Vaccination Argumentative Essay

Polio, mumps, and diphtheria are a few of the diseases that have killed numerous amounts of people in the past. Yet, in today’s time, they are diseases people rarely hear about others dying from unless they are discussing the past. The reason for this is modern day vaccinations. Vaccinations are shots that help prevent against certain diseases. Vaccinations not only prevent diseases, but can also cause them to become nearly extinct in treated areas. One example of this would be the small pox vaccine, people were dying from this disease every day, and now you rarely, if ever, hear people talk about it. Although these vaccines are lifesaving, parents are becoming reluctant to provide these treatments for their children. For this reason, all children should be required to get particular vaccinations, unless they have certain medical conditions.

This poses the question that if vaccinations can protect a child from a major illness why are parents choosing not to vaccinate their children?

According to the Centers for Disease Control, “732,000 American children were saved from death and 322 million cases of childhood illnesses were prevented between 1994 and 2014 due to vaccination” (“Should Vaccines Be Required”). If vaccines were never invented, then people would die from many diseases because of the serious symptoms that each disease presents. Every disease is different and presents its own set of symptoms and levels of seriousness. Doctors and medical researchers have not yet discovered cures for these diseases, so being vaccinated as a preventative measure is the safest and smartest thing that a person could do. It is better to be protected from getting a disease than getting it and dealing with it until it either goes away on its own or kills

Vaccinating does not only keep your child from getting sick, but also any one else’s child that they come in contact with whether the other child is an infant too young to get a vaccination, or children whose parent chooses not to vaccinate. The risks of not vaccinating are not only that your child may get a virus that could have been prevented but also that they will spread that virus to people who are also not vaccinated or are too young to vaccinate. People may think that certain vaccines are not needed because no one has had measles in the U.S. for a long time but that’s only due to the high vaccination rates we previously had. People might also say that vaccines can cause Guillain Barré Syndrome, or anaphylaxis. The Gullain Barré Syndrom

Not only does the vaccination save the vaccinated child’s saves but it also saves other childrens lives as well. Along with saving lives vaccinations give children a longer healthier life as most doctors say. Vaccinations contain medicine that prevents and makes the body immune to the infectious disease or illness. Getting a child vaccinated is a smart choice which will only benefit the child in the future by protecting them from preventable diseases and illnesses. Most childhood vaccines are ninety percent to ninety nine percent effective when it comes to preventing disease and illnesses according to The American Academy of Pediatrics. But do not misunderstand me, vaccinations are not one hundred percent effective. However just like an Ohio mom states, she would rather be safe than sorry( LaGrand ). Even with some vaccinations not being one hundred percent effective it is still important to get it because it still protects the child from the specific disease or illness somewhat. Immunizations are almost nearly one hundred effective which means that a child who gets vaccinated has less of a chance of catching the preventable illness or disease than a child who is not vaccinated against it. With vaccinations protecting against chickenpox, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, influenza, measles, polio, rabies, and many other common illnesses, they have prevented many children already from simple illnesses as well as deadly illnesses. Medical discoveries are tremendous with all the different types of immunizations available for diseases and illnesses. Vaccinations stop preventable diseases and infections saving many children from illness. Immunizations protect children and allow them to have the opportunity at a longer healthier life, so if parents vaccinate their children they would be giving their children longer and healthier

I agreed , Vaccination as a preventive measure should be offered to everyone at not cost. Unfortunately, a citizen in order to have access to a health care service must have any kind of insurance that will cover essential benefits. Under the new healthcare law preventive medicine play a significant role so individual who acquired a plan are able to get vaccinations, screening test, and counseling, without paying a copay, coinsurance or a deductible, however not everyone will qualify for a health care plan and many citizens do not have access to the service. The Affordable Care Act is projecting to have more enrollment this year approximately 1.1 million more so 9 million of them will be old customers , 1 million of new customers that

Vaccines have decreased the mortality and suffering caused by infectious diseases. People who refuse to vaccinate take advantage of the large majority of people who do vaccinate, free-riding off of their immunity. As more people refuse vaccination, herd immunity starts to fail and this puts everyone at risk.” A great amount of people in the world who accept refusal of vaccinations as a right. Believing vaccinations pose danger and seem unsafe, some parents choose not to vaccinate their children. They do not realize if their children do not get vaccinated they may acquire an infectious disease that may not only make them sick, but could potentially kill them; also, it could infect other family members or other people in the community, and consequently produce an outbreak of the

Smallpox and measles and mumps, oh my. These diseases we thought we had terminated when vaccines were invented are making a comeback due to parents not vaccinating their young children. Vaccination started as early as the 1800s with smallpox, and as the disease began to decline, the government’s vaccination policies declined as well. As that series of events occurred, parents have decided vaccinating their children is not necessary, leading to the deadly return of these diseases. The government mandating childhood vaccinations is vital to the Nation’s well-being to ensure proper health and safety from diseases such as smallpox, influenza, and human papilloma virus.

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.

One of the risks of choosing to not vaccinate your child is that it doesn’t just affect their health; it potentially affects the health of those around them. For example, say your child does contract a disease such as measles and is in daycare or at the hospital being treated for it. In that time your child could potentially spread the disease to other children that are either unprotected because they aren’t old enough to receive the vaccine yet, or have compromised immune systems due to something such as cancer or someone suffering from kidney failure and they are unable to receive any live vaccines, or children who have received the vaccine and still have a low immunity against the disease. Choosing to vaccinate your child will protect people around your child, and that’s the ultimate goal with vaccines is to protect the health of the general public.

The lifestyle appears to be an important aspect of why parents refuse vaccination. According to Dr. Harmsen, parents would mention their healthy lifestyle of how they eat nutritious food, how they exercise daily, and how they live cleanly. The health of the child relies on the healthy lifestyle of the parents and parents would not rely on the vaccination shots on the health of their child (Harmsen 3). Parents would worry that taking multiple different shots all at the same time might harm their child and parents would also worry about whether or not the vaccine efficacy is sufficient and if vaccines would lead to protection (Harmsen 4). Negative experience with vaccination and how there can be side effects from the vaccines also influences the parental choice of vaccination (Harmsen

“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.

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).

Immunization is very important to the safety and health of everyone, especially children. Whether on not to vaccinate is the big question here. The only reasonable choice to make is to vaccinate. Immunization is not bad; moreover, the choice to not receive shots is dangerous. The choice to vaccinate your child could be a choice of either life or death. Vaccines are safer and easier than many people think. Immunization can protect from loss of time and money due to hospitalization, and can save future generations. Becoming educated on vaccinations and how they work will save lives one day.

Since this vaccine debate, “about 40 percent of American parents today has chosen to delay certain vaccines or outright refuse to allow their children’s physicians to vaccinate their children with one or more of the recommended or mandated vaccines” (Largent). As the rates of being vaccinated go down, it is putting not only that child in danger but also the whole community. Diseases that were once gone are on the rise.” A 2013 study published in the journal Pediatrics reports that California’s worst whooping-cough outbreak, which infected more than 9,000 people (Rothstein)”. Also “the CDC reports that from Jan. 1 to Feb. 28, 2014, 54 people in the U.S. have reported being infected with measles” (Sifferlin).