Pro And Cons Of Vaccination

A young mother has just had her first child and is faced with the hard choice: does she vaccinate her child? A list of pros and cons runs through her head. “What if the vaccine actually gives my child the sickness? What if the vaccines saves my child’s life? How much will these vaccinations cost? Does this go against my religion?” Every mother must make the decision whether or not to vaccinate her child. Although it is not mandatory, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and highly skilled physician’s all recommend each child follows the immunization schedule set by the CDC (“Vaccines.gov.”). Children are susceptible to many of the illnesses/diseases while their immune system is still growing. Many of these illnesses are preventable with the

“A vaccine is a product that produces immunity from a disease and can be administered through needle injections, by mouth, or by aerosol. A vaccination is the injection of a killed or weakened organism that produces immunity in the body against that organism (“Vaccines.gov.”).” Some may ask, “Do vaccines even work?” The answer to that question is simple, yes. Vaccinations work to protect from disease 90% of the time (Murkoff). A common belief is that the sickness will just go away and there is no need for a vaccination. This is untrue because the disease/sickness is caused by germs, which will still be alive and causing people to be sick (“Vaccines.gov.”). Others may believe that most of the diseases that these vaccinations are covering are gone. Even though the numbers of diseases such as Measles, Mumps, Smallpox etc. are almost non-existent, they do still exist. The decreased number of these diseases is because a majority of children receive vaccinations as an infant (Murkoff). Some people also tend to think that vaccines are unsafe. The ingredients used in all FDA approved vaccines are safe for children and adults, and are used in small amounts (“Vaccines ProCon.org.”). Most people just need to be educated on the facts of vaccination before they make their

This specific method is known as “protecting the herd.” Although this helps with children or adults who may be unable to receive vaccinations because of poor health or other reasons, it is not something to count on (“Vaccines Procon.org.”). One reason the herd method is not reliable is due to the fact that as each person decides not to become vaccinated, the chances of each disease increases. Parents who believe in this way of thinking have a false sense of security, and it can only take one unvaccinated person to put many others at risk (Murkoff). People should not put their health safety into the hands of