The Importance of Child Immunization’s Often debated, with strong convictions on each side, timely immunizations for children do more good then harm. Over the last few years, a phenomenon has come to our door steps. It used to be that all parents would immunize their children, without fail, because doctors told them to. In the past, the only non-immunized children were the children with health deficiencies. These children depended on the “herd” mentality. However, times are changing and parents are choosing to not immunize their children mainly based on these reasons: the possibility of them getting autism, parental lack of education about immunizations and lastly they believe that the illnesses that children are being immunized against are gone and immunizations are no longer needed. The autism scare started 17 years ago, in the year 1998, when a paper was published in the British medical journal called The Lancet. Andrew Wakefield, M.D., a British gastroenterologist, and his colleagues were the authors of this paper which started the scare of immunizations causing autism. "Wakefield had a case study of eight children who had received the MMR and then developed symptoms of autism, says Paul Offit, M.D., chief of infectious diseases at the Children 's Hospital of Philadelphia. He also believed they had abnormal intestinal tracts and proposed a syndrome -- linking intestinal inflammation from receiving the MMR with the development of autism.” (Rope) It was the
Although the negative claims behind anti-immunization stances are deceptive and discredited, some parents find it difficult to accept that vaccines are necessary and safe. Many of these reasons are due to personal or religious beliefs that have persuaded parents to bypass immunizations for their children. Consequently, health officials are seeing disquieting rises of diseases that are easily preventable. The CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) has reported hundreds of measles cases in the United States in 2011, the largest number in 15 years (Ben-Joseph, Elana). Essentially, almost all of these cases were in individuals who had not received a vaccine shot. Also found in the article was that a great amount of the quarrel over the shots comes from a 1998 study that tried to connect autism to a type of vaccine that defends against measles. However, there has been no scientific evidence that a vaccine or a combination of any of the shots induces autism. Undoubtedly, the doctor that wrote the article, calling vaccines a “deliberate fraud” ,lost his license for not submitting any evidence of his claim and causing people to neglect shots for that year. Sadly, due to that article, 1 in 4 parents still believe that vaccines are
To vaccinate or not to vaccinate? Parents with infants and young children have been tussling with this proverbial question for several decades now. With the advent of the internet and the World Wide Web, parents have been bombarded with a plethora of information about pros and cons of vaccines from all kinds of sources, some creditable, and some are not. To the non-scientific community, these conflicting information can create problems in the decision making process; thus, forcing parents to make the wrong choices and putting their offspring and others at risk. However, this article will attempt to address the importance of vaccinations, how vaccines work, why we should vaccinate, and why parents should not be afraid to vaccinate their offspring.
One such factor helping to manifest these large-scale epidemics is a study from 1998 by Andrew Wakefield, which claimed that there was a direct link between autism and the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine (Smith 1). As a result, many parents refused to vaccinate their children out of fear, and vaccine-preventable diseases like measles began reappearing more in both America and Britain, the place where Wakefield conducted his study (Cohen 2). Although a later investigation by the British Medical Journal discovered that Wakefield had distorted or altered the medical records of all twelve of the study’s participants and that he had been paid $674,000 USD by lawyers attempting to sue vaccine manufacturers, the atmosphere of apprehension surrounding vaccines is still strong among many individuals, and especially parents (Cohen 1-2). But despite all the controversy and the scientifically unsupported arguments of anti-vaccine sympathizers,
Being a parent is a never ending full time job. Constantly on the run, doing laundry, making food, and wiping snotty noses, you are faced with decisions to make for your child every day. One of those important decisions is whether or not to vaccinate your child. In today’s society this has become a tough choice to make as negative light has been casted upon vaccinations and their safety. False allegations of vaccines causing Autism have led parents from vaccinating their children, but research has proven that vaccinations are not the cause of Autism and parents should continue to vaccinate for the safety of their child as well as society.
In light of the recent resurgence and spread of diseases such as measles and whooping cough, the argument of mandatory childhood vaccinations has arisen. These outbreaks have been caused mainly by unvaccinated children. Parents’ fears of immunizations and the effects of their ingredients has compelled the parents to refuse to give the vaccines to their children. Yet, the inoculations are there to protect their children and people around them from contracting or spreading diseases. Even though there is a fear that vaccinations could cause autism, child vaccinations should not be a choice because vaccines are proven to very rarely have adverse effects, they stop diseases and/or possible epidemics, and an unvaccinated child is at risk of obtaining and spreading disease.
The whole MMR vaccination and Autism inspiration was first brought about by a 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 a very pleasant 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 was 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 get a exceptional start because Dr. Wakefield was later found not credible and his license is under legal indictment. (Leslie 69) Since Dr. Wakefield as found uncredible it severely damaged his followers opinions, and did not help the theory that Autism and vaccinations are linked.
Millions of lives have been saved thanks to a global effort to vaccinate for deadly diseases. Peter Yeo reports “Immunizations have saved more children than any other medical intervention in the last 50 years” (Reforming the U.N. 118). Yet, a new trend for parents is opting out of vaccinating their children for personal beliefs or religious exemptions. Although, the majority of Americans believe vaccines protect children, and conclusive evidence has proven vaccines can prevent the spread of deadly diseases. Still, a few parents believe vaccinating children is not essential for their health, additionally, they believe an increase in mandatory vaccines has insufficient scientific research to prevent serious medical side effects.
No person should be denied their right to choose what is right for their child, but there should be consequences for families who decide against vaccination. Many families have linked the diagnosis of autism to the vaccination of their child although this fact has been proven incorrect several times. Parents who refuse to vaccinate put not only their child but, other children and families at risk. Cases of preventable diseases have begun to make a comeback because of the lack of vaccination. Although parents shouldn’t be forced to vaccinate their children, they should have consequences for their choice.
It should be a necessity for children to be immunized because it can prolong their lives, the additives in immunizations are secure, and it saves the economy finances. It can prolong their lives because vaccines have saved about 732,000 children over the past 20 years, they are very effective and give good results, and it is curing residents suffering from an illness or a disability. The additives in immunizations are secure because they have to be approved by a credible administration, they have to go through years of research and testing done by doctors and experts, and even though no vaccine is impeccable, children are still safe 90 - 100% of the time. It saves the economy finances because vaccinating the 4.1 million children born in the
Oh yeah I really enjoyed your research paper. I think that it is important to vaccinate your children. I know that mine is all up to date on all of her shots. Now my sister in law on the other hand does not believe in vaccines for her daughter which is her choice and right as a parent and her mother. But I also know that the little girl is sick all the time and catches every little germ that is going around. And me I'm the mother that makes sure that mine even gets her flu shot every year hahaha. I want to end by saying thank you for your hard work. I learned some important information that I wasn't aware of until I read your
Childhood immunisation is one of the most effective ways to keep children healthy. The human body can build a resistance to a disease without actually catching it, this is done by introducing a small dose of the vaccine into the body. As of 2010 80.2 percent of 2 year olds have been immunised. In my opinion I think this is crazy that this is not all 2 year olds. Just think of that 19.8 percent of toddlers that are at great risk of getting a potentially deadly disease, simply because you, as a parent, said no to get them vaccinated.
As I was reading your post, I recall reading something about free immunization program for children. During my research, I found this information. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2014), there is a federal funded program call Vaccines for Children (VFC). It was established due to thousands of death from the measles epidemic during 1989-1991. Funding for the VFC program is approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) while CDC and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) allocate resources to state health departments and certain local and territorial public health agencies who convey them at no charge to private doctors' offices and public health clinics registered as VFC providers. While
The subject of whether or not parents should immunize their children is often a contentious topic. While controversial, immunizations are safe for children and have a “90 to 100 percent” success rate. The author of this article argues that parents should immunize their children. She supports her argument with generalizations, a counter argument, and use of statistics and examples to create ethos.
This population is important because they are beginning to make up a large portion of the minority community in America. As it relates to health care we need to make sure that this population is healthly and have the same means to access health care as does any other individual that lives here. Despite language barrier or economic statuts it is important for everyone to understand that immunization espically among children is one of the safest ways to begin to boost their immune system to help them begin to fight off certain illness and
The “CDC” also know as the center for disease control has recommended the children from zero to six years old should get around 29 doses of certain vaccines in the time span. Out of those 29 doses that does not include the yearly flu shot. There are no specifica US law that can make their child get vaccinated. Although all the states require ( or recommend) specific vaccinations for public schooling, their is a way around it by obtaining a religious exemption from. This for basically allows parents to put their children in public school without vaccinations due to personal beliefs. Vaccinations are very safe and have said to be “one of the greatest health developments of the 20th century.” The health of every child is very important to every parent. The health of young children is so important to parents that children start getting their vaccinations as young as a month old. Harmful diseases could be and ar fatal to young children.