The Vital Importance of Vaccinations

Disease kills millions of children every year. Some of these diseases are bacterias, which multiply rapidly and attack the body for resources. Others are viruses which hijack the immune system in a quest to multiply. Children are far more vulnerable to disease because of their developing immune systems. How can children be protected by the horrors of disease? The answer is vaccinations. For many years, immunizations have kept the spread of disease low. Vaccinations have prevented deaths and saved lives. However in recent years, there has been a stronger movement against vaccinations. There have been arguments made by people who believe that vaccination is a violation of rights and against religion. Some say children were meant to face disease. But these arguments are not strong enough to counter the good done and still can be done with vaccines. Unless America wants a large scale disease outbreak, vaccinations for children should be made mandatory.

While a vaccine filled syringe may appear unremarkable, the science behind the workings of a vaccine is the culmination of centuries of research and development. A vaccine is an injected exposure to either a dead or a small amount of virus. This allows the immune system to develop immunity to the virus and be protected in the event of future exposure. The first major development in vaccines came in the late 1700s with the discovery of the vaccine that gave immunity from smallpox. After much research and discovery, vaccines have given nearly the whole world protection from once feared diseases such as measles, diphtheria, rubella, polio, and mumps and have led to the total elimination of others diseases such as smallpox (Riedel, 2005).

The reason the number of childhood deaths from d...

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...efeat disease. Once the body has cleared itself of infection, the immune system will "remember" the infection and grow stronger. Children from birth to age five are the most vulnerable to bacterial and viral infection. Children should always be vaccinated if contact is made with a disease.

The first and only way to keep outbreaks from happening is to make vaccinations mandatory for school age children. Vaccinations will stop the spread of disease and prevent deaths. One simple trip to the local doctor could save the lives of these children. With 95 percent of Americans having their children immunized, most children will be protected. But with the biggest outbreak of whooping cough in years, it is still important for parents to get shots for their children. Vaccines are here to prevent outbreaks, now it’s up to parents to protect the lives of the next generation.