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March 11, 2020
Benefits of Vaccines
Vaccines are a controversial topic in society today, with many people advocating for and against their use. These vaccines protect the human population against infectious diseases that have often wiped out almost entire nations. Smallpox, yellow fever, rubella, and mumps are just a few examples of diseases that have taken the lives of hundreds of thousands if not millions of people throughout the years. The invention of the first vaccine by Edward Jenner for smallpox helped to change the amount of people dying from these infectious diseases. Surprisingly, there are still people in third world countries and even developing nations that are not able to or choose not to get vaccines. As a result, there are still millions of preventable deaths that happen each year that would likely not happen if vaccines were more readily available across the world. Vaccines protect the general population from infectious diseases and create herd immunity, they protect children from prolonged disabilities, and eradicates infectious diseases. (“Five Important Reasons to Vaccinate Your Child,” n.d.)
Considering that vaccines protect the general population from infectious diseases and create herd immunity, it is feasible to assume that every child who is able should get vaccinated. However, not every child is able to get vaccinated. Children who have weakened immune systems, such as those with leukemia, cannot receive vaccines due to their weak state. As a result, they rely on the concept of herd immunity, where other children are vaccinated, to protect themselves from infectious diseases. This concept of herd immunity is excellent for children who can’t be vaccinated for medical reasons, but it is compromised by parents who will not vaccinate their children due to unfounded beliefs that have been disproven by research. (““All Timelines Overview,” n.d.)
Furthermore, not only do vaccines provide herd immunity for sick children but they also prevent children from having prolonged disabilities as a side effect of infectious diseases. Certain infectious diseases such as small-pox can cause crippling and life-changing disabilities. Getting vaccinated against these diseases significantly reduces the risk that children will obtain them. It also saves families an immense amount of money in medical bills and care that their children will need for the rest of their lives as a result of not being vaccinated. Families in third world countries often do not have access to vaccines and their children are the most at risk for contracting infectious diseases and becoming disabled as a result. If children in third world countries had the same access to vaccines that industrialized nations do, millions of lives would be saved every year.
In addition, vaccines eradicate infectious diseases, and this can be seen in industrialized nations versus developing nations. In industrialized nations where vaccines are more commonly distributed there are significantly less deaths from infectious diseases including the flu. However, in these developing nations where children often do not have access to vaccines, millions of kids die each year from preventable diseases. This shows that vaccines have a positive effect on families because if developing nations were distributed vaccines like industrialized nations were, those millions of children that die each year may not die. Infectious diseases are not eradicated in developing nations without access to vaccines. In industrialized nations the diseases are coming back, as there has been a rise in the number of cases since 2010 as a result of parents choosing not to vaccinate their children. (““Six Common Misconceptions about Immunization,” 2013)
After examining the benefits of vaccines, many individuals choose not to vaccinate due to misconceptions regarding immunizations. The first is that diseases had already begun to disappear due to better sanitation practices, such as washing hands. However, vaccines are directly correlated with a sudden drop in the incidences reported of infectious diseases. Additionally, another argument that is presented is that even children who are vaccinated can still become sick with infectious diseases. Vaccines are not 100% effective, but when a body of people comes across an infectious disease, those who have been vaccinated are much less likely to contract the illness. One of the last big arguments against vaccines that is presented is that they cause death and long-term side effects that researchers and the general population may not know about. There is no substantial evidence to support that any vaccine currently being administered causes death or long-time side effects. In the event a death does occur, researchers have found that a majority of the time it’s programmatic error not a manufacturer error.
Overall, after reviewing the information available on vaccines it is clear that vaccines help stop the spread of infectious diseases and have significantly reduced the deaths occurring from the diseases. Children who don’t get vaccinates are at a higher risk for contracting an infectious disease and potentially spreading it to others, therefore eradicating herd immunity for children who may not be able to be vaccinated. Parents need to be fully educated about the risks of not vaccinating their children for their family and other families. This is important so parents can make well-educated decisions and understand that the benefits far outweigh any risks of vaccines.
Work Cited
“All Timelines Overview.” Timeline | History of Vaccines, www.historyofvaccines.org/timeline/all.
“Five Important Reasons to Vaccinate Your Child.” Vaccines, www.vaccines.gov/getting/for_parents/five_reasons.
“Six Common Misconceptions about Immunization.” World Health Organization, World Health Organization, 19 Feb. 2013, www.who.int/vaccine_safety/initiative/detection/immunization_misconceptions/en/index4.html.
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