As with any other medical concern, there will always be controversy over vaccinations. Many agree with school requirements for immunizations and believe it has a large impact in protecting the children in our society. On the other hand, many others believe that immunizations do more harm than good to children and the parents feel that they should be able to make their own decisions regarding their children's health. Besides school vaccination requirements, many employers are requiring their employees to get the annual flu vaccine each year. The flu vaccine protects against strains of influenza, which is a viral infection of the respiratory tract that is highly contagious. Of course, this flu vaccine adds to the controversy of mandatory vaccinations.
Here is an article from The New York Times that debates both sides to the vaccination controversy, from a medical perspective and from a parental perspective:
NYTimes Room For Debate: Eliminate Vaccine Exemptions
Here is another article written by a nurse who was against the annual flu vaccination, but made her children and husband get the vaccine. She refused because she didn't believe she needed it, but in the end she gave in.
Flu Vaccine Controversy
Exemption Granted from Mandatory Vaccinations
- Religious views
- Compromised immune system:
- HIV or other illnesses
- Some personal views
Pro Views of Vaccinations
One of the biggest arguments of pro vaccination is the fact that vaccination can save lives. It is estimated that two to three million deaths are avoided each year because of preventable vaccinations ("Global Immunization Data," 2014). Vaccinations are a simple way to avoid disease in not only children, but adults too, and save their lives from diseases that could otherwise kill them. Another argument that is made is that vaccines are safe, made with safe ingredients that aren't harmful that present a rare possibility of extreme side effects. This arguments are made by trusted health professionals and medical organizations such as the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Like I explained earlier, vaccinations protect the population through herd immunity. If we have a way of protecting a large number of people from contracting serious illnesses, why not use it?
Video Promoting Vaccinations in Babies
Con Views of Vaccinations
Many disagree with the health professionals and medical organizations like the CDC and FDA on the fact that immunizations are safe. They believe that vaccinations are made up of harmful ingredients and can have harmful side effects on the person they are administered to, especially children. This leads into the belief that vaccines are unnatural, made up of extra ingredients and chemicals that aren't necessary. These people believe that natural immunity is the better, safer way to go. Freedom of choice is yet another reason to avoid mandatory vaccinations. It is believed that anyone should have the right to refuse vaccines, if they chose to, for any reason without consequence. All states in the US allow medical exemptions to mandatory vaccines and all but two states allow exemption for religious reasons ("Immunizations and Policy Issues Overview," 2011).
Video Against Vaccinations in Babies
Conclusion
When choosing to vaccinate your children, and even yourself, you must consider the pros and cons of the vaccinations. Do you risk you or your child contracting a serious illness that could have been prevented with a simple vaccine? Or do you opt for the slight chance that you or your child could suffer a reaction from some vaccines? There is a lot to consider within this argument, but in some ways the pros seem to outweigh the cons when you look at the larger picture. You are not only protecting yourself by getting vaccinated, you are protection others around you as well.
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