The washing of hands and practicing good personal, home, and public hygiene may prevent a cold, but not a deadly disease. Daily activities and drinking tea can ensure great results for the body and mind,but it does not work as well when it comes to the immune system. Human bodies have evolved over time to stop certain deformities naturally and scientifically. The discovery of medicine has saved millions of lives since its beginning. Why would taking a small dose of aspirin vouch differently than preventing a deadly illness? In the United States, the government should require all necessary vaccinations for every citizen. In the United States, studies have shown that “every year, three million people die from vaccine-preventable diseases, half of them pertaining to children under five” (Smuskiewicz).
Because of the child/guardian policy and the age that most vaccines are administered, children can not make their own decisions towards the vaccines. The parents of a child need to decide very early on in their life Aif they will require vaccinations to prevent them from succumbing to a disease that could prevent sickness or death. Although the protocol for enrolling children in school and the number of vaccinations they must receive abides to basic rules and regulations, “forty-eight states do allow religious exemptions, and twenty allow philosophical exemptions” (Lemons).
This leads to a statewide average of twenty-six states not reporting to meet a government target or 95% coverage for measles, mumps, and rubella – the three most common preventable diseases by vaccination. Many parents and guardians do not have a religious exemption, just the thought that a vaccine may cause side effects – more specifically autism. “57% of parents that choose not to vaccinate have stated that their man fear is the false pretense that autism will develop in their child” (Lemons).
In 1998, a man named Andrew Wakefield had published a paper that supposedly linked autism to the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine. The paper eventually proved false, of course, in 2011 which lead to his three-dozen charges of fraud, ethical violations, and scientific misinterpretation. No medically accurate studies have shown a direct correlation of the development of autism through vaccines. In some occasions, parents are unsure about the benefits of vaccines due to the Internet’s exposure to the negative side effects that rarely occur, while others pose the “individual rights” standpoint. In reality, vaccine’s sole and successful purpose is to effectively fight, prevent, and completely eradicate infectious diseases as well as promote widespread immunity. Because of this, it has been proven beneficial to start vaccinating people at a young age as well as mandate the requirement of children getting vaccinated in order to enter schools.
Therefore, even though it may seem as an infringement of individual rights, it is advisable for children to get vaccinated because they have been proven to save lives, protect everyone from the exposure of diseases, and protect future generations. With the increase of distribution of vaccines, fatalities associated with “common” diseases like the flu are now preventable. Programs have since developed that have contributed directly to an increase of childhood immunization to protect babies and adolescents such as the Disease Control and Prevention Program since 2014. Sadly, there have been multiple stories of children passing away not only because of their decisions to not vaccinate, but affecting others who have became ill and died simply because they were too young to receive a shot and were around a non-vaccinated person. Babies too young to receive vaccinations have sadly succumbed to illnesses such as whooping cough.
Vaccinations can sometimes not be safe for children to receive at such a young age, which is why hospitals for checkups can be such a dangerous place. If someone within the vicinity had a disease the child had not been vaccinated for, they could get incredibly ill in a short amount of time which ultimately leads to death for most cases. Commonly, people against vaccinations will not do in depth research and come up with something outdated or just incorrect. Some misconceptions of vaccinations are quite easily proved false. Some in the anti-vax movement claim that the MMR vaccinations has or had mercury is it.
However, for as long as that vaccine has been around, there has never and will never contain mercury. The Hep B vaccine, however, is always a big discussion point. Yes, Hepatitis B is a sexually transmitted disease, but it can also be transmitted via direct contact with the blood or open sores of another infected individual. An unvaccinated child who is infected will be more likely to develop a chronic infection, which can lead to liver cancer and other serious complication. Many are afraid when large complex medical terms are inserted into vaccinations. There are always trace amounts of formaldehyde, squalene, and thimerosal.
Human bodies produce these three chemicals naturally on the daily and any extreme small amount injected will do nothing to harm someone. To conclude, vaccines should be administered to any and every child within the United States. There is too much evidence that proves that vaccines are not harmful and only helpful. Citizens who are pro-vaccination should influence anti-vaxxers to take a step back and look at all the true facts and research. Many may be surprised of the little side effects it has on an individual.
Works Cited
- ‘Cdc Fact Sheet on Non-Vaccination (2009).’ Issues: Understanding Controversy and Society, ABC-CLIO, 2018, issues.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1671734. Accessed 19 Oct. 2018.
- Lemons, Jane Fullerton. ‘Vaccine Controversies.’ CQ Researcher Online, 19 Feb. 2016, library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre2016021900. Accessed 19 Oct. 2018.
- ‘Vaccine Controversies.’ CQ Researcher Online, 19 Feb. 2016, library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre2016021900. Accessed 19 Oct. 2018.
- Orient, Jane M. ‘Deadly Choices: How the Anti-Vaccine Movement Threatens Us All.’ Academic OneFile, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A267810789/AONE?u=pl2552&sid=AONE&xid=ca1b69f4. Accessed 19 Oct. 2018.
- ‘Deadly Choices: How the Anti-Vaccine Movement Threatens Us All.’ Academic OneFile, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A267810789/AONE?u=pl2552&sid=AONE&xid=ca1b69f4. Accessed 19 Oct. 2018.
- Smuskiewicz, A.J. ‘Anti-Vaccination Movement.’ Issues: Understanding Controversy and Society, ABC-CLIO Solutions, 2018. Accessed 18 Oct. 2018.
- ‘Anti-Vaccination Movement.’ Issues: Understanding Controversy and Society, ABC-CLIO Solutions, 2018. Accessed 18 Oct. 2018.
