Smallpox Vaccination Essay

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Vaccines are undoubtedly one of the greatest medical developments in the health industry. The discovery of the smallpox vaccine by Edward Jenner was a groundbreaking innovation in public health during the time of the great epidemic. The smallpox vaccination, successfully eradicated the infectious disease that threatened the lives of people around the world. This was only the beginning of the new era of healthcare. Within the years, new vaccines helped save the lives of billions of humans yearly preventing them from disease that would have ended their lives. A recent report by the Centers of Disease Control (2014) confirmed that “vaccines given to infants and young children over the past two decades will prevent 322 million illnesses, 21 million …show more content…

Vaccines. As of Feb. 1, 2009, over 5,500 cases alleging a causal relationship between vaccinations and autism have been filed under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program in the United States Court of Federal Claims. Vaccines contain hazardous ingredients can cause brain inflammation, which can lead to disorders such as autism. “The vaccine additive thimerosal (found in most pre-1999 vaccines) has been associated specifically with the development of autism and is still found in certain meningococcal, tetanus, and flu vaccines such as the H1N1 vaccine” (Institute for Vaccine Safety, 2009, p. 1). Thimerosal is one of the many hazardous ingredients found in the flu vaccine and has been under public scrutiny for its linkage to autism. The additive contains mercury and when exposed to humans at high level can cause major health concerns including autism. Though the use of thimerosal has been eliminated in most vaccines it is still a prevalent ingredient in the flu vaccine, which people are urged to receive each year. The link to autism is growing stronger each time a child is vaccinated. To stop the influx of autistic children should gain immunity through natural process and not rely on vaccines to do the job the body does

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