Throughout the United States, infant vaccination continues to be a highly controversial and pressured decision that parents must face upon their child’s birth. In order to maintain complete objectivity, multiple viewpoints must be critically analyzed and explored in an unbiased manner; therefore, I will examine the positives and negatives regarding adolescent vaccinations, provide general viewpoints and solutions to the debate about which infants should receive vaccinations, and supply the data required to support the arguments relevant to each side. The first viewpoint suggests that infant vaccinations should be heavily regulated due to alleged medical ramifications and adverse side effects. Many Americans support this ideology, including parents and various physicians who firmly believe that infant vaccinations induce medical complications instead of preventing them. The second viewpoint is known as selective vaccination, which is a supported by most American parents and various doctors, who affirm that parents deserve the right of authority over their child because the child’s best interest trumps obligatory immunization. The third viewpoint suggests that some U.S. parents and medical professionals advocate mandatory vaccination in order to protect infants from illnesses; thus, ultimately striving for widespread public health.…
This article discusses the controversy of vaccines in American society. From the source of the ideas that caused the issues to the discredit of the person who “poisoned the well”, this article was very thorough. Ms. Lemmons has experience as a freelance writer on well documented topics and has provided her work to several well known publishers. This article was intended for the educated person exploring the rumors of vaccinations benefit being outweighed by the risk. The author is very neutral in her writing. I appreciate her stance and use of fact to support her claims. Stating only the fact that can be documented…
Immunization is still controversial as of today. There are so many questions and scenarios why parents are delaying or skipping vaccinations for their children. According to Gardner, the top 8 reasons are: the severe allergic reaction to a previous vaccine (i.e. allergic reaction that almost never happen but can happen such as hives, difficulty breathing, or low blood pressure and common side effects), egg allergy (e.g. flu shots and measles virus), high fever, asthma or lung conditions (i.e. might cause asthma flare), high-dose steroids (e.g. corticosteroid medication), immunodeficiency or chemotherapy, HIV-positive, and someone at home is sick. Parents are concerns about the safety of the vaccines because it causes side effects (e.g. soreness, redness, swelling in the area of the shot or low grade…
As a parent my main concern is my childrens health. There has been an increased interest in vaccine safety over the past decade as opposed to the 1980’s. There has been many successful results from vaccines. The introduction and widespread use of vaccines have profoundly affected the occurrence of several infectious diseases. For example smallpox has been eliminated with the last naturally occurring case in 1977, and the vaccination against smallpox stopped. Poliomyelitis is another disease near elimination with a the last case occurring in 1979. Vaccinating your children and yourself is important, because of the existing continuous threats of…
One of the controversial/hot topics or issues nowadays in health care in the US and the world as a whole is vaccination. The main purpose of vaccines is to control and prevent communicable diseases. The target is to vaccinate about 99 percent of the population. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “about 1.5 million children under age 5 years continue to die annually from diseases that are preventable via the administration of vaccines, making up approximately 20 percent of overall childhood mortality” (Maternal and Child Health, n.d). The WHO continues to argue with evidence that vaccination can prevent death from pneumonia and diarrhea which are the leading cost of death among children under five years old. Although vaccination…
I am impacted by this debate in many ways, but the main one being that my parents happen to be on opposite side when it comes to this topic. Before writing this essay I was for vaccines. Mainly because I believe that it is best to make sure you are ensuring you are taking the best care of yourself, and I think that vaccines help with that. My opinion is still relatively the same. Although I have read about some of the side effects and other arguments from those whom are against vaccines, I still believe that they are worth the potential risks. I think that they have caused a lot more good than harm and that's important to…
Imagine living with smallpox, rabies, polio, and other fatal diseases running rampant. Imagine the fear instilled in daily life because of those diseases and that there are no cures or prevention methods. Fortunately, we live in a time with vaccinations. Vaccines save millions of lives each year, have eradicated smallpox disease, and substantially lessened the chance of contracting other diseases. Vaccines are considered to be one of the greatest medical achievements. However, whether to vaccinate or not is a steadily growing debate, as there are no US federal laws mandating vaccination, certain vaccines are required for public school with a few exemptions, parents ultimately have the choice whether to vaccinate or not. Although, vaccinations…
People are current taking action against vaccinations and joining the anti-vaccination movement. Although research proves anti-immunization increases disease rates, parents stand firm in their believe that their children should not be vaccinated. This paper briefly discusses the reasoning behind their notion and the substantial fact about vaccinations. It then provides facts behind their judgment and consequences of…
First what is a vaccine? “vaccine-A substance used to stimulate the production of antibodies and provide immunity against one or several diseases, prepared from the causative agent of a disease. It’s products, or a synthetic substitute. treated to act as an antigen without inducing the disease”(dictionary.com). As you know parents aren't vaccinating their children and it’s becoming a major problem or is it.…
Orna Izakson explains the risks and benefits of being vaccinated in an article of Your Health. She answers questions that some parents have today regarding vaccines being safe and what health problems they may cause in children. Can vaccines cause autism? What adverse side effects come with vaccines that contain thimerosal? Before reading this article I agreed with the parents and scientists that questioned the safety of vaccinating children. With all the questions and concerns that parents seem to have about vaccines, I have found that there are many articles that can either help ease their mind about vaccinating or give them the opportunity to elect not to vaccinate their children all together.…
Some people believe that not immunizing their children is better for them. They believe that the vaccination will harm their children more than the actual disease will. Since most of the disease we vaccinate against are rare, parents don't believe there is a chance of their child contracting the disease. Considering that these diseases are rare, parents have never seen the side effects of most of the diseases. They believe that there are chemicals in the vaccines that can cause their child to develop other conditions such as Autism.…
The fight against vaccines has become controversial however arguments against mass immunization should be evaluated so that a good understanding of this controversy can be had. There are three main arguments against the mass immunization of children and babies. Firstly, It is argued that vaccinations can have harmful side effects on children. Secondly, it is argued that laws requiring mandatory vaccinations infringe upon an individual’s liberty and freedom of choice; and finally, mass immunizations a law, violates religious freedom. According to Omer et al (2009) approximately 69% of parents are more concerned that vaccines could cause harm to the health of their young children than they are with the other issues. The CDC does, in fact, publish that vaccines may have side effects for example a reaction to the varicella vaccine can range from a rash to a severe infection (CDC, 2010). No specific evidence exist, however, to support the claim that vaccines predispose children to other disease such as type 1…
Not all tested vaccines make it when it comes to the rigorous regulations that are set for a vaccination to be approved. This information was concluded through research and trial. Each batch of vaccines are tested for safety, potency, and purity before being released to the public (Meadows 3). Also DNA technology and new delivery methods are leading scientists in new directions (“Ethical Issues” 2). Doing research and trials, is one of the most important parts of approving a vaccination other than the testing of the vaccination. Research shows that vaccines stimulate our bodies to make antibody proteins that target the bacteria or viruses once our bodies encounter them (Meadows 1). One of the most important findings about children and vaccinations, is that the population of children who are at the highest risk of getting sick are babies who are not yet old enough to be vaccinated (Heyworth 3). Research is mostly used to tell what needs to be fixed in order to put the vaccination into the testing…
Vaccines are an essential part of preventative care throughout life. Their purpose is to protect people and prevent them from catching diseases that can be dangerous and even life threatening . Before vaccines were created, almost everyone in the U.S. contracted the measles and a about couple hundred would die yearly from it. Today, it’s rare for a doctor to see someone infected with measles. The development of vaccines is a long and complex process that takes about 10-15 years. Vaccines protect people and those who cannot get vaccinated due to either being too young or allergic, there are a few people who voluntarily opt out from having their children getting vaccinated. People of the anti-vaccine movement refuse to have their children vaccinated because of their personal beliefs, and in return can be threatening for those who are unable to be vaccinated due to age, health and pregnancy. Even though there has been evidence that autism is not linked to vaccines, many people still refuse to have their children vaccinated. While some children are being protected by others that are vaccinated, it is only weakening the immunity herd as vaccinations decline. Immunity herd is when a large portion of the community is immunized against contagious disease in which there is a less chance of an outbreak. For those who cannot get…
I would like to research vaccinations, and whether children should or should not be vaccinated. Vaccinations are one of the ten greatest public health achievements of the first decade of the twenty first century. According the the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, routine childhood vaccinations have prevented three hundred and twenty two million cases of disease and about seven hundred thirty two thousand early deaths among children.…