Introduction Parents make sure their children get a proper diet, wear their bicycle helmet, and get enough sleep. Every parent wants to do what is best for their children and protect them from harm. No parent would allow their child to play with a loaded weapon, even with the safety on, and expect the best outcome. It would never happen. But it does. With every vaccine that is given, we are playing Russian roulette with our children’s lives. Childhood vaccinations have replaced common childhood illness as a “rite of passage” for many young children. Many parents, at the recommendation of their physician, diligently bring their children to the doctor every couple of months for what are thought to be important and safe vaccinations. Many parents are lead to believe that vaccinating their children, albeit the so-called slight risks associated with vaccines, is the responsible thing to do for the sake of the common good, which includes their child’s safety, as well as the safety of the community. But are parents made aware of some of the ingredients in these so-called safe vaccines and the inherent risks of the ingredients? Are parents aware of the protection the United States government offers to vaccine manufacturers and those who recommend and administer the vaccines? Do parents realize that their child just might be a sacrificial lamb? My goal is to shed light on the epidemic of childhood vaccinations. While there may be several ways to approach the opposition of childhood vaccinations (religious beliefs, risks of neurological problems and death), I am going to touch base on more of the uncommonly known factors behind childhood vaccinations including: the protection of vaccine manufacturers, the inaccurate reporting of adv... ... middle of paper ... ...istory.html Ingredients of Vaccines-Fact Sheet. (2011, February 22). In Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved October 12, 2011, from http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/additives.htm Paresthesia. (n.d.). In Merriam-Webster. Retrieved October 20, 2011, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/paresthesia Should Vaccines Be Required for Children?. (2011, July 15). Vaccines.ProCon.org. Retrieved from http://vaccines.procon.org/ Vaccine Injury Problems & Law. (2009). In Minnesota Medical Malpractice. Retrieved October 18, 2011, from http://www.minnesotamedicalmalpractice.com/Medical-Malpractice-Vaccine-Injury.htm Why It Is Important to Monitor Vaccine Safety. (2011, February 5). In Center of Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved October 8, 2011, from http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/SafetyAvailability/VaccineSafety/UCM096228
There is a war going on against parents that refuse to vaccinate their children. It is coming from the government that makes and enforces laws requiring parents to vaccinate their children, hostile parents of vaccinated children, and doctors that refuse to see unvaccinated children. They are concerned about the potential health risk unvaccinated children pose to the public. These parents aren’t lunatics but are concerned parents that are trying to make the best choice for their children. In fact, these parents aren’t fighting alone; a number of pediatricians and medical experts are apart of this crusade and have taken the lead. They will tell you there is an agenda, “Vaccine manufacturers, health officials, medical doctors, lead authors of important studies, editors of major medical journals, hospital personnel, and even coroners, cooperate to minimize vaccine failings, exaggerate benefits, and avert any negative publicity that might frighten concerned parents, threaten the vaccine program and lower vaccination rates.” 4
The article’s information is presented with the goal of informing a reader on vaccines. The evidence is statistical and unbiased, showing data on both side effects and disease prevention, providing rates of death and serious illness from both sides. This evidence is sourced from a variety of medical organizations and seems reliable, logical, and easily understood, no language that would inspire an emotional response is used. The validity of studies is not mentioned in the article, but it does encourage readers to investigate further to help make a decision. The article allows a reader to analyze the presented evidence and come to their own
“Vaccinations are causing a major upsurge in childhood diseases, adult maladies, and even deadly ailments such as Gulf War Syndrome and Lou Gehrig’s disease” (Blaylock). Every now and then an individual’s doctor calls telling them about the latest vaccine they should receive. The person immediately schedules a time to come in and get it done. But do they even give a second thought about it? Have they ever thought that maybe they do not need another vaccination? Many people have not taken the time to seriously think about the process of immunization. The truth is, there are many dangers that the average person should be unaware of. Rarely do vaccines actually accomplish what the public has been told. In fact, a lot of vaccines contain harmful substances that have been linked to disorders such as autism. The lack of education and dishonesty from doctors are putting people in danger of health problems without even realizing. Many parents feel obligated for their children to get vaccinated because of school, not knowing they have the alternative option of refusing immunization.
Vaccines are becoming increasingly hazardous for many children and parents are not being informed about the safety of their children. Current reports are linking vaccines to serious life-threatening disorders such as asthma, autism, immune system dysfunction, and mental retardation (Williams). These recent revelations are causing an increasing amount of people to claim religious and medical exemptions from vaccines. From 1999 to 2006, exemptions have more than doubled from 9,722 to 24,919 (Cronin). It is very clear that vaccinations are posing many problems for parents everywhere. Each day researchers are finding out about vaccines and are realizing that there are a lot more risks than benefits. Dr Phillip F. Incao explains: “Today, far more children suffer from allergies and other chronic immune system disorders than from life-threatening infectious disease. It is neither reasonable nor prudent to persist in presuming that the benefits of any vaccination outweigh its risk” (qtd in Spaker). While infectious diseases are becoming uncommon there is no need for any person to get vaccinated.
In the article,” Childhood Immunization Controversies: What are Parents Asking?” Dr. Daniel R. Bronfin gives s thorough history and current evaluation of child immunizations. Dr. Bronfin breaks down several different childhood immunizations from Smallpox to measles. During his break down of each of the common diseases, he gives a history, how they developed a vaccine, and how the effects of the vaccine is currently working. Dr. Bronfin wrote this article to educate parents to the benefits of immunization.
Vaccination was first introduced globally for small pox and later on extended to other communicable diseases which are now known as vaccine preventable disease. Vaccination is beneficial both for individuals and community. This bring us to the ethical dilemma - Vaccination of a healthy child with the intention of protecting both the individual child and the community at the same time exposing the child to the theoretical risk of exposure to disease products whether live, attenuated or killed. There was a time when people never questioned the government or their physicians. Now because of more public awareness and accessibility to medical information, they are questioning the safety aspects of vaccines.
North American children are now the most vaccinated on earth. Children receive about thirty-three doses of ten vaccinations by the age of five years. Not only do children need a separate vaccine for most diseases (hepatitis B, polio, Hib, and chicken pox are single vaccines; DTaP and MMR are multiple) but they generally need more than one dose of each vaccine. Because of the many vaccines needed, vaccination is an extremely controversial topic in the United States Today. Whatever side of the aisle you may fall with regard to your opinion about vaccination, one thing is for certain: the choice to vaccinate or not is a decision that has the potential to greatly impact the health of you and most importantly, your children for the rest of their lives.
The extent of adverse reactions to vaccines is crippling. Every year, there are more than 20,000 vaccine adverse reaction reports that are filed with the US government (Merino 17). 13% are classified as serious, including death, lifelong disability or life-threatening illness (“Vaccines ProCon”). Considering that almost all Americans are vaccinated makes these numbers seem less significant. However, it is estimated that less than ten percent of adverse reactions are reported (“National Vaccine…”). This means that over 200,000 people in America are possibly affected in a negative way by vaccines per year.
The history of vaccinations does not begin with the first vaccination itself but rather an infectious disease that had greatly affected the human population. In 1796 Edward Jenner created a successful composition using cowpox material that created immunity to the ongoing growth of the small pox disease. Jenner’s method underwent 200 years of medical and technological changes until it had finally resulted in complete elimination of the smallpox disease. Vaccinations have been a controversial medical topic for many years and although it is proven to be an effective means of preventing serious effects, including fatalities from childhood illnesses the controversy remains that the side effects from the immunizations outweigh the risk of contracting the disease. According to the College of Physicians of Philadelphia they state that “innovative techniques now drive vaccine research, with recombinant DNA technology and new delivery techniques leading scientist in new directions. Disease targets have expanded, and some vaccine research is beginning to focus on non-infectious conditions, such as addictions and allergies” (“The History of Vaccines” College of Physicians of Philadelphia. Web. 10 January. 2014). While public health officials insist that vaccines are the best way to protect public health. Over the past thirty years the vaccination schedule has tripled and since then there has been an alarming rise in the infant mortality rate in America. The problem is not the vaccination itself, but the quality of the vaccination.
"Vaccine Side Effects/Risks." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 08 Mar. 2012. Web. 07 Apr. 2014.
(Jane C Finlay, Noni E MacDonald, 2001). Working with Vaccine -hesitant parents. Canadian Paediatric Society. Retrieved May 3, 2013, from http://www.cps.ca
I first researched about baby vaccines. The most common are DTaP, HIB, Hepatitis B, Polio, PCV13 among others. All of these vaccines protect children from the most common illnesses around the U.S. While I was on the topic I researched how to protect a child from illnesses he/she wasnt vaccinated for like the flu and such. Keeping a baby fed and clensed is a good way of keeping the baby away from harmful germs and also insure the baby from getting sick. It is also nice to try to keep illnesses away from yourself to prevent it from spreading it from yourself to the child. Also there may be some cases of the child not needing/using vaccines to protect them from illness. Good things to talk to youre doctor about are the DTaP vaccine and PCV13.
Vaccines are approved by doctors who put the child’s safety first. "Vaccines are only given to children after a long and careful review by scientists, doctors, and healthcare professionals . . . The disease-prevention benefits of getting vaccines are much greater than the possible side effects for almost all children"(“Five Important Reasons to Vaccinate Your Child”). Doctors take into consideration any allergies or other negative effects that could hurt the child and not getting vaccinated could lead to outbreaks. One unvaccinated child led to an infection of measles in 131 people (Sun). Immunizations have reduced and eliminated many diseases that killed or severely disabled people just a few generations ago. For example, the smallpox vaccination
Vaccines against diphtheria, polio, pertussis, measles, mumps and rubella, and more recent additions of hepatitis B and chicken pox, have given humans powerful immune guards to ward off unwelcome sickness. And thanks to state laws that require vaccinations for kids enrolling in kindergarten, the U.S. presently enjoys the highest immunization rate ever at 77%. Yet bubbling beneath these national numbers is the question about vaccine safety. Driven by claims that vaccinations can be associated with autism, increasing number of parents are raising questions about whether vaccines are in fact harmful to children, instead of helpful (Park, 2008).
According to World Book Advanced Encyclopedia, immunization is defined as the process of protecting the body against disease by means of vaccines or serums (Hinman). While medical science backs up the efficiency and necessity of vaccines, within the past decade, a rise in parents disbelieving the medical community and neglecting to immunize their children has occurred. This “fear of vaccines” is nothing new, but with the ever-increasing safety of vaccines, the benefits of inoculation far outweigh the risks. Parents who refuse to vaccinate, or anti-vaxxers, put more than their children’s lives on the line, but also risk the safety of the whole community. Because vaccines are essential to protecting individuals and communities