Why Do Children Get Vaccines

My first point is that vaccinations save lives. The average life expectancy for an American citizen before the emergence of vaccinations was 30-40 years old. Since the advancement of modern medicine, the life expectancy has nearly doubled, rising to roughly 80 years old. Since 2010, there has been roughly 10,000 to 50,000 cases of whooping cough reported in the United States, many of which cases ended in tragedy. 10-20 babies die each year from whooping cough, a disease that is preventable by vaccine.  Since the 1990s, the mortality rate for children five and under has decreased by 28%. The average mortality rate of children under the age of five has decreased from 90 for every 1,000 births in the 1990s to 65 deaths per every 1,000 births. Despite the huge risks, the small percentage of those not vaccinated can be partially  protected if enough people in their community are

First, immunizations should be mandatory because they can save a child’s life. Because of the great success of medical professionals and scientists, children are able to live longer, healthier, and more fulfilling lives. Without vaccines children can get deadly diseases such as polio. There are about five hundred worldwide cases of polio today.

[Vaccinations have lowered the death rates of Americans over the years. According to McNeil “in November 2007, death rates for 13 diseases that can be prevented by childhood vaccinations were at all-time lows…nine of the diseases, rates of hospitalization or death had declined more than 90 percent. For three…death rates had dropped by 100 percent” (Paragraph 3). This study shows that vaccinations are beneficial to children. With these vaccinations, children will be less exposed to these diseases, which will prevent them from spending time in the hospital or in some cases dying.

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.

There are many arguments that people have developed and built upon that are convincing me of the importance of the vaccinations. The benefits of vaccinations really were shown when “The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) 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” (Huffington). This is proof right in front of our eyes that vaccinations are working for some children. Something that saves 732,000 lives is a very important asset. Also, I think that it is critical to take into account the 322 million children that were saved from sickness. These 322 million children were kept from getting an illness that could be life threatening or even just uncomfortable. No matter the severity of the sickness there is an importance in the prevention of these diseases. Another intriguing argument for the continued use and importance of vaccines is that “most childhood vaccines are 90%-99% effective in preventing disease” (AAP). With a 90%-99% success rate it shows that it is so important to receive a vaccination because of the dangers of the diseases. In fact the 90%-99% effectiveness has “save[ed] 2.5 million children from preventable diseases every year” (Shot@Life). This direct correlation between these two arguments makes this side of the topic even more compelling. Another statistic that creates a realization that there may be more to vaccinations than we see on the

“Most health insurance plans cover the cost of vaccines.” (How to Pay.) Though if a person does not have health insurance “The Vaccines For Children (VFC) program is a federally funded program that provides vaccines at no cost to children who might not otherwise be vaccinated because of inability to pay.” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.) “According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, every $1 spent on vaccination saves the public $6.30 in medical costs that would result from having to treat unvaccinated diseased individuals.” (ProCon.org.) “Vaccines are promoted primarily to generate profits for manufacturers and financial donations for medical organizations that endorse vaccines.” (ProCon.org.)

Secondly, vaccines minimize the risks for many possible illnesses. For example, when children go to school they are putting other children at risk every day by not having been vaccinated. Children spread many microbes and without vaccines there would be more viral and bacterial infections in schools than ever. Without being vaccinated children are greatly susceptible to infections and would have to keep days off from school until their immune system kicks the infection. Health-care costs would be through the roof and many individuals already lack health care. There are many clinics that offer low-cost or free immunizations to infants and school aged children (ProCon.org, 2013).

I believe that all children in the United States should be vaccinated against disease. There is a large argument in today society involving childhood vaccinations. The argument is whether children should be forced to have mandatory vaccines, or if parents should be allowed to refuse these vaccines. One of the main reasons that parents are skeptical of vaccines, is because there have been more recorded cases of children experiencing serious side effects after receiving the vaccines. Now with more and more cases of vaccinated diseases popping up all over the country, the issue is becoming serious. According to the CDC, more than 20 percent of children in America are not vaccinated against disease. This poses a serious issue for the

Vaccinations have been shown to prevent many diseases, including measles, mumps, pertussis, polio, varicella, and influenza (CDC, 2009). According to Shot@Life, a United Nations partner program, vaccines stop around 2.5 million children from developing preventable diseases each year (ProCon.org,

Vaccines save 2.5 million kids every year. Childhood deaths from measles has gone down 74% due to vaccination. The article “Should Any Vaccines Be Required for Children” quotes the Centers for Disease Control who states, “732,000 American children were saved from death between 1994 and 2014 due to vaccination.”The author quotes the Center for Disease Control who states, “322 million cases of child illnesses were prevented in the same years due to vaccination.” Vaccines save millions of kids every year.

Getting your vaccines takes away the risk of potentially getting very ill, and we often forget how many people die each year due to the flu and other preventable illnesses. The CDC estimates the number of deaths each from the flu each year is 3,300 to 49,000 people a year. The number of adults that are hospitalized each year due to influenza is 226,000, and 3000 to 49,000 people will die from it. Many people wouldn't have to spend the unnecessary doctor and hospital bills if they had just gotten there vaccines and prevented their illness, and people miss so many days of work due to preventable illness that are ultimately

The question is, should the government mandate vaccines? Those in favor of child vaccinations, believe that they are the greatest health developments of the 20th century. While those against them believe that a child’s immune system permits either a natural or acquired resistance to diseases than putting questionable toxic ingredients into a child’s body. In the US, 50 states require vaccinations for children entering public schools, though no mandatory federal vaccination laws exist. 50 states issue medical exemptions only (1), 48 states (excluding Mississippi and West Virginia) permit religious exemptions, and 31 states exclude Philosophical exemptions. (2)

“In 2011 alone, 1.5 million children died [worldwide] from diseases preventable by currently recommended vaccines” (“Immunization” 2). The magnitude of this tragedy is in part caused by the fact that some of those children simply weren’t reached by organizations like UNICEF, which aim to vaccinate children (“Immunization” 2). However, there are other reasons for the recent deaths and epidemics—such as the whooping cough epidemic of 2012, with 48,000 cases nationally in the United States—involving vaccine preventable diseases (McClay 1).

Vaccines have saved many lives and continue to do so. In “Should Vaccines Be Required for Children?’ the author explains,”Vaccines save 2.5 million children from preventable diseases every year.” Without those vaccines, those children that were vaccinated could’ve contracted that illness, which could’ve been fatal. Vaccines have prevented me and my brothers from certain illnesses,

Vaccines are cost effective in many cases. Vaccines will help prevent your child from being hospitalized or taking them to the doctor. Everything cost when having to be in the hospital like over-night stays or missing work. Taking a child to the doctor also involves missing work, paying a copay, and running lab work. Vaccines will help save you money and time. In the article “Benefits vs. Risks,” states that, “ The routine childhood immunization program in one birth cohort saves $13.6 billion in direct costs.” (Benefits n. pag.) Paying for the vaccination cost less than paying for medical bills. If a child is not vaccinated and comes in contact with a disease, he or she may be hospitalized. This means that a parent has to take off of work to