needed. Medical treatments are not given to do a person any harm, but to keep a person and environment safe. Kids being vaccinated will give them less of a possibility to obtain a disease that could lead to death. Benefits outweigh any possibility of risking accumulating a disease. When people say that vaccinations are harmful, does not necessarily mean to develop a deadly disease, simply means some small risks. “Vaccines are not entirely harmless, but the small risks are outweighed by the benefits of a disease prevention” (Offit). Indeed flu shots must be tested in order to be able to give anyone the shot. Receiving vaccinations is only meant to help people prevent many illnesses and deaths. Although some small risks could be accumulated, those small risks are very small possibilities of anything happening to anyone. Getting immunized is not a one-time thing; people must follow up on required dates to receive them.