Essay On Vaccine And Vaccines

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Vaccinations and Immunizations: The Facts Ever since the early 1950’s, vaccinating children has played a substantial role in saving many lives. A vaccine is a small sample that creates immunity from a specific disease that can be given by needle injections, orally, or nasal sprays. An immunization is the individual’s process where he or she becomes protected from a disease. Not only are vaccines typically easy to receive at the local doctor’s office but they also don’t hurt more then a pinch. This seems to spark the idea as to why so many children are not vaccinated in today’s medically advanced era. The answer? Many adults and families are misinformed and uneducated about vaccines and the seriousness of their children receiving them. Often …show more content…

The immune system works as an attack system in the body against foreign invaders. By injecting the vaccine, the body is tricked into having the infection which allows the body to prepare itself incase that infection enters the body again (Immunization1). Although they are effective in an average immune system, weakened immune systems are not as effective, and could be potentially fatal. “This is most threatening to individuals whose immune systems are weakened, such as individuals with leukemia. Children with leukemia are advised not to take the oral polio vaccine because they are at greater risk of developing the disease. Vaccines which do not include a live virus or bacteria tend to be safer, but their protection may not be as great” (immunization1). It is important to understand the needs of each individual child when considering vaccines, also talking with a doctor before is recommended. If immune deficiency is not the case, the child will be just fine and protected for the …show more content…

This is known as herd immunity or community immunity and it “occurs when the disease-resistant portion of a community provides a degree of protection for susceptible individuals” (LaPensee1). The main idea of this is that disease outbreaks causing deaths can be prevented with vaccines. When the majority of the community is immunized and healthy, one sick and contagious person will not cause everyone to become sick, although those who are not immunized will become sick. Therefore, if the majority of the population is immunized and healthy, the rest will get some protection because the disease can be contained. The reason behind infectious diseases returning from the 1920s, whooping cough for example, is because many chose not to vaccinate their children because of the autism scare. Now the numbers for children with whooping cough are increasing. “In 2012, around 48,000 cases of pertussis were reported in the United States, the most since 1955. This increase may be attributed in part to increased recognition of whooping cough in older children and adults, along with physicians who are diagnosing and reporting whooping cough more accurately and often, in both its classic and milder forms. Several pertussis outbreaks have occurred in areas with lower-than-average vaccination rates in children and adults who have frequent contact with infants and young children

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