The Pros And Cons Of Vaccines

There has been controversy over vaccines for decades, but scientific research shows that they are more beneficial than harmful. They have stopped epidemics, but what is a vaccine? A Vaccine is the injection of a killed or weakened organism (living thing that causes the disease) that produces immunity in the body against that organism by letting the immune system “practice” on defeating that organism. Vaccines help save lives every day and not the contrary.

The choice to vaccinate a child holds much debate in society today. As a person that lives in America, you may feel it is your right to be able to choose what medical needs and necessities you would want for your child or yourself. “The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends getting 29 doses of 9 vaccines (plus a yearly flu shot after six months old) for kids aged 0 to six. No US federal laws mandate vaccination, but all 50 states require certain vaccinations for children entering public schools. Even though vaccines are considered extremely safe there are cases where in some people have a type of allergic reaction. Most states offer medical and religious exemptions; and some states allow philosophical exemptions” (Wadman, 2017). This point calls for a lot of debate, both in the scholarly world and among average citizens. Some people claim that such medical conditions, such as autism are the result of over vaccinating or dosing at early ages of development. Reasons on the topic vary, and concerns can end up in long legal disputes. Such disputes have raised the question of vaccine safety, prevention, and government intervention.

Vaccines that prevent individuals from contracting deathly illnesses are one of the greatest achievements in the history of epidemiology. A vast majority of individuals choose to get their children as well as themselves vaccinated. However, there are some people who choose not to get vaccinated because they believe that vaccines are dangerous and unnecessary. This dilemma emphasises the vastness of the controversy between choosing to get vaccinated or not. The subject of this dispute is difficult to resolve since each individual has their own opinion on the topic and is in control of whether or not they want to get vaccinated.

Although, people believe vaccinations cause more problems than they solve, there has never been a study to prove this. Time Magazine writer Jeffrey Kluger said “Vaccines save lives. Fear endangers them. It’s a simple message parents need to keep hearing.” In fact, most medical professionals agree that vaccinations are helpful. William Foege, one of the people credited for causing the extinction of Smallpox, once said “Vaccines are the tugboats of preventative health.” Vaccines save lives and prevent illnesses from spreading.

It has been said that the ingredients in vaccines are harmful to children, but this is un-true. Aluminum, for example, targets your central nervous system which could lead to brain diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. It could be a dangerous ingredient if used in large amounts, however, in immunizations scientists and doctors have used just the right amount of aluminum in vaccines not to be damaging to the human body. In fact, "Children are exposed to more aluminum in breast milk and infant formula than they are exposed to in vaccines." (Procon.org) Vaccines are tested for ten or more years by the FDA before they become licensed, demonstrating that these vaccines are not just tested a couple of times and then all of a sudden thrown out there because scientists think that they are going to work.

Vaccines, while known as the painful occurrence at the physicians visits of your childhood, are responsible for eradicating many of the deathly diseases of the past. While no child likes being stuck with a needle, guaranteed immunity to certain life altering diseases is worth the slight prick. Recent movements regarding vaccines has shed a negative light on vaccines, and if they continue to grow attention, may bring back some of the diseases that were the initial issue. Vaccines are a very helpful tool in todays world, and failure to accept them could result in very serious issues.

It is a proven fact that vaccines boost the immune system and prevent the spread of disease. Vaccines are required by most schools and jobs. However, they have caused quite a bit of controversy in today’s society. Although it is scientifically proven that they prevent disease, are usually safe, and can make life easier and more convenient, vaccines sometimes cause negative side effects and interfere with religious beliefs.

Are vaccines likely to do more harm than good? According to Merriam webster dictionary a vaccine is a substance that is usually injected into a person or animal to protect against a particular disease. Science Facts says that vaccinations have existed since the late 1700s. There are vaccinations for many diseases including measles, chickenpox, mumps , smallpox , and the flu. While vaccines are beneficial, some believe they are harmful.

This article discusses the much debated concept of whether vaccines are correlated to causing autism. The controversy began in 1998 when a MMR vaccine – used to fight measles, mumps and rubella in children – was linked by a fraudulent research paper to disorders related to autism (Bearman 2010). As a result of the claims of the paper, there was a sharp drop in vaccination rates where the research was first originally reported – in the UK and in Ireland (Bearman 2010). As a result, there was a significant increase in the occurrence of measles and mumps, resulting in significant casualties as well as significant permanent injuries (Bearman 2010). Subsequently, a variety of research institutions have undergone significant testing of this “hypothesis” and have concluded there is no link between the MMR vaccine and autism.

On the pro side, vaccines are seen to be safe and have saved children’s lives. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the vaccines are 90%-99% effective in preventing diseases. The ingredients in the vaccines are safe and are FDA approved. Before they are medically used they have to undergo testing for up to 10 years before they are licensed to make sure the vaccines and ingredients

Vaccines are a life-saving medical product to prevent diseases like smallpox, rubella, diphtheria, polio, and whooping cough. Risks are far greater than if you don’t get your vaccinations. The reason risks are far greater is because vaccines usually only have minor side effects or possible infections. Ordinarily, negative side effects are very rare. Most people who have side effects from vaccines only

The controversy over the effectiveness of vaccines have become increasingly prevalent in society as people are starting to question its ability to protect and heal. It has been established by reputable scientists that there are some miniscule side effects that are caused by vaccines, but the benefits outweigh the disadvantages because vaccinations have completely eradicated diseases, reduced the magnitude of epidemics, and have been helpful to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Although vaccines have mild side effects and are not always 100 percent effective, they prevent severe infectious diseases and assist the body in developing strong immune systems which is why they should be mandatory for people in society.

There have been many complaints and worries about immunization programs; that vaccinations don’t work or that they give out possible negative side effects. Recently the use of vaccines has been going downhill because of those thoughts. If just one person goes around saying that a vaccine made them sick then other people believe it and stop getting vaccines. However, there have been studies that show that vaccines actually have helped throughout the years with different epidemics and diseases.

There is a history of vaccines and how they save lives, an article by the name of, “ The vaccine timeline” gives us examples of how in the past when they didn't have vaccines, how they weren't healthy and they got sick because they didn't have these immunizations to help them. It dates all the way back to the 15th century up to when we do have the vaccines here in 21st century. They state in this article the following points; “ On the global scale, health organizations continue to distribute vaccines to poorer countries. Thanks to increased access to the measles vaccine internationally, the annual death toll from the disease has fallen from almost 600,000 in 2000 to just 122,000 in 2012, a reduction of 79%.”(11) The death toll from the 21st century has fallen dramatically from the amount of deaths in the earlier years because we have upgraded the vaccines to where if we are immunized it will help us be healthy and not fall ill to those diseases we are trying to prevent, unlike the success that we have now, in the 17th century, scientists say that approximately 80% to 90% of the population was gone. How else can vaccines save our lives? An article written by NHS named “ How vaccinations save lives” they give us the different diseases that the vaccines are preventing, they explain in the conclusion that “ However, whooping cough and diphtheria are still a threat. The diseases may be rare now, but if children aren't vaccinated, they can return with a vengeance.” Whooping cough and diphtheria where one of the major sicknesses and killers in the centuries before, when people did not have the vaccine to prevent people from having this disease.

Undoubtedly, Vaccines are safe and reliable, they also keep people healthy ,and they prevent the spread of diseases. The way that vaccines work is by putting a dead disease causing germ into a serum. That serum is then injected into a person which immediately causes the body to fight off the dead germ. After that the body will make antibodies which fight