For centuries different diseases and infections have plagued the human race. As science evolves throughout our history, we’ve figured out how to combat these illnesses effectively, but some still choose to not protect themselves or their children and put the rest of us at risk. Mandatory childhood vaccination is essential for keeping our population safe and building a strong and healthy future. While many support this stance, some also have opposing views to this subject. Some claim that the vaccines pose a dangerous health risk to young children that can amount from anything to a weakened immune system, to developing secondary disease from the vaccine. As well, some see vaccinations as non-effective and don’t see why they should immunize and potentially put their child at risk. Also, anti vaccine parents do not feel they should be held socialy responsible for not protecting their child and putting others at risk. These are legitimate concerns, but if you look at how diseases have been irradiated, the vast amounts of research done, and countless children’s lives saved because of vaccinations, you might ask yourself why people would decide to not protect the ones …show more content…
Many anti vaccine parents say that they are worried that their children will be adversly affected by the harmful side effects of the vaccine. Some even believe it can cause mental illness in children such as attention defecate disorder or autism, but this is simply not the case. Most vaccinated children will show no side effects, but as Cathy Campbell of The Ottawa Citizen states, occasionally “high fever, cough, runny nose, sore eyes, sore mouth and widespread skin rash are symptoms, and take about 10 days to recover”. If you compare these uncommon symptoms to those of the diseases their being vaccinated against, it would be a small price to pay in comparison to the symptoms of polio or the
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 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 work. They have kept infants healthy and have saved millions of lives for more than 50 years. Most childhood vaccines are 90% to 99% effective in preventing disease so why would you keep such an advantage away from your child? “ Vaccines are made with a tiny amount of dead or weakened germs. They help the immune system learn how to protect itself against disease. Vaccines are a safe and effective way to keep your child from getting very sick from the real disease.” (healthycanadians.gc.ca).When the word vaccination comes to mind the first thing that should come to our minds is life saving, helpful, and beneficial. Unfortunately not all people would think positively when it comes to vaccinations, they think of the worst that could happen. I understand they want to know the cons to getting the vaccine for their infant, but information can show you that pros outweigh the cons. Vaccinations can not only protect an infant but it goes as far as saving their lives. Society has a strong influence on people 's decisions. In this case society and parental beliefs get in the way of infants well beings.
Vaccinations have been used since 1796, when Edward Jenner created the first vaccine for smallpox (Alexandra). Since then, vaccines have destroyed several viruses such as smallpox and polio. Vaccines were not required of students attending schools until 1855, when Massachusetts enforced a vaccination law for smallpox. By 1920, over half of the United States passed vaccination laws requiring school children to receive a smallpox vaccination. Smallpox would later be eliminated in 1980. After the elimination of smallpox, many other life-threatening diseases would be discovered.
Vaccinations, a miracle medical invention encompassing a variety of diseases, is what has been used to keep people safe, healthy, and disease free. The creation of vaccinations helped minimize the spread of some of the world's most feared diseases such as polio, and measles. Even with all the evidence supporting vaccine use is very promising, nothing is ever 100%. There are always risk, or in reference to medicine there are always side effects. With multiple sources of information floating around about how safe vaccines are, their effectiveness, and the occurrence of side effects it makes sense that so many people are confused. There are so many heuristics and biases that could impair a person from making the best decision for themselves.
The ethical issue within this example is whether or not the vaccine should be shipped out. This is the ethical issue because by shipping it out to hundreds of thousands of people will be saved from the flu and thousands may be saved instead of dying. On the hand, 1/4th of the people who do get vaccinated will receive the contaminated vaccine that could be ineffective on multiple levels: non effective and then possibly death. The repercussions are massive because we are dealing with peoples lives and if they were to die they would not come back live. The best decision would be to take care of the public, look for the best result and have intentions that are to pure.
Every parent must decide whether or not they will vaccinate their child. The medical community advocates for vaccinating children, which will contribute to herd immunity, and help in the eradication of preventable diseases. However there are arguments to be made against vaccinating as well. People are finding that vaccines are not providing long term protection, and are less effective than developing immunity through a natural defense process. Vaccines provide unnecessary exposure to toxins which may be linked to developmental delays. Also some of the side effects and complications associated with various vaccines are proving to be more detrimental than the disease processes they are designed to fight against. Many parents are weighing the cost vs. benefits of vaccinations, and deciding that it isn't worth the risk.
In the United States, a study in 2011 found that 57% of people who do not vaccinate their children say that they have concerns about autism (Levs). The anti-vaccination movement has gained traction in the past couple of years, with more and more parents not vaccinating. The first vaccine was developed way back in 1796, and the polio vaccine was made in 1950, which helped start to eradicate one of the deadliest diseases in the world. This sudden distrust of vaccinations has not come up suddenly in the past few years. It has been developing due to to massive misinformation surrounding vaccinations. Medical professionals need to educate people on vaccinations by spreading information such as giving information to parents about vaccinations, disproving the idea that vaccines cause autism, and educating people of the risks of not vaccinating.
While some are in favor of using vaccines to protect their children from disease, and other ailments, there are still many people who see vaccinations as a con, and a violation of their civil and human rights to choose what is best for their children. The cause is that people are not giving their children or themselves vaccinated. This leads to the effect that society who comes in contact with them risks their own health, weather knowingly or otherwise. The pros for getting vaccination, leads to a healthier and a safer society. However, people still feel that they possess the right to choose their own way of life, even when it comes to their health. People opposed to vaccinations wish to make their own decision regardless of what their government says. Feeling that they are being robbed of their human and civil rights to choose. The people who are more likely to choose vaccination, are more likely to live longer and healthier lives, including their
Bill Gates said it perfectly when he was quoted, “So it's an absolute lie that has killed thousands of kids. Because the mothers who heard that lie, many of them didn't have their kids take either pertussis or measles vaccine, and their children are dead today. And so the people who go and engage in those anti-vaccine efforts -- you know, they, they kill children. It's a very sad thing, because these vaccines are important.” The reason why weather or not to vaccinate is such a big debate is parents feel it is a personal choice to vaccinate their children and shouldn't be mandated, while others feel that not vaccinating actually puts children in harm's way. Parents read and hear misleading things about vaccines and fear their
Vaccination has been described as one of the top ten achievements of the 20th Century according to health and medical scholars, but Anti Vaccination protests were around since the start of this new form of medicine in early 1800’s in England. There are Pros and Cons in everything. Vaccinations cure diseases, saves lives, eradicates dangerous diseases that killed unmerciful back in time where medicine was not advanced, where people prayed on their knees for their loved ones to get better. But also religious beliefs provoked controversy, basically if God wanted you to die of this disease he would either let you meet your destiny, or save you. Parents asking if the Vaccination ingredients were safe for their children and personal freedoms of their bodies. So who's Right and Who's Wrong?
“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.” (Ezekiel J. Emanuel, 1). Vaccines helped humanity for many years in eliminating illnesses that disfigured, disabled and a lot of times took lives away. Children who do not get vaccinated not only risk themselves by being an easy target for diseases they also, harm everyone around them. In the end, today's children are the fuel of the future. Every parent should think carefully before taking any chance that may harm the coming generation.
After an injection of a vaccine risks can include various types of after effects. Most common effect (such as redness and swelling) can be treated easily. Mild problems include: headaches, upper respitory tract in tension (1 in 3 people), sore throat, stuffy nose, joint pain (1 in 6 people), abdominal pain, cough, nausea (1 in 10 people), fever (1 in 100 people). A few of the severe problems may be: pneumonia and inflammation of the stomach or intestines. These complications occur about 1 person in 100. Possible side effects can include varied sicknesses. A few of them encompass: adenovirus, yellow fever, shingles, polio and rabies. Death is rare, but its definitely a possibility. Parents should always be aware of what vaccines hold, and really look deeper into it. It’s also important for them to keep an open mind, and always remember that they are not always
Those who choose not to vaccinate their children are endangering the health of those unable to be vaccinated themselves, such as infants, pregnant people, and the immunocompromised, by jeopardizing community immunity. According to vaccine.gov, a federal government website managed by the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, community immunity or “herd immunity” occurs when “a critical portion of the community is immunized against a contagious disease, most members of the community are protected against that disease because there is little opportunity for an outbreak” (Community Immunity). An infographic featured in an NPR article entitled “How Vaccine Fears Fueled the Resurgence of Preventable Diseases” illustrated the rise in measles cases in Western Europe and of pertussis (whooping cough) cases in the U.S (Doucleff). In the first eight months of 2014, there were eighteen measles outbreaks, and six hundred cases of measles. This is incredibly dangerous because outbreaks give these diseases the opportunity to evolve and become resistant to vaccines, putting even vaccinated children at risk (Harmon). Parents making the decision not to vaccinate are doing so out of a place that all parents share: a desire to keep their children healthy. However, these anti-vaxxers are basing their decision not on
Oftentimes, parents feel hesitant when considering getting their child vaccinated. They question if it is actually safe and if the vaccine will even be as effective as doctors claim them to be. An article written for Vaccines: Your Best Shot at Good Health, states that “Vaccines work really well … most childhood vaccines produce immunity about 90 - 100% of the time,” (“Vaccines are Effective”). Using this evidence it can be said that there is a much greater chance of a vaccine being successful than it not being successful. Vaccines should be more specifically mandated in the United States for the safety of the nation.