Vaccination is an important decision that parents need to make when their children are young. There are many opposing statements regarding this choice, and many voices favor vaccination as well. Vaccination came into being in the 19th century when Louis Pasteur first discovered the rabies vaccines and then on, rigorous research went into the study of immunology and protecting people from falling ill to life-threatening diseases. After the course of diseases was understood, scientists worked on making preventative measures for avoidance of these diseases. Vaccines have led to a great drop in the mortality rate over the past century however they are still scrutinized by many people and disfavored as well. However in spite of the opposition, it is important to get children vaccinated because of their life-saving and health-beneficent properties.
Vaccines have altered the course of human life. Ever since their administration has begun, they have led to a drop in the incidences of diseases and illness and many lives have been saved (Vaccines.gov.). There have been so many diseases in the past that have taken the lives of thousands of children in the past and have spread to far off areas. Polio is the example of one such disease which disabled and paralyzed many children and took away many lives before they could even fully bloom. “However today, because of vaccinations, polio has been cured and eliminated from all developed countries, purely because of vaccination” (Vaccines.gov.). This reveals that vaccination has been the sole cause of eliminating polio from developed countries. When more and more children were vaccinated, the incidences of polio decreased, and a larger population of children grew up polio-free (Vaccines.gov.).
On the other hand, parents that are against vaccination believe that vaccination is not all the time effective and diseases like polio have not been eradicated because they are still present in parts of Asia and Africa. (Sarah). Hence, their children are not completely free of the dangers vaccination can possess. “It is possible, according to them, that a vaccine might not be effective and their child might be pumped with useless chemicals for no reason” (Sarah). Parents, in this case, believe that vaccinations are not always useful, and they have no idea of their content, so their safety is not guaranteed.
However, it is not all true because scientists and doctors have approved that vaccination is utterly safe and very effective. Vaccines had begun to be administered to children after thorough research and consideration, and their effects have been studied vigorously. It is true that after vaccination, the child might experience an ache or tenderness at the site of injection and it might cause redness and discomfort for a while (Immunize for good ).Yet this temporary and short-lived pain and discomfort is nothing compared to the immeasurable pain and suffering a child might have to go through because of the disease he might procure because of not getting vaccinated (Immunize for good ). “There are several diseases such as measles and whooping cough that are still prevalent in the developed world and only because their incidence has decreased, parents have stopped their children from getting vaccinated” (Immunize for good).The only reason measles and whooping cough are still present in the developed world is due to the lack of vaccination amongst children. This is extremely dangerous and measles and recurs and infect a large group of people. So, the wise thing to do is to get vaccinated.
On the other hand, parents argue that not all vaccines are safe and reliable (Walia). Most of the parents believe that vaccines are simply chemicals and toxins that are unnecessary and can harm their child’s well-being. Ingredients such as MSG, phenol, yeast proteins, antibiotics, streptomycin, acetone and many others are used for making vaccines, and these are usually strained on animal’s body parts and blood which makes them highly dangerous to be administered to children. (SP 438). “Parents have their concerns regarding companies producing substandard vaccines that can harm their children because a company Merck, manufacturing the MMR vaccine was sued because it lied on the basis of its vaccine’s effectiveness. There are apprehensions that many other companies could be doing the same.” (SP 440) If one company could be manufacturing fake vaccinations, then other companies could be doing the same, and these apprehensions convince parents not to get their children vaccinated.
On the other hand, to think logically, vaccination is not all that harmful. The only reason why the developed world, as well as the developing world, is safe from many life-threatening diseases is because of their ability to produce vaccines to help their children be safe from diseases that kill people (Vaccines.gov.) There was a time when the common cold killed people. Today it is a rarity that someone would die of a cold. Chicken pox and measles were rampant; polio was common, and hepatitis would be spread far and wide if it weren’t for the sake of a vaccine. (Vaccines.gov.) It is true that due to a certain age and medical condition, some children cannot be vaccinated; however, this does not happen all the time. If a child can be vaccinated, families save up a lot of their time and money from by preventing illness in their family. “If unvaccinated children fall ill, they have to stay in quarantine, have to miss days of school, and their health has to suffer negatively.” (Vaccines.gov.). Not getting vaccinated at the right time can cause seasonal illnesses and they can affect the lives of children negatively because they need to be restricted to one place, so the illness does not spread.
On the other hand, parents blame vaccines for giving their children autism and other mental illness. Open claims have been made upon the aftereffects of vaccination, and one of them is to vaccinate young children and give them autism through vaccination. “While medical experts say vaccines don’t cause autism, parents believe they do.” (CDC). Many parents don’t believe that autism is a myth, and it can occur due to vaccination at the time of infancy. This concern arises from the ingredients used in vaccines, but currently, no link between autism and vaccination has been uncovered.
Hence, the tussle between vaccinating and not vaccinating is a strong one. Both the sides make good claims however matters need to be weighed in light of the benefits that a child might have from getting vaccinated or from not getting vaccinated. The solution to the problem is to visit a good medical expert and hear out the pros and cons of vaccination. Reading off the internet or listening to hearsay is not the correct method of decision making. Therefore, consulting a good medical expert and doing what is best in the interests of the child is the right call to make.
Work Cited
CDC. Vaccines do not cause autism. 2015. Web. 3 April 2016.
Immunize for good. Why Vaccinate? 2016. Web. 3 April 2016.
Sarah. Six reasons to say no to vaccination. The Healthy Home Economist. 2014. Web. 3 April,
2016.
SP, Calandrillo. Vanishing Vaccinations: Why are so many Americans opting out of vaccinating
their children? 353-440. 2004. Web. 3 April 2016.
Vaccines.gov. Five important reasons to vaccinate your child. N.d. Web. 3 April 2016.
Walia, Arjun. Top 6 reasons why parents are not choosing to vaccinate their children. Collective
Evolution. 2015. Web. 3 April 2016.
