Vaccination Argumentative Essay

One of the things that not all parents agree on is whether or not there should be a law making vaccinations mandatory. The public school system requires all students to be immunized. There have been so many published reports, articles, television programs, public service announcements, and other public attention being paid to all sides of this issue.

Between 1924 and 2013, vaccinations prevented 103 million cases of polio, measles, rubella, mumps, hepatitis A, diphtheria, and pertussis (Bailey). Vaccinating is “the process by which pathogenic cells are injected into a healthy person in an attempt to cause the body to develop antibodies to a particular virus or bacterium—successful creation of antibodies is referred to as immunity to the disease caused by the particular pathogen” (Introduction to Should Vaccinations be Mandatory). Popular conflicts regarding vaccination include the worry that this form of immunization isn’t natural, the idea that vaccination schedule for children in the U.S. takes away parents’ rights to make decisions for their children, and the concern that vaccinations aren’t safe for all children. Most doctors and scientists advocate for vaccinations in the name of herd immunity, protection against foreign diseases and prevention against pockets of disease outbreaks. Vaccinations should be mandatory for all children in the United States for who they are deemed safe and effective.

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

We must not forget how catastrophic disease was in the 17th century. Many people, especially children died early deaths because their bodies just could not fight those diseases. We live in a time and age where vaccines are available to help us fight off diseases that once killed so many. I truly believe that vaccines are essential in maintaining health in human populations. “The number of young children who are not fully vaccinated for preventable diseases has been steadily increasing over the last decade” (Daniel A. Salmon)”. With so many more parents claiming nonmedical exemptions, from what was once routine vaccinations, they are not only leaving their children vulnerable to diseases, but everyone that the unvaccinated child comes in contact with; From the classmates and teachers of these children, as well as other people and children in their community. Vaccines are necessary, and the risks of not being vaccinated far outweigh the small risks associated with vaccination. Preventable diseases can cause permanent disability and death. There has been no correlation between vaccines and developmental disorders such as autism. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, “most childhood vaccines are 90-99% effective in preventing disease” (Vaccines ProCon.org)”. Vaccines are beneficial for everyone’s protection. Child Vaccinations should be mandatory.

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).

Recently, many diseases that had been eradicated because of childhood vaccinations have been making an appearance. Health officials are concerned that diseases will spread and lives will be lost. Officials all agree that vaccinations will benefit the population. Some parents feel it is an infringement on the right to keep the children healthy and safe. Vaccinations should be mandatory for all children because it will prevent diseases from spreading, protect future generations, and save children and parents time and money.

In the United States, the law states that vaccinations are required for children entering school unless they have a valid reason that prevents them from receiving the vaccinations. Starting when children are born, they begin the regimen of vaccinations that continue throughout their adolescent years and adulthood. Each year children receive a variation of shots to protect them from the illnesses they will encounter in the world, especially once they attend school. The most common reasons parents forego getting their children vaccinated are religious beliefs, medical exemptions, and personal beliefs. Due to the rising number of parents declining to get their children vaccinated, the number of outbreaks of preventable diseases has increased. The question is now should parents/guardians be forced to vaccinate their children?

Vaccinating children can save many kids’ lives. In the article “Should Any Vaccines Be Required for Children?”, the author states, ” According to shot at life, a United Nations Foundation partner organization, vaccines save 2.5 million children from preventable diseases each year,....” Children that are vaccinated are healthier than children that are not vaccinated, According to the text, “The Centers for Disease Control estimated that 732,000 American children were saved from death and 322 million cases of childhood illnesses were prevented between 1994 and 2014 due to vaccination.” I strongly recommend for children to be vaccinated so that every child may be safe.

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.

Primarily, most parents generally opt for vaccinations towards children in the United States of America. The perception of why parents make this judgement is due to the benefits of vaccinations outweighing the potential of any health risk. Carole Joyce stated, “As many as three million children deaths are prevented and approximately 750,000 children are spared disability, worldwide, each year” (Joyce). Joyce’s statement shows that vaccines have proven to be one of the most efficient public health ingenuities in modern history. Improving overall public health and preventing children from being contaminated from preventable diseases are major benefits from vaccinations. Nevertheless, there are parents who delay the vaccination of the child due towards simply

“Why would you vaccinate your child?” “Why would you not vaccinate your child?” These two questions seem to be popping up a lot lately. It made me stop and think about why a person would not want to vaccinate their child. I also have thought about schools and daycares and their policies. Do children just not attend school because parents refuse to vaccinate them? I am going to explain why I think we need to vaccinate our children.

Children should be required to get vaccines because it saves money. According to Kevin Loria, “Take, for example, that same group of 4.1 million kids born in the U.S. in 2009. Researchers estimate that the vaccines they receive will save $13.5 billion in health treatment costs and almost $70 billion when measuring other costs to society, like lost productivity”(par.16). Experts estimated that treating the 4.1 million children born in the U.S. in 2009 will save the U.S. about $13.5 billion in health care and if other costs to society are also deliberately looked at, then the U.S. will be able to save about $70 billion. According to Vincent Iannelli, “Saving all of those lives comes with a price. A net savings of $13.5 billion in direct costs and $68.8 billion in total societal costs.

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.

These finding prove that vaccinating children could yield big monetary savings for the specific families affected as well as for society as a whole. Choosing not to vaccinate one’s child could potentially affect the monetary health of the family, forcing parents to take time off work and pay for expensive medical treatments. Having a vaccinated population also brings benefits to the society as a whole. This shows that stricter vaccination laws need to be put in place by the states in order to prevent monetary loss in the future and help the overall community.

There are several deadly diseases that could cause outbreaks and death of many individuals. For example, Hepatitis B causes severe damage to the liver and could cause death to a young child who is not vaccinated. Children who are vaccinated do not spend as much time being ill and at the doctor’s office as an unvaccinated child would. This saves parents time off work and money spent on medical bills (Pro & Con Arguments, 2017). Vaccinations are nearly one hundred percent effective and the risks of serious side effects are slim to none. Without these important vaccines, many children would contract deadly diseases and die each year. Vaccines save