Smallpox Vaccination Essay

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Vaccines are undoubtedly one of greatest medical developments in the health industry. The discovery of the smallpox vaccine by Edward Jenner in 1796 was a groundbreaking innovation to public health during the time of a great epidemic. The smallpox vaccination, after 200 years of medical and technological changes, 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 next centuries, vaccines will continue to save the lives of billions of people around the world. A recent report by the Centers of Disease Control (2014) confirms that “vaccines given to infants and young children over the past two decades will prevent 322 million …show more content…

There has been a recent public outcry about the mandating of vaccines in children. All fifty states have a set of required vaccines that a child should receive before they are allowed to enter into schools. Within the 50 states that have vaccine requirements, 48 have religious exemptions and only 20 have philosophical exemptions. In fact “as of 2009, the national average vaccination rate for required school entry vaccines was 95.41%” (CDC, 2007, p. 1). This angers parents who have chosen not to vaccinate their children because of religious beliefs or just with a non-religious stemming animosity against vaccinations. Therefore, society is being put in a critical situation; should vaccines become mandatory for …show more content…

The best way to combat disease is to stop it before it starts. Each year millions of people in the United States die from preventable ailments. According to the CDC (2014) 3.1% of all of those deaths stemming from infectious diseases which can be prevented with a simple vaccine (p. 1). Just as eating healthy and exercising are used to prevent obesity; vaccines should be used to prevent disease. “Vaccines contain the same antigens (or parts of antigens) that cause diseases. For example, measles vaccine contains measles virus. But the antigens in vaccines are either killed, or weakened to the point that they don’t cause disease. However, they are strong enough to make the immune system produce antibodies that lead to immunity” (CDC, 2014, p.1). By speeding up the body’s natural immune process the child gains prevention from the disease without having to go through the process of actually having the disease. To save time, energy, resources and human lives prevention of a disease through vaccines is the best choice. This can only be fulfilled through the implementation of mandatory

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