Many parents ask, are vaccines safe for my child? I am one of those parents but the more research that I have done, has put wondering thoughts to rest. Many parents believe that vaccinations are linked to the causes of autism, multiple sclerosis, asthma and many other health problems. Although many parents have legitimate reasoning to not have their children receive vaccines, there are more pros than cons to receiving the vaccines. In rare cases children have became sick after immunizations, some life threatening.
Further downsides to receiving exemptions are that parents may have a hard time getting their child into certain schools, and pediatricians have been known to deny care to an unvaccinated child (Null and Feldman). One argument in support of vaccines is that once received, the child’s immune system is strengthened, and the next time the child comes into contact with that particular disease he/she will be able to fight against it. However, studies have shown that disease outbreaks still occur in fully vaccinated areas. Dr. William Atkinson, an epidemiologist for the CDC, when examining a large measles outbreak, admi... ... middle of paper ... ...e this potentially risky decision after weighing the pros and cons. Parents, not the state, are the ones who will have to live with the consequences of this decision.
The decline in the disease has been attributed to vaccinations and their high success rate. According to ‘Childhood Vaccinations are Important for Public Health”, “by vaccinating we will make sure these 14 diseases will not become everyday events for our children...”. There are quite a few reasons why parents do not vaccinate their children. Some believe that it will cause harm to their children because of rumors. Vaccinations are not as dangerous as people make them seem, but not getting vaccinated is.
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 are a controversial topic. While there are many benefits to getting vaccinated, there are also some concerns. The benefits include immunization against many deadly diseases, debilitating diseases, and other simply annoying diseases. The concerns include everything from fears about vaccines causing autism, feeling they aren’t necessary for what they cost, and contracting the disease from the vaccines. While certain concerns may be valid, others are much less so, and will be examined and explained why I would choose to vaccinate my child.
And if a child were still to get the disease after they are vaccinated, the symptoms would normally be way less serious than the symptoms in a child that didn’t get vaccinated. Why would parents opt against getting their child’s vaccinations, even in the face of the measles outbreak that has sickened more than 102 people in 14 states? Simply because trust in the government or the lack thereof and also misinformation. Your pediatrician believes that your children need to receive all of the recommended vaccines. Although sitting there through your child’s vaccination meltdown can be just as painful for you as it is them and the fear of these routine vaccines doing more harm than good, choosing to vaccinate children has led to 93% to 100% elimination of many childhood diseases in the U.S. (Vaccines.gov).
There are many people that believe that immunizations should not be mandatory in the United States becuase they contain harmful ingredients and they are unencessary for small illnesses that children receive. According to the article “Vaccine Ingredients- A Comprehensive Guide”, “Vaccines contain harmful ingredients. Some physicians believe thimerosal, an organic mercury compound found in trace amounts in one flu vaccine for children and other vaccines for adults, is linked to autism” (VaxTruth). Vaccines are very harmful do to their ingredients. Many of their ingredients are thought to be linked to mental conditions like autism.
They fear that vaccinations will cause severe and permanent damage in the natural immune system. They also think that the immune system is never allowed to grow if they become too reliant on the medicine. A heath website has an article called, Vaccines: What They Are and Why Your Child Needs Them that states, “Vaccines are generally quite safe. The protection provided by vaccines far outweighs the very small risk of serious problems. Vaccines have made many serious childhood diseases rare today” (Editorial Staff).
“Vaccinations are only given to children after a long and careful review by scientists, doctors and healthcare professionals” (“Five Important Reasons”). Some vaccines do have minimal side effects; however, this is minor compared to the pain, discomfort, and suffering that vaccine-preventable disease may
There may be some side effects to some of the vaccinations, but it is not worth risking not vaccinating them. It is unsafe to assume that herd immunity will wipe out the risk of catching the disease as so many parents today are not having their child vaccinated. I feel that it is a good idea that under most circumstances, vaccination against infectious diseases should be made compulsory for all children. In a situation when a child is more likely to react very badly to a particular vaccine, alternative methods could be used. But I feel it important that children of today are all immunised so that, in the future, hopefully, such diseases would not be a threat to the children of tomorrow.