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Should Vaccines be Given?

By Peggy Cottrell

It is that time of year when we all start thinking about the holidays and spending time

with family. The cold and flu season is at hand for much of the world. This year has brought a

new threat of COVID-19. Research is being to ensure a safe and effective vaccine for the threat

of this relatively new virus. As a matter of fact, one is soon to be on the way. The thought of all

these infirmities this season brings the thought of vaccines. Should people get their family

vaccinated, or if they are relatively healthy, just tough it out? Several workplaces require

employees to receive influenza vaccines each year. Many times, the influenza vaccine is offered

for free to employees. For health care workers and military personnel this is a must. The

University of Dayton has recently required all student to receive the influenza vaccine. This

brought up another question, how do the benefits outweigh the risks of vaccines? Before this

question can be answered, one must understand what a vaccine is. There also needs to be an

understanding what immunity is and how this can or cannot be achieved. The benefits of

vaccines outweigh the potential risk to one’s health.

[ CITATION ist20 \l 1033 ]

According to the CDC, A vaccine activates

your immune system to produce antibodies, just as

if it would if you were exposed to the actual disease

itself. [ CITATION Cen16 \l 1033 ] Immunization happens after you have received the vaccination.
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There are two main ways to receive a vaccine. The intranasal route, which the vaccine is injected

into your nostril. This is for people 2-49 years of age who are not pregnant. The other, more

common way is the subcutaneous route. The vaccine is injected into the fatty tissue, typically the

arm or chubby leg of an infant, by the way of hypodermic needle.

There are a couple of types of immunities. The most common is an active immunity also

known as natural immunity. Active immunity happens when exposure of the disease creates a

response in the immune system that creates antibodies which fight off the illness. This is the

most effective immunity. Vaccine induced immunity is when a dead or weakened version of the

virus is injected into the body by a physician or someone else that is licensed to administer a

vaccine. This triggers a similar response that allows the body to then create antibodies to fight

off the disease. The human body cannot tell the difference in a live or a dead virus. [ CITATION

Cen16 \l 1033 ]

Immunizations have been around for hundreds of years. Sure, many new vaccines are

being formulated to this day. Research upon research and studies are being done to ensure the

safety of the vaccines that are being produced for the masses. New diseases are coming to light

and the CDC is wanting to protect people as much as they can. However, the first ones were not

quite what is thought of when thinking of vaccinations. Monks would drink snake venom to gain

immunity. In the late 18th century Edward Jenner, who is known as the founder of vaccines

would score someone’s arm and put cow pox on someone so it would enter the blood stream.

These people would become immune to smallpox. [ CITATION Cen20 \l 1033 ] Later, instead of

using a pustule from a cow, people would use the puss from an infected person placed in an

incision on the hand of a non-infected person. This person would then become sick with mild

smallpox symptoms and then gain immunity for life. Since the invention of the smallpox
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vaccine, the disease has been eradicated. The last known case of smallpox was in 1977 in

Somalia. In 1980 the World Health Organization stated that smallpox is no longer a threat to the

world.

Ever since vaccines have been around, people have been afraid of them. It is human

nature to fear the unknown. In the early

18th century people were not educated on

the how and the why of the way things

work, like vaccines or medicine. This fear

also stems from the lack of medical

knowledge and technology. When people

got sick, they died. How can it be, if given a sickness that someone can no longer get sick from

it? This did not make sense to people, herein starts the anti-vaccination movement. As

technology developed, more vaccines were introduced. In the early 19th century hygiene and

health practices became more important. More chemicals were added to preserve vaccines so that

they could be administered to the masses. Toward the end of the 1960’s a vaccine for whooping

cough effectively contained the spread in the West – “according to the WHO in 2003 it still

affected 17.6 million individuals, killing almost 3,000,000 (mostly children).” [CITATION And16 \p

31 \l 1033 ] Studies have been done with people waiting to have children until they are middle

aged. This has been a common practice since the nineties. These studies show that parents in

their forties are less likely to vaccinate their children. There are neurological side effects that go

along with giving birth to children at a late age. The studies have shown the anti-vaxxers, who

are blaming children being diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, on vaccines could be

mistaken by women who choose to have late age births. [ CITATION And16 \l 1033 ] Women’s
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bodies are not meant to carry children too late in age. The chances of the babies being born with

chromosomal birth defects are a lot higher. Who knows what effect vaccines could have on the

child?

Vaccines are not always 100% effective. A person can receive the flu vaccine and still

contract the flu. In extenuating circumstances, people can have adverse reactions to vaccine

ingredients. Someone might not be aware of an allergy that they may have until given a certain

ingredient. This information has fueled the anti-vaxers. There is fear that ASD (Autism Spectrum

Disorder) is linked to vaccines. This fear was particularly in vaccines containing mercury. The

CDC claims they have reduced the amount of mercury in children’s vaccines. People are still

wanting to link ASD to vaccines. [ CITATION Cen16 \l 1033 ] They want someone to take the

blame, even though sometimes it is just what nature has decided. People do not have control

what kind of immune system they are born with.

The movie “Vaxxed” has created quite the controversy of the link ASD to vaccines.

Some of the critics for the movie say that the movie does not contain the whole story and can be

misleading. [ CITATION Ari16 \l 1033 ] Andrew Wakefield was behind the research and the movie

giant “Vaxxed”. When reading into the research that was done, it sparked the question of

Wakefield’s credibility. He wanted the evidence so much that he used a select group of 12

families. This select group is whom he collected the data from. Most researchers use a random

set of people to analyze. The more the people studied, the better the data collected. What might

not be known is that Wakefield left out some relevant information. There were some signs of

autism already before the children took the vaccine. He also, subjected these already disabled

children to multiple tests and examination without the parents’ consent. [ CITATION And16 \l 1033 ]

The anti-vaxxers still voiced their concerns about toxins in vaccines. Many companies decided to
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eliminate the mercury, or at least decrease the mercury from many vaccines. After the drastic

reduction of mercury, there was no drop at all in the number of cases of autism. [ CITATION

And16 \l 1033 ] All this information is leading some questions of the validation and credibility of

this anti-vaccination movement. It is true that mercury can cause neurological and behavioral

disorders over time. The people are even warned not to eat too many fish that might contain

mercury. Too much mercury in the body can cause tremors, insomnia, and memory loss.

Mercury was even removed from thermometers as a precaution. But is stands to wonder, Do the

anti-vaccination people really have all the facts? Are they making well informed decisions?

These questions are for this anti-vaccination movement to think about. Another common reason

some people do not get vaccines is because it goes against their religious beliefs.

There are risks in all that is done in this world. Our task is to figure out whether the

benefits out way the risk. Of course, any vaccine can have side effects, just like any medicine.

Here are some common side effects for the more common vaccines that we can receive as a child

or an adult. Doctors or anyone licensed to administer vaccinations should give anyone a list of

the possible side effects. They want anyone who has the more serious reactions to contact the

office immediately or go to the emergency room.

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[ CITATION fda20 \l 1033 ]

Some of the common vaccines are DTaP (Diphtheria, Tetanus, and acellular Pertussis),

Influenza, and MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella). The most common side effects of all these

vaccines are general soreness around the injection site, mild fever, muscles aches, and

headaches. These usually last a few days, up to a week. On rare occasions people can have some

severe side effects. These side effects can include a high fever (over 105 degrees), vomiting, and

seizures. In extremely rare cases, swelling of the brain, pneumonia or coma can be caused by the

vaccine. There are many more vaccines available each with their own side effects. It is important

to review the side effects of each vaccine before receiving it. This information can be obtained

from your physician or healthcare provider.

There are some who cannot receive a vaccine. These are people with an immunity

disorder. When someone is diagnosed as having an immunocompromised disorder it means their

body does not have the natural ability to fight off disease. This can be caused by a disease,

diabetes, or other genetic disorders. People can be born with such disorders that prevent them to

be protected naturally from certain diseases. Being immune compromised can also be caused by

some medications or treatment. [ CITATION 2010 \l 1033 ]

What happens when someone is not inoculated and gets the disease? DTaP which

contains diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis are all bacterial infections. Diphtheria produces a

bacterial toxin that damages the tissue in the direct area of the infection. This infection is

typically located in the nose and throat area. Tetanus, which is commonly known as lock jaw, is

a bacterial toxin that affects your nervous system. If one is infected, it can cause very painful

muscle contractions. Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is violent, rattling coughing over
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and over. Too much coughing can cause vomiting and loss of sleep. These can all cause

permanent side effects if not treated immediately.

The influenza virus or flu for short has similar side effects as the vaccine. Side effects can

be, headaches, fever, achy muscles, dehydration, head congestion and nausea. The influenza

virus typically lasts 5-7 days. Unless treated properly hospitalization may be required.

The MMR vaccine contains measles, mumps, and rubella. Measles cause high fever,

cough, runny nose, and watery eyes. This virus can last anywhere from 7 to 18 days. Mumps

cause fever, headache, muscle aches, tiredness, loss of appetite, hearing loss, neck swelling,

swollen glands. The symptoms of this virus typically last 10 days. Rubella causes fever,

headache, pink eye, general discomfort, swollen lymph nodes, cough, runny nose, and a red rash.

These symptoms usually last for 1-5 days.

The importance of understanding how bad these diseases are if contracted are vital to

how we live today. One does not live their entire life all alone with never having contact with

another human being. Even though these are not all the diseases you could get a vaccine for, the

side effects of some diseases are life long and life threatening. After talking to some of the Baby

Boomer Generation, I realized we are lucky to have vaccines. Vaccines were not always

available, and many suffered from the actual disease. When one person in the family got sick the

whole family got sick. The thought of developing a disease that could be prevented should be

cause for someone to want to get a vaccine.

The main benefit of receiving vaccines is that the disease is not contracted if one has

encountered someone who is infected. Prevention is key when it comes to taking care of your

health. Upon getting a vaccine you are then helping to protect those individuals who are not able
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to obtain a vaccine, the immunocompromised or small infants too young for vaccines. Over the

last two centuries the prevention of communicable disease has jumped by leaps and bounds. It

will be interesting to see what the future of vaccines will look like. Smallpox has been virtually

eradicated. Polio is practically gone. Both diseases were debilitating. Vaccines have also reduced

the global child mortality rates. Hospitalizations and death have been reduced in older people

with diabetes that have had the influenza vaccination. Protecting those who are vulnerable is the

responsibility of all.

Vaccines have been especially effective for the public. When more people get vaccinated

the scientist and doctors behind the vaccines can collect valuable data. This statistical and

scientific research helps lend to improvements. Between the before vaccine era to the modern era

comparison studies have been made. These studies are very important to the scientific

community and being able to develop effective vaccines. The morbidity and mortality data show

us that various regions of the world 68% to 100% reduction in preventable infectious diseases

such as with the TDaP, MMR, Hemophilus Influenza A( this is a type of bacteria that can cause

different types of infection), and smallpox vaccine.[ CITATION JMi20 \l 1033 ][ CITATION Cen16 \l

1033 ]

Vaccines have changed the way they are administered over the centuries. It has certainly

become more sanitary than smearing cow pox on someone or drinking venom. The cold and flu

season is on the horizon, not to mention COVID-19 and these are valid concerns the public has.

Living in the time of a pandemic has not been easy. Deciding whether to get a vaccine is a major

decision. This has not lightened the fear of many about vaccines. The people who are anti-

vaccinations will still be around. However, the benefits outweigh the risk of receiving the actual

disease. There is some discomfort from the vaccine itself and the inoculated individual will have
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some of the side effects of the disease. These side effects are typically very mild compared to the

disease itself. These individuals will not get the potentially deadly disease itself. People need to

have active communication and share concerns with their primary care physician. Do the

research that is needed to help make informed decisions. Do not just listen to someone’s opinion

on the matter. Every individual is different and their experience with vaccines and sickness are

going to be different. The lesson of just listening to someone else was taught by the movie

“Vaxxed”. Not all information out there is beneficial to the individual. Getting vaccinated will

help protect others around that we see in our day to day lives. They allow us to live how we were

intended to live with human contact and interaction. The benefits of vaccines outweigh the

potential risk to one’s health.

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Works Cited

Centre, The Immunisation Advisory. A brief history of vaccination. Jan 2020. Oct 2020.

<https://www.immune.org.nz/vaccines/vaccine-development/brief-history-vaccination>.

Cha, Ariana Eunjung. "7 things about vaccines and autism that the movie ‘Vaxxed’ won’t tell you." The

Washington Post (2016).

fda.gov. Vials with syringe. FDA .

Grignolio, Andrea. Vaccines: Are they Worth a Shot? Rome, Italy: Springer, 2016.

istock. Fight Covid-19 concept illustration. SophonK. https://cdn.the-

scientist.com/assets/articleNo/68059/aImg/40018/vaccine-article-l.png.

Lahan, Tim. NBC News.

Medicinewise, NPS. Vaccines and immunisation. 3 Sept 2020. Oct 2020.

<https://www.nps.org.au/consumers/vaccines-and-immunisation#what-is-the-difference-

between-vaccination-and-immunisation?>.

Michael, J. "The well-known and less well-known benefits of vaccines." Aging Clinic EXP (2020): 1401-

1404.

National Cancer Institute. NCI Dictionaries. n.d. 10 2020.

<https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/immunocompromised>.
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Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/vis/current-vis.html. 26

May 2016. website. Oct 2020.