Vaccinations were first introduced in the late 18th century by Edward Jenner. He injected a small amount of cowpox in a thirteen year-old boy to demonstrate the effectiveness it had against smallpox, resulting in the development of the first smallpox vaccine in 1798. Because of his discovery, Jenner contributed to the overall annihilation of the disease in 1979 after the vaccine was implemented in different medicines throughout the world (source). Following Jenner, many others produced vaccines to help reduce the fatalities of common diseases such as measles, polio, and rubella, which were once responsible for millions of deaths every year. Now, there is almost no risk of catching these fatal illnesses.
Even after vaccines were made popular, there have always been parents who have been concerned about immunizing their children. It has become such an issue that there has been some debate on whether or not the government should get involved and require vaccination by law. As with every issue, there are two sides who stand firmly with their beliefs. Parents who do not vaccinate claim that they have the right to decide what is best for their kid’s health, and for some, it interferes with their religion. The other side argues that children need vaccines to ensure the overall safety of the individual and others around them. Though both sides provide a compelling argument, statistics show that parents should be required by law to vaccinate their child.
Those who are unwilling to
The argument encompassing whether or not parents should vaccinate their children is ongoing. It is a very interesting matter to learn about and I possess some strong feelings about the case. This issue interests me because there are parents who don’t have their children vaccinated, and there are parents who do have them vaccinated. But all these parents share one particular quality: they all would like for their kids to be safe.
Vaccinations have had a huge influence on enhancing the health of kids across the country, yet every year, regardless of the health department’s efforts, the number of parents opting out of vaccinating their children continually rises. This essay explores various articles, journals and facts about vaccinations in an attempt to convince the audience that this is a serious enough issue that warrants their immediate attention. The vaccination prevents dangerous and sometimes deadly diseases. One of the most effective ways for a parent to protect their child is to have them immunized. The vaccination does not only protect the individual child but also aides in the protection of the community in which the child lives. Opponents of vaccinations,
Conflicting reports about the safety of vaccinations is causing confusion and fear among parents. There has been tremendous hesitation in choosing whether or not to vaccinate children. The Federal Government has remedied this hesitation by creating a law. New legislation, effective at the start of the 2016 school year, requires parents to vaccinate their children in order to attend public or private schools. Parents that rely on school or day care systems to care for their child care while they work, are left without a choice. If these parents wanted to postponed or possibly not vaccinate, it is no longer of consequence, they are now obligated to take the leap. This law should be repealed until further research is done and more effective versions are created. Doctors need to understand why some children have adverse reactions and how to test for possible predispositions before vaccines become mandatory. Vaccinations should be an option for prevention, with parents in full awareness of the risks.
“Opting out of vaccinations puts public health at risk and could lead to a resurgence of dangerous diseases” (USA Today 1). If parents decide to not vaccinate their children it may pose a risk to the public as well as their child. It is still debated that a parent should or should not have the right to decide whether their child is vaccinated. Parents should not have the decision to vaccinate their child or not because by not being vaccinated death is likely, the disease is easily transmitted to a child who is not of age to be vaccinated, and it is necessary to keep the public healthy.
As a parent, there are countless tough decisions to make. Parents are responsible for their child’s well-being, which is intense pressure. They are obligated to decide what they think is in the best interest of their own child. There is also pressure from the media, and other parents, on how people should raise their children and what decisions are actually in the child’s best interest. One of the tough decisions that parents must determine is whether to have their child vaccinated or not. There is excessive disagreement about whether vaccinating children is beneficial or detrimental. There are also restrictions put in place by the government that encourage vaccines, such as children must have vaccinations to attend public school. However,
Vaccinating your child seems to be the question of the decade for many parents and families. Typically, parents usually follow their doctors advice and automatically get their children vaccinated. But now, almost every parent has heard these concerning and alarming side effects that may accompany vaccinations. Faced with conflicting information, there are many questions that arise from these concerns and parents do not want their children to catch any crucial illness but are also concerned about the risk and side affects of vaccines. Challengers have claimed that vaccines do not work, that they are or may be dangerous, or that mandatory vaccinations violate individual rights or religious principles. Some wonder, are vaccinations even 100%
As parents who have children undergo being undereducated about the vaccinations they feel they have to give their children. In today’s world, compulsory vaccinations are considered “morally right.”
Since the invention of the vaccine, countless lives benefit from the protection against serious life-threatening diseases. Despite strong integration in modern medicine, an anti-vaccine movement impinges upon concerned parents throughout our country. Even though, vaccinations protect immunity majority of the time, vaccines should not be mandatory in all aspects, as it invades upon parental right, however, the presence of required vaccines in the public schools with limited nonmedical exemptions is a must.
During the 19th century, despite clear evidence of protection against smallpox by immunization with cowpox, there was a strong anti-vaccination movement that resulted in ongoing smallpox outbreaks and unnecessary deaths (Poland & Jacobson, 2011). Between the 1940s and the early 1980s, anti-vaccine thinking was less prevalent. The reason for this was because of a number of trends. There was an increase in vaccine science, discovery, and production. There was also an increase in public awareness of widespread outbreaks of infectious diseases. With
One perspective on the beneficial aspect of childhood vaccinations is exhibited by many organizations such as the CDC, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and even the World Health Organization (Stinchfield, 2001). This is the perspective that childhood vaccination is ultimately the best way to eradicate diseases throughout the world (Olubukola & Lewis, 2007). There is a large amount of evidence to support this belief; specifically, evidence which supports that vaccine development and use aided significantly in the elimination of smallpox and the drastic reduction of polio cases throughout the world (Bonanni, Sacco, Donato, & Capei, 2014). Between 1900 and 1904, an average of 48,164 cases and 1528 caused by smallpox were reported each year throughout the United States (CDC, 1999). Through the use of vaccination, the prevalence of smallpox steadily decreased until about 1929 when cases only rarely
Immunizations were created to keep children and adults healthy and safe. Edward Jenner administered the world’s first vaccination known as the smallpox vaccine, which had killed millions of people over the centuries (). Jenner administered the vaccine on an eight year old boy who he exposed to the fluid of a cowpox blisters, the boy developed a blister which eventually went away. Jenner then exposed the boy to the smallpox disease and the boy did not get sick, this led to the smallpox vaccine and the drastic decline in the smallpox disease. Fast-forward three centuries later and the small pox diseases is eradicated do to people receiving the vaccine. Immunizations are extremely important to the world’s overall health. Babies and children are most vulnerable to disease because they are son young and their organs and bodies are growing at a rapid rate. It is important for children to be immunized against vaccine preventable diseases such as: rubella, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough), and a host of other diseases. High vaccination coverage has significantly reduced vaccine-preventable disease morbidity and mortality worldwide, especially among children (Baggs et. al., 2011). While some people focus on the cons of vaccinations, there are many pros to children receiving vaccinations.
In human history, people had a long history in conquered the deadly virus. The minute a new baby is born, an injection is shot at his/hers arm, and it is the symbol of vaccination. The progress of vaccination could trace back to 1979. Edward Jenner, a scientist, who firstly infected people by cowpox (a viral disease that used to inoculate humans against smallpox) and successfully saved 530 millions of lives from the smallpox. Today vaccinations are available for variety forms of life threatening diseases such as: smallpox, polio, yellow fever, influenza, measles and so on. The research and development of vaccine makes a significant contribution to public health, however, recently big waves of anti-vaccination parades and comments sweep across
The purpose of children receiving vaccination is to stimulate the child’s immune system to develop adaptive immunity to pathogens so they will not receive diseases like polio, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, measles, mumps, rubella, and many more (Harmsen 1). However despite how vaccine can prevent diseases, some parents refuse to give their children vaccines. These parents stand strong on their perspective on vaccination. On the other hand, there are parents who believe that vaccination is essential to the well-being of their child. Vaccinations for children are highly stressed by pediatricians but public disagreement about whether requiring vaccinations infringes on parents’ civil rights may cause parents to decide to not vaccinate, potentially placing the public at risk.
In 1796, Edward Jenner showed the world that the vaccine against cowpox also gave protection against the smallpox disease. Ever since Jenner 's discovery, the main principles of vaccines has gained more acceptance through the years of practice. In 1816, 20 years after Edward Jenner 's discovery, Sweden would create a compulsory vaccine for smallpox, which will eradicate the disease in many countries (Ortqvist et al). By noticing the long-lasting effects of vaccinations in people, one can understand the importance of a well-informed society.
Parents all across the United States have an issue with vaccinations for their children. Parents as of today do not have the option whether or not to immunize their children. These vaccinations are potentially harmful for children, but they also help and prevent life threatening illnesses. Parents should be allowed to choose to vaccinate their children because at times, the vaccine might harm the child, and because the parents simply just have right.