Vaccines Children are the future. It is the most important that children are provided with a chance for not only a future but also a healthy future. Vaccines have been considered as one of the greatest health developments. Vaccines prevented illnesses, like rubella, diphtheria, smallpox, polio, and whooping cough. “Should any vaccines be required for everyone?” This question is rather ambiguous.

Vaccines

Children are the future. It is the most important that children are provided with a chance for not only a future but also a healthy future. Vaccines have been considered as one of the greatest health developments. Vaccines prevented illnesses, like rubella, diphtheria, smallpox, polio, and whooping cough. “Should any vaccines be required for everyone?” This question is rather ambiguous.

Arguments for vaccines

Vaccines can save children’s life. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimated that 732,000 American children were saved from death and 322 million cases of childhood illnesses were prevented between 1994 and 2014. The measles vaccine has decreased childhood deaths from measles by 74%.

Vaccines protect future generations. Vaccinated mothers protect their unborn babies from viruses that could potentially cause birth defects. For example, global rubella in 1964-1965, rubella epidemic swept the United State. During that short period time, there were 12.5 million cases of rubella. Twenty thousand children were born with CRS: 11,000 were deaf, 3,500 blind, and 1,800 mentally retarded.

The ingredients in vaccines are safe in the amounts used. Common ingredients, such as thimerosal, formaldehyde, and aluminum, can be harmful in large doses but they are not used in harmful quantities in vaccines. Children are exposed to more aluminum in breast milk and infant formula than they are exposed to in vaccines. Also, the FDA requires up to 10 or more years of testing for all vaccines before they are licensed.

Arguments against vaccines

Despite all the superfluous facts above, vaccines should be considered by all parents whether or not to have a child vaccinated.

Vaccines can cause serious and sometimes fatal side effects. According to the CDC, all vaccines carry a risk of life-threatening allergic reaction in about one per million children. The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) says that vaccines may be linked to learning disabilities, asthma, autism, diabetes, chronic inflammation, and other disabilities.

Vaccines contain harmful ingredients. Some physicians believe thimerosal, an organic mercury compound found in trace amounts in one flu vaccine for children and other vaccines for adults, is linked to autism. Aluminum is used in some vaccines and excess aluminum in human bodies can cause neurological harm. Some vaccines for the flu contain chicken egg protein, which can be harmful to children who are allergic to egg.

Vaccines are unnatural, and natural immunity is more effective than vaccination. The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia notes that “It is true that natural infection almost always causes better immunity than vaccines. Whereas immunity from the disease often follows a single natural infection, immunity from vaccines occurs only after several doses.” Kurt Perkins stated,”Immunity is a natural thing. Vaccines are an artificial thing.”

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Arguments for and against the use of Vaccines

Vaccines antigenic substances which are prepared using the agents which causes given diseases and used to provide immunity against particular diseases (World Health Organization). In many cases, a vaccine comprises of an agent that looks like the microbe that causes a disease and is usually prepared using killed or weakened form of the microbe, one of its superficial proteins, or toxins. Through the vaccine, the immune system of the body is stimulated to identify the agent as a threat to the body and kill it. The vaccine also prepares the body’s immune system to destroy any such agent or related microbe in future. Different people view vaccines differently, with some supporting their use due to the resulting health benefit while others oppose their use.

ARGUMENTS SUPPORTING THE USE OF VACCINES

Vaccination, particularly in children, ensures that children remain health and free from avoidable illnesses. Through vaccination, children are protected from severe diseases and complications resulting from complications which are vaccine-preventable (Schuchat). If not vaccinated, these complications may lead to limb paralysis and amputation, convulsions, loss of hearing, brain damage and even death.

Through vaccination, a dramatic decrease in infectious disease cases in the United States. However, such diseases are still widespread in other countries and are brought to the U.S. by people visiting America from such countries. Instead of prohibiting such travelers, the most plausible thing to do is subjecting them to tests and subsequent vaccinations. Equally, U.S children can easily contact such illnesses from the visitors or when they travel to risk countries.

Vaccination is the most substantiated and sanctioned method of disease prevention in the United States and the world over. It is safe and very effective since vaccines go through a lengthy and careful analysis by doctors, scientists, and the government just to ensure that they are safe. Further, big medical organizations such as the American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Center for Disease Control all endorse the use of recommended vaccinations. Thus, there is no reason why people should be ambivalent about the use of vaccines.

ARGUMENTS AGAINST THE USE OF VACCINES

Most people who are against the use of vaccines argue from the Biblical or religious point of view. Such arguments are related to the effectiveness and safety of vaccines. Some anti-vaccinationists are of the opinion that in the past, pandemics of infectious diseases such as smallpox have affected populations which are highly vaccinated (Sfetcu).

Many people who are against the use of vaccines have misconceptions about it. For instance, some believe that vaccination causes autism. Others believe that there has not been sufficient research in the field to prove that vaccines are actually safe. However, it is clear that these are just delusions, or fabricated lies made to distract people from using vaccines.