The Importance Of Vaccination

For many of years, parents have been dealing with the idea of having their child vaccinated or choosing not to vaccinate them at all. Some parents would argue about the different viewpoints of the vaccinations given to children. Some parents

For years there has been public controversies over the advancements in science and all of the health risks that have been around, but now the use of the media has certainly boosted the amount of confusion throughout the public. Frightening stories regarding the progressions of science have been appearing online and in print. One particular example of this issue was the MMR vaccine debate. The MMR vaccine is an immunization vaccine which fights against rubella, measles, and mumps. During the 1990’s the media played a huge role in the decisions parents made regarding whether or not they allowed their children to get vaccinated. The media portrayed the MMR vaccine as having a possible link between autism. Which left the public worried about the MMR vaccine and having conflicting views and feelings towards the safety of vaccinations. In the MMR vaccine debate scientist and the media played two different roles which helped citizens make decisions regarding vaccination.

Nonetheless, due to the new social media sites spreading and intensifying the already established decades of perceived negative health effects and widespread misinformation, the overall conversation regarding the issue has only continued to grow, and vaccines are still scrutinized greatly within public contention. With these new social media sites, a new kind of panic has grown, as Mark Largent, a professor at Michigan State University, addresses these issues in his novel, “Keep Out of Reach of Children.” He recognizes in his work that a part of the main arguments against vaccines are due to religious or philosophical reasons, or that they are unsafe. Parents argue that vaccines could potentially cause autism, other health defects, and could lead to the harm for their children (Navin). However, he quickly rejects the idea and

This paper was written for MLS 500: Graduate Research and Writing taught by Dr. Kyla Hammond

According to American historian, David Oshinsky of the Wall Street Journal, “the controversy over vaccines is as old as the vaccination itself.” While both sides of the immunization controversy have gathered ample sources backing their claims throughout the duration of this controversy, the validity of the two sides couldn’t contrast more. The pro-vaccine advocates provide factual information supported by scientific research, while the anti-vaccine advocates make bold sensational statements that attempt to place blame for various diseases and genetic disorders on vaccines, while failing to support to any such claims with scientific evidence and instead substituting this with hearsay from media outlets and non-reputable sources. Regardless

Mnookin debunks the claims of major figures in the anti-vaccination movement and sets their beliefs and actions in a larger context. The book posits that scientific credibility has been cast aside due to the self-interest of Andrew Wakefield, panic on the part of parents, and sensationalization by the media.

The current issue I have selected to discuss is vaccinations. In particular, I will be addressing the anti-vaccination movement that has gained popularity in recent years and the contributing biases that influenced its emergence. One event stands out at as a major contributing factor to the growth of the anti-vaccination movement, the 1998 study by Andrew Wakefield that was published by the English medical journal, Lancet. This study claimed to show a connection between the MMR vaccine and autism. Even though it was just one small study, the media picked it up and it became hugely publicized.

Dr. Mark Randall, a pseudonym for an ex-vaccine worker who spoke out about the truth of vaccination labs, worked in the vaccination world for over ten years. He witnessed many concerning things in labs, in statistics, and in the information the government gave out to the public. He gave the truth when no one else would speak out. His account helped open the eyes of many people. Dr. Randall said, “The decline of disease is due to improved living conditions” (qtd. in “Jon Rappaport Interviews”). His implication was that the vaccinations are not the cause of an increase in health. After doing his own investigation into vaccinations, he found that not all vaccines are proven to work. He even said that the vaccines can cause adverse side effects (1).

Vaccinations have strongly integrated into modern medicine, where several generations have grown up without being exposed to epidemics of many dangerous even deadly diseases. However, during the recent decade an anti-vaccine movement has emerged, powered by individuals claiming the negative effects vaccines are causing children. The two sides of the controversial debate between physicians and parents beliefs regarding the vaccination of children, and the potential effect of the reduction in the number of vaccinated people. It is considered an asymmetrical conversation, where on one side there are doctors, epidemiologists, pharmacologists and social scientists, and on the other side there are parents, writers, and activists who believe to speak with authority of individual experience against vaccinations. While many individuals believe that getting their children vaccinated is a must to prevent harmful diseases such as measles and whooping cough, others believe that vaccines are one of the leading causes to many uprising disorders such as autism and other neurological problems. This essay explains the different reasons parents are rejecting certain vaccinations for their children. By the time a child is 6 years old, the Center of Disease Control and Prevention provides a recommended set of vaccinations for every child. These vaccinations minimize the risk of spreading for virus

The issue of vaccines was addressed in an opinion article by Claire Harvey titled Anti-vaxers, you are baby killers published on the 22nd of March 2015. Appealing to parents who are outraged by the anti-vaccine parents, the writer contends, in an angry tone, that parents who don't vaccinate their children are irresponsible and should be labelled as 'baby killers'. Keeping her target audience in mind, Harvey manages to persuade readers about the importance of vaccinating babies and making sure that others do as well by using inclusive language and evidence. Her vocab choice and use of loaded language also helps support her argument.

In 1998 Dr. Andrew Wakefield published a study in the Lancet showing a connection between vaccines and autism. Daley and Glanz explain that this appears to be the beginning of the doubts surrounding vaccinations. Here Daley and Glanz do not pull any punches. Daley and Glanz use crippling words to destroy Dr. Wakefield’s corrupt study. Each sentence in this paragraph digs Wakefield’s study a deeper and deeper hole. By doing this, Daley and Glanz paint an image that the whole anti-vaccine movement is constructed on a non-existent

Through the rise of technological advances in the field of medicine, the vaccine has significantly changed the world for a brighter future of the human race. Making a great accomplishment and eliminating many of the life-threatening diseases experienced before in this country, from smallpox to diphtheria, thus adding approximately thirty years to many humans’ life spans (“Vaccine War”). Vaccines have also played a substantial role in greatly reducing death and hospitalization rates (Bailey). Although, a new controversy has begun to rise by leading activist of the anti-vaccine movement, Jenny McCarthy, who has extreme found beliefs that inoculations have a link to autism. McCarthy, a mother of a son, who received vaccinations believes that

Investigative reporter, Joan Salk, breaks down the propaganda of the Anti-Vaccine Movement. Joan’s in-depth coverage takes a look behind the scenes at the Center for Disease Control and their important research that refutes the myths perpetuated by anti-vaxxers. She takes

Wherever there is vaccination there is some number of people who oppose it. The first step to identifying a solution to a problem in understanding how it is caused. Public support for vaccinations had been at an all time high of 95%, before the anti-vaccine movement swept across the United States. The new anti-vaccine movement in the United States can be attributed to the wide use of technology to spread ideas,

The international crisis behind the questioning of vaccines began when Lancet came out with an article in 1988 by Andrew Wakefield, MD. Within this publication, Dr. Wakefield scared the public when he suggested that there is a link between vaccinations and autism in children (Dyer, 2015). After this article was released, the population showed an increasing distrust in the healthcare system. However, since this time, many other medical doctors have come out and reported that Dr. Wakefield’s allegations are false, considering he did not provide evidence behind his statements. Still, in todays’ era, the world continues to see an increasing suspicion of the vaccine engineers and the idea that vaccines are beneficial- this