Vaccinations The benefits outweigh the risk
The benefits of vaccination outweigh the risk
The world human population is consistently under threat from potentially fatal infections and disease outbreaks that cause death, intense suffering and fear. Since time began, the world has experienced large-scale epidemics, such as the 1918 flu pandemic that caused heavy loss of human lives. Currently, flu pandemics continue recurring in different parts of the world, while HIV/AIDS remains one of the most serious infections with no cure. Discovery of vaccines has played a critical role in alleviating human suffering and reducing mortality rates associated with various deadly viral pandemics, such as polio, small pox, flu and measles among others. However, skepticism about vaccines’ safety still exists, preventing some people from being vaccinated. Failure to get vaccinated increases the risk of being infected and infecting other people in society.
Since the advent of vaccination, especially child immunization programs, several infections have been eradicated in various parts of the world and many lives saved in the process (CDC). For long periods, childhood infections such as whooping cough, measles, diphtheria, polio, mumps and tetanus caused high infant mortality rates and suffering. However, vaccines have drastically reduced these infections, protecting many children from early deaths and serious medical complications that sometimes result to lengthy hospitalization. In United States alone, measles infections reduced by 99.9% from 20th century to 2006. During the same period, diphtheria and polio infections have been completely eradicated by vaccinating young children (immunizeforgood.com). The prevalence of tetanus, whooping cough, mumps and rubella in United States also declined by 96.9%, 89.4%, 95.7% and 99.9% respectively during the period (immunizeforgood.com). This clearly demonstrates that vaccines are not only effective in preventing diseases but also in eradicating them as well. Vaccine preventable
The world human population is consistently under threat from potentially fatal infections and disease outbreaks that cause death, intense suffering and fear. Since time began, the world has experienced large-scale epidemics, such as the 1918 flu pandemic that caused heavy loss of human lives. Currently, flu pandemics continue recurring in different parts of the world, while HIV/AIDS remains one of the most serious infections with no cure. Discovery of vaccines has played a critical role in alleviating human suffering and reducing mortality rates associated with various deadly viral pandemics, such as polio, small pox, flu and measles among others. However, skepticism about vaccines’ safety still exists, preventing some people from being vaccinated. Failure to get vaccinated increases the risk of being infected and infecting other people in society.
Since the advent of vaccination, especially child immunization programs, several infections have been eradicated in various parts of the world and many lives saved in the process (CDC). For long periods, childhood infections such as whooping cough, measles, diphtheria, polio, mumps and tetanus caused high infant mortality rates and suffering. However, vaccines have drastically reduced these infections, protecting many children from early deaths and serious medical complications that sometimes result to lengthy hospitalization. In United States alone, measles infections reduced by 99.9% from 20th century to 2006. During the same period, diphtheria and polio infections have been completely eradicated by vaccinating young children (immunizeforgood.com). The prevalence of tetanus, whooping cough, mumps and rubella in United States also declined by 96.9%, 89.4%, 95.7% and 99.9% respectively during the period (immunizeforgood.com). This clearly demonstrates that vaccines are not only effective in preventing diseases but also in eradicating them as well. Vaccine preventable