To vaccinate or not to vaccinate

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Around America, there has been a resurgence of preventable disease which is mostly due to the lack of vaccinations. Americans are inundated with pseudoscience, outdated information, or propagated internet myths that instill fear of vaccines. All too often, people believe that what they read on the internet is the absolute the truth without considering the lack of credibility. Parents hastily jump to a conclusion without acknowledging the repercussion they are choosing for their child and loved ones; unnecessary disease, unforeseen medical costs, and threatening communities. Modern medicine has gifted Americans with vaccinations, but has lead us to be unable to comprehend the economic and social impact of disease. The average American has not seen the damage of a serious disease can cause. Not vaccinating makes someone unnecessarily susceptible to serious illnesses and diseases that most of the population has only seen in history books. Moreover, common vaccines include immunity against diseases that most U.S. citizens have not even heard of. Diphtheria, a cause of premature death in children, has been virtually eliminated from America for ten years, but people fail to analyze the cause of this success.Vaccines are attributed to the disappearance of Diphtheria and many other diseases. Vaccinations not only save lives, reduce pain, suffering and disability; they save money. When an unvaccinated child becomes sick, they are rushed to the Emergency Department where doctors are required to run a slew of tests; urine, blood, chest x-ray and the most extreme, a lumbar puncture. These medical procedures turn into piles of bills is not usually considered when choosing not to vaccinate. Some vaccine-preventable diseases can result in lifel... ... middle of paper ... ...etracted. Since this infamous scandal there was not been a scientific study that proves a positive correlation between Autism and vaccinations. The onset of Autism and the schedule of vaccines share the same age, which causes anti-vaccine advocates to believe that this is proof of causation when it is merely a coincidence. There are side effects of vaccinations, although minimal, they far outweigh the alternative. A world without disease seems like nothing but a dream or an unanswered prayer. We have started making strides toward public health, but we will not be successful until we have eradicated all diseases. I would challenge anti-vaccine advocates to look past their blogs and seek advice and evidence from scientific studies and medical professionals. Understanding the effects of making this personal decision has effects that influence communities and nations.

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