“Childhood vaccines are one of the great triumphs of modern medicine. Indeed, parents whose children are vaccinated no longer have to worry about their child’s death or disability from whooping cough, polio, diphtheria, hepatitis,
“Childhood vaccines are one of the great triumphs of modern medicine. Indeed, parents whose children are vaccinated no longer have to worry about their child’s death or disability from whooping cough, polio, diphtheria, hepatitis, or a host of other infections.” (Emanuel)
According to the World Health Organization, there are 25 vaccine preventable diseases, 2.5 million child lives saved by vaccinations and 0 linked casualties from vaccinations.
Since infants and young children are very vulnerable and lack independence, healthy physical development is dependent on protecting them from outside harms. Vaccines protect not just the child being vaccinated but also other children who may not be vaccinated. Some children cannot receive vaccines due to health conditions, such as child with allergies or a deficient immune system. These children are at risk for catching devastating illnesses when they come in contact with unvaccinated children. When parents have their children vaccinated it is good for the health of both the vaccinated children and other children in the
Anti-vaccine supporters strongly protest against vaccines primarily because they contain harmful ingredients. Indeed, this is true, but many pro-vaccine supporters urge that these ingredients are found in such minuscule quantities that they are deemed harmless. In fact, they claim that “Children are exposed to more aluminum in breast milk and infant formula than they are exposed to in vaccines.” Not to mention, the CDC and the FDA insist that vaccines are thoroughly tested and made safe. Although countless anti-vaccine protesters believe that vaccines are the origin of many autism cases, there is no definite evidence proving a link between vaccinations and autism. In 1998, scientist Andrew Wakefield published an article stating that his experiment has proven that vaccines cause autism. Eventually, it was uncovered that lawyers paid Wakefield hundreds of thousands of dollars to forge the results of his experiment, reinforcing the fact that there is no proof that vaccines cause autism. Furthermore, anaphylaxis occurs in only “one per several hundred to one per million vaccinations” ("Should Any Vaccines Be Required for Children?"). On the other hand, “Studies have shown that influenza vaccine is 70 percent to 90 percent effective in healthy adults younger than 65” (Bren). Due to vaccines, millions of children are
Mandatory vaccinations for children in public schools have been the center of much debate since laws were first developed to regulate immunization. Fears from parents about side effects and adverse reactions have steered many away from wanting to vaccinate their children despite the numerous infectious diseases they prevent. These debates have gotten in the way of progression in schools for preventing the spread of disease. To me, the risks of not vaccinating children are far greater than the risks of adverse reactions. Parents who don’t vaccinate their children put them and others at risk because it allows normally preventable disease to continue to spread.
Many people may think that vaccination is a bad thing, that instead of preventing it causes illness, that is not natural. Natural or not, there are many reasons as to why we should vaccinate us and the younger generation. Most of the time children don’t like vaccination because it hurt, but is the responsibility of a parent to seek the wellbeing of his or her child. Vaccination it’s a preventive measure of various diseases. Unfortunately, things like the anti-vaccination movement, the misinformation on the Internet, and the believe that vaccination causes more damage than is worth, have led our society to think that it’s right not to vaccinate.
One of the organizations that feels this way is the United States Health and Human Services. This author has stated, “ Children in the U.S. still get vaccine-preventable diseases. In fact, we have seen resurgences of measles and whooping cough (pertussis) over the past few years. In 2010 the U.S. had over 21,000 cases of whooping cough reported and 26 deaths, most in children younger than 6 months.” With that being stated many families may consider pursuing to get their children vaccinated instead of worrying about these deadly diseases. Due to some diseases that have taken thousands of children's lives, vaccines have eliminated diseases completely and others are close to being extinct too. In the article, “Five Important Reasons to Vaccinate Your Child,” the Department of Health and Human Services takes a firm stand on the importance of getting a child vaccinated and how it can potentially save the lives of thousands of children in the United States. The Department of Health and Human Services believes that vaccines will save children’s lives. The article states, while some people choose not to vaccinate their children because of possible side effects that are associated with them or the harmful ingredients that are in the vaccine, that is minor compared to the actual disease they are protecting against. The Department of Health and Human Services argues that vaccines are safe and effective. The article state