To vaccinate or not to vaccinate that is the question. Vaccination has been a hot topic of debate among parents, naturopaths, medical professionals etc since to beginning of its development. Fuel has been added to the fire of the vaccine debate by the media and anti-vaxxer fear mongering tactics, making it hard for people, in particular parents considering vaccination, to decipher fact from fiction. It is important that we first understand the facts rather than believing the latest rumor before making an informed decision upon whether or not we agree with vaccines, and that is what i aim to do in this report. Through my research i have decided that i full heartedly agree with vaccination and believe that everyone who is able to should be vaccinated. …show more content…
Lets first start at the beginning, with the human immune system.
The human immune system is a complex network made up of tissues, proteins and special cells which aim to stop humans from becoming sick or infected from a germ, bacteria or virus. The immune system generally does its job very well and often as not we don't even know when we have been exposed to a germ of virus, however with certain viruses that we have had no previous exposure to, when we do come into contact with them our immune system can become overwhelmed resulting in us becoming sick. This is where vaccines come into the picture, they work by preparing the immune system for any possible exposure to a virus so that the immune system knows how to combat the foreign invader. An important cell when looking at the human immune system is the white blood cell [23] “which comes in two different basic types that combine to seek out and destroy disease causing organisms,” the two forms are phagocytes which destroy invading organisms and lymphocytes which essentially remember the invader so that the body is able to recognize it the next time the it is exposed to the invader and so the immune system will be able to respond faster. An overview; when the body is exposed to a virus the lymphocytes respond by producing antibodies which attach and destroy the antigen, these antibodies remain in the system so that the next time the antigen is encountered the antibodies are there and waiting to destroy it before infection
is caused. Vaccines prepare the body for potential exposure to viruses by injecting a weakened or dead form of the virus into the bloodstream so that infection does not occur but immunity is achieved. Antibodies will be produced and attack the weakened form of the virus destroying it without infection occurring as the form of the virus given in the vaccine is not a strong as the antigen that enters the body from natural infection. The antibodies will remain in the body and when exposure to the virus occurs the immune system will have a memory of how to fight it, due to the immunity caused by the vaccine, and more often than not infection will not occur. Now that we've got the biology, it is now time to understand the debate, and to do this we must first understand where people's doubts about vaccines lie and if they are valid or not. The main concerns people have about vaccines are that they are believed to be unsafe, ineffective and downright unnecessary
“Vaccinations are causing a major upsurge in childhood diseases, adult maladies, and even deadly ailments such as Gulf War Syndrome and Lou Gehrig’s disease” (Blaylock). Every now and then an individual’s doctor calls telling them about the latest vaccine they should receive. The person immediately schedules a time to come in and get it done. But do they even give a second thought about it? Have they ever thought that maybe they do not need another vaccination? Many people have not taken the time to seriously think about the process of immunization. The truth is, there are many dangers that the average person should be unaware of. Rarely do vaccines actually accomplish what the public has been told. In fact, a lot of vaccines contain harmful substances that have been linked to disorders such as autism. The lack of education and dishonesty from doctors are putting people in danger of health problems without even realizing. Many parents feel obligated for their children to get vaccinated because of school, not knowing they have the alternative option of refusing immunization.
The use of vaccinations has been a major topic in the news lately. The decision to or not to vaccinate your child is a decision that parents face each day. For some the decision is an easy one, a no-brainer. For others, it’s a very difficult one to make. People that are pro-vaccine believe that they are protecting their children and the future generations by vaccinating them against diseases that they could potentially get. People that are ant-vaccine believe that by choosing not to vaccinate, they are protecting their children and future generations from the serious side effects that they could potentially get from the vaccination.
Preventing serious infections by making a person immune to the infection is called immunization. This process is usually performed by the administration of a vaccine to stimulate the person’s immune system to protect them against a subsequent infection or disease. According to the World Health Organization (2016), more than 5 million deaths were prevented annually between 2010 and 2015 due to vaccinations that were used around the world. Vaccines work with the natural ability of the human immune system to develop immunity to fight disease. When a foreign infectious pathogen such as bacteria or a virus enters the body, it multiplies and becomes an infection and in many cases, this infection leads to an illness. To understand how vaccines
Who likes getting a shot? Shots are given from birth and continued through the elderly years. Shots are used to prevent all sorts of illnesses and diseases. However, there are risks and controversy involved. Arguably vaccines can help or hurt the individual. Time will tell the verdict of the discussion about whether vaccines will still be used.
Vaccines are made to mimic infections. For example, the influenza vaccine mimics the virus, but is a weakened form of it, making it difficult for the virus to reproduce or cause any serious damage. When the vaccine enters the body, T cells and B cells from the immune system begin to attack it and defend the rest of the body from the weakened virus. Not only are the T and B cells able to rid the body of the virus, some of the cells become memory cells. The memory cells then “teach” other cells how to fight of the virus. Because of this, when the body becomes infected with the real virus, the cells will know exactly how to protect the body from the virus (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
Many people come to the United States of America in order to live freely and make choices based on their personal morals. Considering the fact that America is known for being the “land of the free”, people should be able to choose whether or not they want to get vaccinated. People should have the right to reject vaccinations for whatever reason it may be, whether it’s religious beliefs, health concerns, or lack of belief in the vaccination systems. Personally, Vaccinations have benefited me and my health, and I choose to get vaccinated. I choose to get vaccinated because I strongly believe in a way it helps build my immune system and keeps me from getting sick or catching diseases. However, people have different beliefs than mine. Therefore
Most parents always want the best for their children. Sometimes there love for their children can cause a lack of judgment. In today’s society, one of the biggest controversies is vaccinating a child. Parents that advocate for vaccinating their children refer to those who chose not to vaccinate as terrible parents. To the parents who do not vaccinate children, you are not a bad parent you are just misinformed. Learning about vaccinations from reliable sources would cause you to understand why vaccinating your child is necessity.
To fully understand the reasoning, however fraudulent, behind the anti-vaccination movement, one must first know what a vaccine is and how it works. A typical vaccine works by introducing a small, weakened version of the target virus into the system of the vaccine receiver. The receiver then fights off the inferior version, preparing the white blood cells for future attacks. In theory, this creates an immunity to the target virus. Vaccines have been proven to be the most effective method in preventing viral diseases.
Those who actively pursue denying the rights of others while trying to further their cause lead to a hatred against their movement. Vaccines, while an important aspect in maintaining proper health they should not be absolutely mandatory. The choice of vaccination should be left to the parents, as it is their right to nurture and care for their kids as they see fit(Anthony). Furthermore, a governmental mandate on vaccination causes many issues, it denies rights to the parents, it denies right to the grown adults and it taxes those who don’t comply. This strategy is not a very American approach, it is a strict mandate, and order then to conform. This goes against the American concepts of individualism(Anthony), this concept is Communist. There are also many circumstances that mandatory vaccination neglects, this includes the civil liberties granted to all citizens by the first amendment, and the equal protection granted by the 13 amendment(US Constitution). There are many reasons why the idea of mandatory
The advancement of technology has changed our way of life, along with our life expectancy. Nowadays, people live a lot longer with the innovation of medicine and vaccinations. Vaccination has become a really important part of survival as it helps to prevent against deadly disease. Infants, as soon as they turn a couple of days old, are required to take certain vaccinations on their very first visit to the doctors. They help to prevent diseases that could potentially lead to death.
How would you feel if your child was to catch a deadly disease at school from another student that had not been vaccinated. For many years, vaccinations have been forced unto babies and smaller children to help prevent a future epidemic such as the ones from many centuries ago. Later within the years after vaccinations seem to have been proven effective and slightly popular, they became mandatory for a student to be vaccinated before being able to enroll into a school. Most parents went along with the new rule ,but there were still many parents that strongly disagreed and felt that it violated their liberty to make decisions for their child 's lives. I personally believe that vaccinations should be forced among students for reason such as: combat deadly diseases, suppress
Many new vaccines have been developed by companies whose interest is in the well-being of children is in question. Consequently, since 1950 over 29 vaccinations have been added to the list of recommended vaccinations children need by age. Children are now receiving 6 rounds of 6 vaccinations by the age of 6. With the seemingly increased rate in complications related to immunizations, many parents are questioning the benefit of vaccinations for their children. There are claims of vaccines causing autism which led to a huge movement to change the vaccination schedule. With this movement, others fear parents will opt to not vaccinate their children causing diseases to make themselves prevalent again. From polling parents, many support mandatory
Vaccines are becoming increasingly hazardous for many children and parents are not being informed about the safety of their children. Current reports are linking vaccines to serious life-threatening disorders such as asthma, autism, immune system dysfunction, and mental retardation (Williams). These recent revelations are causing an increasing amount of people to claim religious and medical exemptions from vaccines. From 1999 to 2006, exemptions have more than doubled from 9,722 to 24,919 (Cronin). It is very clear that vaccinations are posing many problems for parents everywhere. Each day researchers are finding out about vaccines and are realizing that there are a lot more risks than benefits. Dr Phillip F. Incao explains: “Today, far more children suffer from allergies and other chronic immune system disorders than from life-threatening infectious disease. It is neither reasonable nor prudent to persist in presuming that the benefits of any vaccination outweigh its risk” (qtd in Spaker). While infectious diseases are becoming uncommon there is no need for any person to get vaccinated.
According to World Book Advanced Encyclopedia, immunization is defined as the process of protecting the body against disease by means of vaccines or serums (Hinman). While medical science backs up the efficiency and necessity of vaccines, within the past decade, a rise in parents disbelieving the medical community and neglecting to immunize their children has occurred. This “fear of vaccines” is nothing new, but with the ever-increasing safety of vaccines, the benefits of inoculation far outweigh the risks. Parents who refuse to vaccinate, or anti-vaxxers, put more than their children’s lives on the line, but also risk the safety of the whole community. Because vaccines are essential to protecting individuals and communities
Each year, approximately 3 million people die from vaccine-preventable diseases, about 2.3 million are children. Millions of children die each year from something that their parents could have prevented. Vaccinations have been scientifically proven effective in preventing and eliminating many diseases. Yet only about 72.2% or children get the recommended 7-vaccine series of shots (Centers for Disease Control). Vaccines should be required for children because they protect the community from deadly diseases, boost the economy, and have eliminated many diseases that could come back.