Vaccinating your children is one of many scary decisions that parents have to make in parenthood. Within the last 30 years, there has been a major uproar in the safety of vaccinations, especially with the notion that vaccinations may cause autism. There are many views on what is safe and what is not, which is what I encountered while researching this topic. In these articles, there is a solid account of the history of this controversy, while also having a plethora of evidence to scientifically show that vaccines do not cause autism. Using both ethos in explaining why vaccines are not a problem and pathos from personal stories, I was able to give a full perspective of the vaccine-autism controversy. In this article by ABC News, Kristen O’Meara …show more content…
The authors first present the history behind the scare of vaccines, especially in the MMR vaccine and also with the amount of mercury within vaccines. With explaining the history, they then show a total of twenty studies that always have that same verdict, which is no correlation between receiving a vaccine and being diagnosed with autism. For example, in Atlanta, the vaccination records were compared from a group of autistic children to a group of control children. When looking at the vaccination records, the authors of the study saw no variation in when the vaccines were given in either group, showing the verdict above to be true. Gerber and Offit also explain another common myth that too many vaccines at once are another cause of autism. For example, the authors give scientific evidence that vaccines do not overwhelm the immune system, like saying that the immune system, even at a young age, has to fight much more viruses than the vaccines given. The main goal of the article is present evidence and inform the public of the reality of the vaccine-autism controversy. This source is very useful because it is able to give direct scientific evidence to show no correlation between vaccines and autism in both North America and Europe. I feel as though this source would be able to help my essay greatly because it does give examples of studies, which I could use to inform my audience about the importance of education of these
In the Frontline episode The Vaccine War, a progressively distressful debate ensues among many scientists and doctors within the public health system and an unnerving alliance of parents, politicians, and celebrities. The topic of debate is the overwhelming pressure parents feel to vaccinate their children and their right to decline such vaccinations. In several American neighborhoods, groups of parents have been exercising their right to refuse vaccinations, which has elevated anxiety on the return of vaccine-preventable diseases such as pertussis and measles. The reason such parents are denying their children various vaccines such as the MMR “triple shot” for measles, mumps, and rubella is because they are convinced that it is linked to autism, a link that has yet to be proven. Many of these parents are focused solely on their children, not taking into account that their decision may put the American populace at risk for disease. Such parents are not thinking about other members of society that vaccines don’t work for, and in certain adolescents the effects deteriorate, thus only when every person is immunized the “heard immunity” is successful.
In 1999 a study was done in the United Kingdom to see if there was a link between the two. In this study, researchers compared children had had and had not gotten the measles, mumps and rubella vaccination. The study identified four hundred and ninety-eight cases of autism including core autism, atypical autism and Asperger syndrome in children born in the United Kingdom since 1979. There was an increase in cases by year of birth with no change after the introduction of the vaccination. There was also no age difference at diagnosis between the cases vaccinated before or after eighteen months of age and children that were never vaccinated. These results showed no temporal association between the onset of autism within one or two years after being vaccinated with MMR and developmental regression was not clustered in the months after vaccination. The data from these results does not support the connection between MMR and autism and if an association was to occur it was so rare it could not be identified. Many studies have been done over this topic but the results prove that it in fact does not cause autism. It is likely that this myth is strongly accepted because the symptoms of autism begin to occur around the same time as the child is to be vaccinated with the MMR
“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.
The use of vaccinations has been a major topic in the news lately. The decision to or not to vaccinate your child is a decision that parents face each day. For some the decision is an easy one, a no-brainer. For others, it’s a very difficult one to make. People that are pro-vaccine believe that they are protecting their children and the future generations by vaccinating them against diseases that they could potentially get. People that are ant-vaccine believe that by choosing not to vaccinate, they are protecting their children and future generations from the serious side effects that they could potentially get from the vaccination.
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.
Despite all the testing and approval process of vaccines, many people still mistakenly believe that vaccines cause autism, even in light of research that has disproven the notion. This evidences the difficulty of dispelling false statements once someone has accepted a falsehood, especially if it has scientific research backing the results. It also highlights the gullibility of the public at large to believe anything that medical research reports without questioning the findings. Unfortunately, the media attention such examples of junk science receive aids in convincing many of its truthfulness. The hype surrounding the belief that vaccines cause autism began in 1998 when Andrew Wakefield in the UK published an article in the Lancet linking the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR...
Vaccines have been around for hundreds of years now, allowing humans to increase life expectancy tremendously. Vaccines have been a great contribution to today’s science and human health, but vaccines have also brought fourth numerous concerns for many parents. One of the most controversial debates that society is currently facing is whether there is link between vaccines and autism. To distinguish if there is a link between vaccines and autism a closer look must be taken within the research of both. A vaccine is an injected or orally administered substance that contains live(attenuated) or killed pathogens to activate the production of antibodies in the body to produce immunity against a disease or different types of diseases. (Red) Vaccines are composed of different molecules and ingredients, one of them being Thimerosal, an organic mercury compound. (blue) The use of Thimerosal in vaccines have associated the link between vaccines and autism. Autism or Autism Spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurological development disorder that can affect an individual’s behavior, communications and social skills. (green)
Many people come to the United States of America in order to live freely and make choices based on their personal morals. Considering the fact that America is known for being the “land of the free”, people should be able to choose whether or not they want to get vaccinated. People should have the right to reject vaccinations for whatever reason it may be, whether it’s religious beliefs, health concerns, or lack of belief in the vaccination systems. Personally, Vaccinations have benefited me and my health, and I choose to get vaccinated. I choose to get vaccinated because I strongly believe in a way it helps build my immune system and keeps me from getting sick or catching diseases. However, people have different beliefs than mine. Therefore
TH: Whether or not vaccinating a young child can cause them to develop autism is a controversy that continues to be debated about by many parents around the world. However, a light needs to be shined on the topic because parents are being misinformed about the true value vaccinations hold for the health of their children and community. EC: Over the past few weeks, I have looked into many different
In recent years, the correlation between vaccines and autism has become the subject of much debate. On one side, there are the anti-vaccinators, or anti-vaccers. On the other, there’s pretty much everyone else. Despite the fact that the anti-vaccination movement has little base in scientific fact, their campaign to end early infanthood vaccinations rages on. While doctors and scientists try desperately to make parents look at the research studies, vaccination rates continue to fall. But, even in these dark times, there is still hope that scientific fact will prevail and defeat the anti-vaccination fear mongers who have caused many children to fall ill and even die because their parents did not properly vaccinate them. This is one of the most saddening scientific failures of the twenty-first century. A failure to educate the public properly has resulted in child, even infant, fatalities. The anti-vaccination movement was started based on falsified data and continues only because of a lack of knowledge and proper education of the general public.
Good Morning, I am Makadie Drummond and today my presentation is about an infectious viral disease which invades the central nervous system, this is called rabies. Countries that have many wild animals which are not vaccinated include Africa and Asia, as shown in red on the screen. Especially these two countries there is a high risk of contracting rabies. Whereas countries like Australia have a low risk because there only one main animal that causes the disease, this can also be treated with the vaccine.
Have you ever had something horrible happen to you that you would give anything to go back and prevent? You had the opportunity to keep this awful situation from happening and you choose not to do anything about it. That is the regret thousands of parents face every year when they choose to opt out of vaccinating their children. These regrets are completely avoidable with one simple choice made in a clean, licensed doctor’s office. Sadly, many parents see the potential risks of these drugs as a greater danger to their children than the almost certain consequences of not vaccinating them.
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).
Hello! My name is Daniel Brinker, a weekly reader of your articles in Health Times. I’ve noticed that in each article it seems that you have a strong disliking for vaccines. I personally think that as a user and encourager of vaccines, that I should tell you why they are ok. Vaccines are good because they provide immunity to a disease by inserting dead or weakened pathogens into the body.
Recently the number of parents who are intentionally delaying their children’s general vaccinations is increasing. The controversy that is causing the number of delayed vaccinations to go up is based on the fact that there are negative articles connecting them to autism and other similar diseases. When parents are researching vaccinations and they read those negative articles, those articles make them believe that vaccines cause autism. Vaccines are important because they protect humans from preventable diseases and getting them could save human lives. Vaccines are important throughout life no matter what some research suggests. Parents are now more likely to intentionally delay vaccines because of negative press, even though vaccines