The History of Vaccines

In today’s society, we believe that everything is up for debate, and that every topic can be opinionated. We like to have the power to make our own choices regardless of facts, just because we feel the pressure of being told what to do. We are lazy to learn the truth, but yet we are ready to choose sides and strongly argue about it. We see it every day on the news, in politics, sports, social media, online forums, school, etc. In his article, “Not Up for Debate: The Science Behind Vaccination”, published in September of 2015, Professor Aaron E. Carroll argues that the issue with vaccinations is more than just choosing to do it or not. Carroll jumps right into his discussion of the “Not up for debate” regarding people’s claims tying vaccines to autism, the choice not to, and officials backing them up. He explains how this argument stems from incorrect information, inadequate studies and research, and poor education about the facts and data about the vaccines, which leads to the stubborn belief that vaccinations should be banned.

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.

For recurrent generations, there encompasses numerous controversies surrounding vaccinations for children in addition to the unfavorable reactions that may arise. The chief concerns are whether vaccinating causes serious developmental delays such as autism in children. The aim of this composition is to enlighten others that vaccinating children does not bring about autism. By means of scientific exploration along with advanced medical diagnosis in children, researchers currently recognize that the increase in autism claims are not vaccine linked.

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).

The risk of Autism through vaccination theory was once again disproved by a study conducted in 2013 by the Journal of Pediatrics. At the head of the study was Dr. Frank DeStefano, who is the director of the Immunization Safety Office at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The study was conducted using 256 children who had autism and 752 children who did not (Lindeman para 3). By looking at “antigens, the substances in vaccines that cause the body’s immune

But the most serious risks, such as severe allergic reactions, are rarer than the diseases vaccines protect against. Other people argue that the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, in particular, might cause autism. The authors refute these ideas by saying that studies have shown that there is no link between the two. Their conclusion is “To counteract the fears and misperceptions associated with vaccine campaigns, the research community and governmental agencies need to be proactive with regard to continued vaccine education, guiding public perception with rigorous scientific research on vaccine safety and emphasizing the importance of vaccination in preventing unwanted and potentially lethal infectious

Before we debate the link between vaccines and autism, we will begin by discussing where the idea came from. Since vaccines were made available, there have always been people against the practice. In the mid 1980’s, a documentary titled DTP: Vaccine Roulette used images of severely disabled children to scare parents into avoiding vaccinations (Blake, Hoyme, Crotwell 2013). This set off a chain reaction of parents refusing to vaccinate their children against lethal diseases that were on the verge of eradication.

It’s hard to imagine a world without vaccines—a world where “getting sick” had the potential to be fatal (or at least cause irreparable damage to one’s body). In this world, diseases robbed millions of bright-eyed children of their lives. Thankfully, though, with the development of vaccines, populations have grown larger and healthier over the past century. Sadly, despite the improved longevity of our species, many people are still undecided about—or vehemently against—childhood vaccination. They claim that vaccinations are dangerous and responsible for autism and other conditions. Medical experts, however, refute these claims by citing both the safety and effectiveness of vaccinations. In fact, according to Centers for Disease Control and

There are diseases such as autism that is frequently linked with vaccinations. This has been a recent topic in the news and has cause quite the uproar. In a recent program on PBS, the topic of vaccinations and their actual relation to autism is discussed. The program initially focuses on “our faulty risk perceptions around vaccines, how many people are vastly more scared than they ought to be of a tiny risk (vaccination) while ignoring a huge one, the return of deadly diseases” (Mooney). The program shows a “tough scene of a tiny infant suffering from whooping cough, its mother weeping, nurses running in constantly to sit the baby up (he cannot even raise himself) so that he does not choke” (Mooney). The episode then takes a turn to focus on an autistic 16-year-old living in the United States. Her condition was initially, said to be caused from the MMR vaccination she received at birth. The mother of the girl says how “the studies that were originally thought to link the MMR vaccination to autism were proven false” (Mooney). This documentary lays out the “overwhelming science demonstrating the safety of vaccines and also shows you how the immune system

In recent years there has been a heated debate in whether vaccinations are good or bad. People that seem to think they are bad usually believe this because they think that in some cases that vaccinations can lead to autism and other social disabilities. But vaccinations have saved millions of lives and stopped the massive spread of disease. So, in my opinion, Vaccinations should still be required in public school systems by law and I am going to debunk a few of the arguments that make people believe that autism and vaccinations are connected.

the question posed by gastroenterologist and medical researcher Andrew Wakefield and is now used as a counter-argument by those who oppose vaccination. Autism is, “A developmental brain disorder known to impair social interactions and communication,” [28]. Andrew Wakefield originally proposed a link between the measles vaccine and autism in a study he conducted and published in 1997 in the Lancet, and as a result many were led to believe the so. Actress Jenny McCarthy believed strongly that vaccines were responsible for her son's autism, “the soul left his eyes” [11]. and many have pointed out that after the wide spread of vaccines the number of autism diagnoses has

“All courses of action are risky, so prudence is not in avoiding danger (it’s impossible), but calculating risk and acting decisively.”.” (Machiavelli) Making an informed decision to vaccinate is a challenging and irreversible one. Parents rely on friends, family, community, celebrities and health professionals for advice to influence this difficult choice. They must traverse a murky sea of prevarication and controversy to come to a critical decision. In fact, in 1998, a fraudulent study linked autism to childhood vaccines. “Andrew Wakefield, a former physician who has been eliminated from the General Register in the United Kingdom, fabricated data supporting a connection of the measles vaccine to autism, in a paper that was formally withdrawn.”

There is a reason humans have been able to make huge developments and improvements in our society as well as manage the earth’s population. In the 1790’s, one of the most important inventions was created by English physician, Edward Jenner, to fight the outbreak of smallpox, a disease that would speckel the skin of its victims in centuries dating as far back as ten thousand B.C. , : vaccinations. About two hundred years later, Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin successfully developed a poliomyletis vaccine after a polio epedemic in the 20th century paralyzed nearly twenty one thousand and two hundred sixty nine people while also killing around three thousand people. Because scientists continue to create different vaccines for several different diseases, humans have had the chance to live longer lifespans and make achievements that mold our civilization into the complex society it is now. Lives of children, adults, and even animals have been saved under the

An immune-compromised patient, such as those taking immune suppressive agents (organ donor, leukemia), cannot be given this vaccine as it produces the actual disease (Clem, 2011).

When children are born and for the first two years of their lives, they receive multiple shots and drops of vaccines. These vaccines protect them from getting diseases that were deadly and common in children many decades ago. Vaccine is one of the greatest achievement in medicine history. There were thousands of lives lost in the battle with some of the terrifying diseases like smallpox and polio. Now, after years of vaccine invention, vaccination spread in many countries which helped in eradicate several illnesses. In the United States, each family is required to show their children's immunization chart in order to get accepted in many educational institutes. Parents usually face the decision whether to vaccinate