Ian Allgier, B5 11/18/13 Vaccines

A well known fact that people get sick and will continue to get sick its simply a way of life. But advances in health sciences have made it so we dont get sick as often and a lot of diseases that would of wiped out tons of people in the population are now gone. A lot of this progress can be thanks to vaccinations. Many people view vaccines as a bad thing that are actually making more people sick, but this is not necessarily true. Vaccines could be the answer to many illnesses that our society suffers from. Vaccines have substantial health benefits, they are cost efficient, and diminish the risk of spreading an epidemic among a community. A vaccination is used to give immunity against diseases by producing anti-bodies in the body. Vaccines have been around for longer than you may think the first vaccine was created by Edward Jenner and used in 1796 to cure small pox which has been eradicated. From there vaccines have had a bumpy road and soon had to take on typhoid fever and tetanus in the 19th century. By the late 1940s we had vaccines for small pox, diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis. By 1955 the polio vaccine was licensed and Jonas Salk became a hero overnight. During the 1960s the vaccines for measles, mumps, and rubella were introduced they were combined into one vaccine in 1971 now known as MMR. The Hepatitis B vaccine was licensed for use in 1985. In the last 20 years we have seen the introduction of many vaccines such as chicken pox, rotavirus, Hepatitis A, pneumococcal, and the introduction of an intranasal influenza vaccine (Paul A. Offit, MD). All of these advances in technology has made the population healthier.

Vaccines can and have helped millions of people. The benefit of vaccines is huge. A big part of pneumonia prevention is thanks to vaccines. Advances have increased child survival through the prevention of pneumonia by vaccination. Making sure that kids get routine immunizations for pertussis and measles has greatly reduced childhood deaths in low-income countries. Getting your kids vaccinated is not only important for them but for people around them as well. Vaccines are helping to keep kids all around the world safe from diseases that at one point would have wiped out millions of people (Shabir A Madhi). A prime example of this is polio which in the 1950s was a very big fear worldwide but today with the use of vaccines polio no longer exists in the United States and is currently being eradicated around the world. Polio vaccine was licensed in the United States in 1955. During 1951 to 1954, an average of 16,316 paralytic polio cases and 1,879 deaths from polio were reported each year. As of 1991, polio caused by wild-type viruses had been eliminated from the Western Hemisphere. We have a goal that by the end of the year 2000, polio, like smallpox, will be a disease of the past. (Assistant secretary for legislation) Vaccines are slowly making the world a healthier place that one day may be free from all life threatening diseases. Vaccines not only help people but they are also cost effective and safe. A vaccine is tested by scientists, doctors, and healthcare professionals before it is ever used on you, and while a vaccine can cause some discomfort with redness or tenderness it is much less pain from what the vaccine is helping to prevent. Children with vaccine-preventable disease can be asked to not go to school and or child care facilities. Some diseases that could be cured by vaccines can cause people to be ill for months which could result in a financial toll because of lost time at work or medical bills. Whereas getting vaccinated is a good investment, and often times is covered by insurance (Vaccines.gov). Vaccines will save everyone money since treating a disease is much more expensive than giving a vaccine.

The risks of not getting vaccines are extremely dangerous. By not getting vaccinated youre putting yourself and others at risk around you. Vaccinations have reduced and eliminated many

diseases that killed not too long ago. Smallpox shots no longer are needed because the disease no longer exists By vaccinating children against rubella (German measles), the risk that pregnant women will pass this virus on to their fetus or newborn has been dramatically decreased, and birth defects associated with that virus no longer are seen in the United States (vaccines.gov) and without this who knows where we would be today. Recently whooping cough has become a very serious illness for young children. This disease known as pertussis could be avoided if the vaccine was required for young children to get. While vaccines may help a lot of people there are always those people who dont agree with vaccinations. For some its just the fact that people dont want to be forced to have a medicine of some sort injected inside them Governments should not have the right to intervene in the health decisions parents make for their children. 31% of parents [37] believe they should have the right to refuse mandated school entry vaccinations for their children (University of Michigan) By trying to force or advise people to get vaccines could be seen by some as the government taking away their right to choose what they want. For many people it is about religion and the 1st amendment (guarantees citizens the right to the free exercise of their religion). A very big reason is fear of what the vaccine could do to you. Some think vaccinations can trigger auto-immune disorders such as arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and lupus. But a big fear parents have is that: Vaccines can cause brain inflammation (encephalopathy) which can lead to death or permanent brain damage and disorders such as autism, ADD/ADHD, and other developmental problems. [14] In addition, the vaccine additive thimerosal (found in most pre-1999 vaccines) has been associated specifically with the development

of autism and is still found in certain meningococcal, tetanus, and flu vaccines such as the H1N1 vaccine. (Procon.org) This is a legitimate fear for people to have but our medical science has improved since that time and most likely would not cause such things. Vaccines can and have helped millions of people and the benefits of vaccines is huge. Not only do vaccinations help millions they are perfectly safe and cost effective to get. If people dont get vaccinations its not only a risk for themselves but everyone around them as well. Vaccines have substantial health benefits, they are cost efficient, and diminish the risk of spreading an epidemic among a community. This is what people need to know about vaccinations and realize that they really can save millions of lives.

Works Cited

ProCon.org. Should Any Vaccines Be Required for Children?ProCon.org. 20 Nov. 2013. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. "Five Important Reasons to Vaccinate Your Child. Vaccines.gov.N.p.. Web. 20 Nov 2013. <http://www.vaccines.gov/more_info/features/five-important-reasons-to-vaccinate-yourchild.html>. A Madhi, Shabir. Bulletin of the World Health Organization. Scielo public health. N.p.,15 01 2008. Web. 20 Nov 2013. <http://www.scielosp.org/scielo.php?pid=s00429686200800050014&script=sci_arttext>. Offit, Paul. Vaccine Education Center. .N.p., 11 04 2013. Web. 20 Nov 2013. <http://www.chop.edu/service/vaccine-education-center/vaccine-schedule/history-of-vaccineschedule.html>. Bloom, David .The Value of Vaccination. World economics. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov 2013. <http://www.who.int/immunization_supply/financing/value_vaccination_bloom_canning_weston .pdf>. Satcher, David. Risks vs Benefits of Vaccinations. Assistant Secretary for Legislation (ASL).N.p., 3 08 1999. Web. 4 Dec 2013. <http://www.hhs.gov/asl/testify/t990803a.html>.