Why Should Vaccines Save Lives?

Vaccines save lives; fear endangers them. Immunizations have been used since the 18th century to cure various deadly diseases, from smallpox to the influenza virus. On a global level, vaccination is one of the few cost-effective medical measures that result in universal benefit. Still, there have always been people opposed to vaccinations because of possible side effects. With the increase in technology and the ability to share ideas in modern society, the anti-vaccine movement has flourished, making the eradication of disease and safety of the public a difficult task. The anti-vaccine movement in the United States is one which brings about a very serious issue of safety. Vaccinations are put in place to protect people; they are administered

Claiming that society saw decreases in disease not because of vaccination, but because of changes in health habits or societal changes. Supporters look at diseases and claim that, “Thanks to better hygiene, sanitation and nutrition, the rates of infection had already plummeted”. Supporters of the anti-vaccine movement claimed “instead of preventing disease, the vaccines caused it”. The CDC reports, with an inactivated vaccine, infection is not possible. Dead viruses do not cause disease. With live vaccines, some children get what appears to be a mild case of disease (for example, what looks like a measles or chickenpox rash, but with only a few spots). This isn’t harmful, and can actually show that the vaccine is working. Another argument for anti-vaccination is that vaccines expose children to toxins. Although this is true, the amount of toxins actually introduced to the body is not significant enough to be considered dangerous. Even water can be toxic, when given a large enough dose. But at a very low dose, even a highly toxic substance can be safe. For example, many adults have one of the most toxic substances known to humanity, Botox, injected into their face to reduce wrinkles. People are exposed to toxins every day in small amounts, such as: mercury, Formaldehyde, and Aluminium. People also misinterpret the actual ingredients in vaccines, which leads to irrational fears about side effects and toxins

The outbreak, which originated in Disneyland, California at the end of 2014 has 141 new measles cases this year across 17 states and almost 650 cases last year. These numbers drastically differ from the estimated 70 cases per year between the years 2000 to 2012. The virus was spread by what the CDC has claimed, as a single individual who brought measles over to California from a trip outside the country and infected people once there. This is an example of how vaccination is not just to prevent oneself from disease but protect others as well. Inoculation could have prevented many of these people from getting sick if not all of them if the person who first contracted the disease was vaccinated. A study by the CDC shows that a person is 35 times more likely to contract measles if they are not vaccinated. The more people who are unvaccinated the easier it is for the measles virus to spread exponentially until it cannot be controlled. This event, although being controlled could foreshadow future outbreaks of people are not