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Essays on the history of childhood vaccines
What are the negative effects of vaccinations
Pros and cons of human vaccinations
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America looks at disease as a war. Illness is the enemy, vaccinations are the weapons, and the unfortunate cost is that some innocent civilians may lose their lives. A vaccine is a substance used to provide immunity against a disease. In some cases, vaccines have done more harm than good. Ignoring this fact, vaccines are mandatory in every state, and some states are trying to take away the parent’s right to deny them. The disadvantages, diseases, and disabilities caused by vaccines justify the parent’s right to decide against the risk of vaccination. The extent of adverse reactions to vaccines is crippling. Every year, there are more than 20,000 vaccine adverse reaction reports that are filed with the US government (Merino 17). 13% are classified as serious, including death, lifelong disability or life-threatening illness (“Vaccines ProCon”). Considering that almost all Americans are vaccinated makes these numbers seem less significant. However, it is estimated that less than ten percent of adverse reactions are reported (“National Vaccine…”). This means that over 200,000 people in America are possibly affected in a negative way by vaccines per year. These negative reactions can range from minor to life-threatening, and even death. One of the most common vaccinations is for chickenpox. Some of the many reactions known to occur with this vaccine include: fevers, allergic responses, deafness, convulsions, paralysis, death, learning disabilities, epilepsy, mental retardation, and behavior disorders (Neustaedtr 37). Another common and mandatory vaccine is for measles, mumps and rubella; also known as the MMR vaccine. The list of side effects for this vaccine includes: encephalitis, meningitis, autism, subacute sclerosin panencephali... ... middle of paper ... ... today, there will be no limit on which individual freedoms the state can take away in the name of the greater good tomorrow,” (“National Vaccine…”). Although this is an extremist view, it has a simple truth to it: America is a free country, which should guarantee that parents would have the freedom to choose against vaccination. Vaccines have many disadvantages, which justify a parent’s right to chose if they want to take the risk of vaccinating their child or not. The leader of a family, not the leader of a nation, should make this choice. The diseases and disabilities caused by vaccines are too substantial to ignore. More solid, long-term research should be done before they are deemed safe and mandatory. The innocent civilians who lost their lives in this war against disease are the biggest reasons of why the weapons of choice, vaccines, should be reevaluated.
In the Frontline episode The Vaccine War, a progressively distressful debate ensues among many scientists and doctors within the public health system and an unnerving alliance of parents, politicians, and celebrities. The topic of debate is the overwhelming pressure parents feel to vaccinate their children and their right to decline such vaccinations. In several American neighborhoods, groups of parents have been exercising their right to refuse vaccinations, which has elevated anxiety on the return of vaccine-preventable diseases such as pertussis and measles. The reason such parents are denying their children various vaccines such as the MMR “triple shot” for measles, mumps, and rubella is because they are convinced that it is linked to autism, a link that has yet to be proven. Many of these parents are focused solely on their children, not taking into account that their decision may put the American populace at risk for disease. Such parents are not thinking about other members of society that vaccines don’t work for, and in certain adolescents the effects deteriorate, thus only when every person is immunized the “heard immunity” is successful.
The simple injections have potential to save thousands of lives every year and they are making the world a safer place. Vaccines can help create an environment where children are not receptive to disease which would have taken lives in previous decades, and for the general population to be healthy, and to keep children safe from illness and disease people should vaccinate themselves. Throughout my research for vaccinations, I didn’t realize the many stances parents could support. I knew previously before researching that many parents didn’t agree with the idea of giving their child a vaccination that could possible cause an issue that wasn’t present before. Although, I always supported vaccinations strictly because of scientific facts; when I read about the many reasons why parents didn’t it was a shock and ultimately overwhelmingly disappointing. Mainly, because it seems like parents are only looking at the few effects vaccinations could have on a child. Overall, I believe that everyone should be vaccinated, not only to help themselves but to help the public from outbreaks that can easily occur if the anti-vaccination movement continues and makes
Through the years, controversy has surrounded vaccinations such as, whether or not they have harmful side-affects, are a government scheme, or simply unnecessary. Parents today have a choice whether or not to vaccinate their children, but should vaccinations be choice? By mandating vaccinations, fewer people are likely to contract diseases. Although vaccines have been subject to scrutiny, vaccines have worked for many years, are not harmful, and use safe ingredients.
Some of the most fatal and dangerous diseases known to the human race are measles, polio, and diphtheria. Before the 1900s, these diseases caused communities to live in fear as they went about their daily activities. Since then, vaccines have been a solution created to prevent people from acquitting these horrendous sicknesses. “In the 20th and 21st centuries, many people in the United States have not personally encountered some of the diseases that are now vaccine-preventable” (p. 132). However, even with a major advancement in medicine, there are still children all across the United States that are being deprived of life saving vaccinations. The universal vaccination dilemma causes moral principles such as beneficence and justice to be debated continuously in regards to how nurses provide care to patients.
Many anti vaccine parents say that they are worried that their children will be adversly affected by the harmful side effects of the vaccine. Some even believe it can cause mental illness in children such as attention defecate disorder or autism, but this is simply not the case. Most vaccinated children will show no side effects, but as Cathy Campbell of The Ottawa Citizen states, occasionally “high fever, cough, runny nose, sore eyes, sore mouth and widespread skin rash are symptoms, and take about 10 days to recover”. If you compare these uncommon symptoms to those of the diseases their being vaccinated against, it would be a small price to pay in comparison to the symptoms of polio or the
One of the many reasons people do not get vaccinated is because of the side effects caused by various vaccinations. “54 percent of parents were concerned about the serious adverse effect of vaccines” (Heyworth). Some side effects may include bowel blockage, long-term seizures, permanent brain damage and comas. Two out of every 20,000 babies get these side effects (“Should Any Vaccines be Required for Kids?”). There are also kids who cannot get
The American people have rights, and one of those rights is to decide what we want administered into our bodies. I think it is very important to educate others on the risks of vaccines so that they can decide what is fit for them. I also want to bring awareness to the difficulties people face to keep vaccines out of their bodies and their children’s bodies. It should not be a struggle. We have rights to our own bodies and we should not be treated any differently for choosing not to vaccinate. I do not get the flu shot, nor do I get every new shot thrown my way by doctors, and I am perfectly healthy. In fact, I rarely get sick. I depend on natural immunity and other natural means for my health, and that works great. (“Vaccines ProCon.org.”) Barbara Low Fisher, Co-founder of National Vaccine Information Center, stated, "If the State can tag, track down and force citizens against their will to be injected with biological products of known and unknown toxicity today, there will be no limit on which individual freedoms the State can take away in the name of the greater good
Protecting Our Communities: Why Vaccines Should be Mandatory For Parents, hearing their children cry is like a stab to their heart. The restless nights are full of anguish for the parents, and pain for a child with measles. This disease, and many like it, can be completely eradicated simply by allowing children to get vaccinated. Throughout history, plagues and diseases have jeopardized civilizations and cultures. Modern medicine now provides protection against these diseases; it is a shame some parents still refuse this life saving aid.
While apparently not too common, some consumers have told of numerous detrimental factors of being vaccinated. For some users, vaccinations can cause serious, harmful conditions. Approximately 1,400 people file vaccine adverse reactions reports with the CDC per year. 5,000 of these reports caused emergency room visits, and some were lethal. There are also many diseases that have been linked to vaccination. Diabetes, Autism, Thrombocytopenia, Arthritis, Encephalitis, Guillian-Barre syndrome, Hemophilia, Influenza, Hepatitis B, neurological disorders, paralysis, and death are just some of the many diseases that have been related. One report is the story of
While it is true that there are many possible side effects, most are not harmful, and all have a minute possibility of happening. ProCon.org examines a list of pros and cons of vaccinations, and among them is: “the most common side effect of vaccines, anaphylaxis (a severe allergic reaction), occurs in one per several hundred thousand to one per million vaccination” and that the most severe happen so rarely, they are not proven to actual side effects (“Should Vaccines Be Required For Children?”). The deterrent from taking a vaccine should not be from the side effects as the lethal ones are not scientifically proven to be true side effects from them happening so rarely. Science has proven vaccines to be a low risk. Furthermore, the CDC has done research on vaccines and autism. In 2013, there was a study done by the CDC that concluded that when comparing the number of antigens, it was the same in autistic and non-autistic children (CDC). Moreover, there have been nine studies since 2003 on whether mercury-containing vaccinations or the MMR are causing autism, and the results showed no link, as well (CDC). Though there are those who argue that their child got autism from a vaccine, there have been multiple investigations to prove otherwise; the real reason is that symptoms of autism start to show around the time children get the MMR vaccination. With this in mind, it is clear that vaccines are in
Vaccines are a very controversial topic in America today. Americans are concerned with the problems that can arise from both being vaccinated and remaining unvaccinated. Both sides can have serious health risks and complications that can affect not only the person being vaccinated or abstaining from the vaccination, but also people in the surrounding community of said person who can be afflicted with strands of diseases that are almost eradicated across the globe and especially non-existent in first world countries that can come back and ravage a community that has no antibodies against it. Although that fact should not take away from the real personal damage vaccines can do to your body.
Vaccines used to be considered a normal part of childhood, like restroom training, and teaching children how to brush their teeth. Unfortunately, nowadays, vaccines have become a very major issue because parents do not want their children to be vaccinated due to safety concerns. Most of these concerns come from information they have acquired from social media or from friends. This seems crazy, considering the fact that vaccines prevent more than two point five million deaths each year. While others may argue that vaccines can cause serious side effects, vaccines should be mandatory because they can save children’s lives, save other people around them, and help rid the world of diseases.
In the two centuries that vaccinations have been available, over a dozen of what used to be the most common infectious disease have practically been eliminated. Diphtheria, polio and smallpox have been completely eradicated with H. Influenza, Hepatitis A and B, Measles, Mumps, Pertussis, Tetanus and Rubella in a close second (Culp-Ressler). There has been an abundant amount of disagreement over the ethics, morality, safety and effectiveness of vaccinations, especially in children. Every parent is worried for their child’s health; however, this fear can go in numerous directions. While some parents are convinced that vaccines have been created to prevent the human-to-human transmitted disease, others are confident that it’s the vaccinations
This is not too convincing due to the fact that it says “may be associated with” because there is not real proof, but it is a speculation. Something that is alarming for me and should be alarming for you is that the Center for Disease Control and Protection has an entire page dedicated to the many possible side effects of vaccinations. In this case it is important to weigh the possible side effects with the positive benefits of being vaccinated. All of this enthralling data and facts can show us that vaccines can cause serious or sometime fatal side effects. As we develop our thoughts about the serious and sometimes fatal reactions that can occur from vaccines we must also look at the ingredients that these vaccines contain. Regarding the harmful ingredients found in vaccines, the American Academy of Pediatrics published a policy, Aluminum Toxicity in Infants and Children, that said too much “Aluminum can cause neurological harm” (AAP2). There were tests conducted that proved that there was neurological brain impairment because of aluminum in the
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