The Pros And Cons Of Vaccine

Many medical professionals state that the vaccine has been one of the best medical advances to have ever been created. The invention of the vaccine has eradicated polio from the U.S. and has rendered smallpox completely extinct. Every year it is estimated that children adhering to the vaccination schedule prevent 42,000 deaths and twenty million infections (Timmer). Still, though, the rates of intentionally unvaccinated children are on the rise. Parents are fueled by fears that vaccines are not safe and are guided to opt out of the vaccination schedule based on misinformation. Regardless of the wrong information spread among parents, parents should not refrain from vaccinating their children because vaccines are a safe and effective way to protect against diseases.

Opponents of immunization from vaccines date back to the making of the vaccine itself; however these early opponents used religious beliefs to drive their point. When smallpox was an epidemic in the 1700s, it was discovered that the cowpox disease could create immunity to smallpox. However gruesome smallpox was, though, opponents there still were. The anti-vaccinators would cite passages from the Bible to make their case – most specifically Job 2:7, which states, “So went forth from the presence of the Lord and smote Job with boils, from the sole of his foot, unto his crown!” It was believed smallpox was a form of “divine judgment” and that inoculation, and vaccine, scars were “the mark of the beast”(Mnookin 25).

Although there were opponents, there will always be those that tote in favor for the vaccination. In fact, a Puritan minister preached that inoculation was a “gift from God”. Eventually, due to rigorous vaccination programs and adherence to the vaccination p...

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