Immunization: The Pros And Cons Of Vaccines

Immunization is a controversial issue in pediatric medicine today. Vaccinate or not to vaccinate, that is the question. This seems to be the debate of the decade for many parents. In the old days, most parents simply followed their doctor’s advice and automatically got their child vaccinated. But today, almost all parents have concerns about vaccines. They don’t want their child to catch any serious illnesses, but they want to know the potential risks and side effects of vaccines. There are many choices to be made. Some parents choose to get all the shots, others choose only some vaccines, and some parents choose no vaccines. Whatever the approach, one should investigate the facts with an open mind and look at the pros and cons of vaccination
And most importantly, did the risks of the vaccine outweigh the actual disease itself? In 1984, Vanderbilt University published a study of more than thirty-eight thousand children in Tennessee, looking for a relationship between DTP and brain damage. They were unable to make a correlation in what the 1982 documentary found (Offit, 2011). Parents started to educate themselves and realized that they do have a choice in the vaccination of their children. A child can be exempt from school vaccines due to religious, medical and 3 philosophical reasons. As of July 2012, all 50 states allow vaccination exemptions for medical reasons; 48 states allow exemptions for religious reasons; and 19 states allow exemptions for philosophical reasons. This is momentous considering a century ago we did not have that privilege of refusing. In 1902, following a smallpox outbreak, the board of health in Cambridge, Massachusetts, mandated all city residents to be vaccinated against smallpox. Many citizens refused vaccination on the grounds that the law violated their right to control their bodies and those of their children. In turn, the city filed criminal charges against non compliant individuals
No one else's heart will be broken like ours if they are killed or otherwise permanently impaired. Regardless of what decision one makes, keep in mind that immunity is more than immunization. One can boost 6 their child’s resistance to disease by supporting their immune system, first by breastfeeding, and later by providing a nutritious diet. Create a loving, nurturing and stress-free environment will also help promote overall health and well- being. Time periods may have changed, but the emotions and deep-rooted beliefs—whether they be philosophical, political, or spiritual, remain the same that since the day Edward Jenner introduced vaccination. One thing is clear about the relationship of vaccines, people will agree to disagree. 7 References Alexandra, M. S., & Markel, H. (2005). The history of vaccines and immunization: Familiar patterns, new challenges. Health Affairs, 24(3), 611-21. Retrieved from http:// search.proquest.com/docview/ Moskowitz, R. (2013). Hidden in Plain Sight: Vaccines as a Major Risk Factor for Chronic Disease. American Journal Of Homeopathic Medicine, 106(3), 107-119. Offit, Paul A. (2011).