It begins when babies are born. From the time they are whisked away to the Nursery, their
Pediatrician is called. The Doctor, of course, makes sure that they are healthy and happy. Although for
children, that happiness quickly turns to pain. And for some parents, the pain is to face the reality that
vaccinations are a part of the regime. What once was a common practice, with little to no thought behind it,
has turned into a controversial subject among parents. Vaccines used to be viewed as a necessary step in
a child’s health, but now, parents are feeling that they are taking a shot in the dark when injecting their
children.
The Centers for Disease Control
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has compiled a list of vaccines they feel are safe and
recommend for kids at different stages in life. Advocates of vaccinations argue that when children are not
properly vaccinated, it poses a health risk for everyone. If their child is safe from disease, this is only
because everyone around them is vaccinated. Vaccines are very important, diseases can be severe, and
I'd say the benefits of the vaccines outweigh the risks, but you need to be aware that there is a very small
risk of a severe vaccine reaction.” (Sears).
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Parental Influence
People are starting to question both the safety and necessity for such vaccinations. “The desire for
more information about the safety, efficacy, and even the necessity of vaccines has led to a growing
number of parents choosing an alternative vaccination schedule for their children. Some now have their
children vaccinated against only certain diseases, some spread out the shots over a longer schedule, and
some choose not to vaccinate at all.” (Jennifer Margulis). My whole life, I routinely got my flu shot. I never
thought about what it meant for my body or for those around me. I also never doubted its effectiveness.
Seeing the growing concern among parents has made me realize that vaccines are a choice. And only you
get to decide if they work for you, or if they don’t.
Doctor Recommendation
On the flip side, Dr. Martin G. Myers, argues that vaccines are fundamentally safe. “They believe
that the risk of side effects has been grossly over reported by the media, and that this risk is negligible
compared to the danger society will face if vaccine-preventable diseases infect the general population
because large numbers of parents have stopped having their children vaccinated.” Most doctors feel that
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vaccines are not responsible for the large rise in rates of Autism, Asthma, and other autoimmune diseases.
“The most outspoken proponents of vaccines find no flaws in the scientific studies that purport to show that
vaccines are safe, and label people who voice concerns about vaccine safety "misinformers" and
"pseudoscientists." (Dr. Robert W. Sears). Doctor Sears believes that parents who choose not to vaccinate
feel that taking the risk that their child may catch an infectious illness is smaller than the risk posed by
vaccines themselves. These parents want nothing artificial, or chemical injected into a healthy child.
Residential Circumstances
But what about illnesses that are scheduled into vaccine routines, but are so rare in the US, that
most children have no risk of catching them at all? Polio and Diphtheria are among those illnesses. It is
said that there is a greater risk of contracting and being paralyzed by polio from the vaccine, than
contracting the disease naturally. A live Polio virus was administered orally, and for years, has had no
intrusion on US children. The vaccine itself was paralyzing eight children per year. Presently, the CDC
requires an inactivated form of the polio vaccine to be used for protection. Diphtheria is virtually absent
among Americans, but is still common in other parts of the world. This vaccine is still promoted to be used
in conjunction with Tetanus and Pertussis vaccines. Tetanus is used primarily for the child receiving the
injection, rather than protection against spreading it to other children. Measles, however, is a serious viral
infection that is highly contagious and easily spread. “We have reached a point where it’s clear that a
choice not to get a vaccine can be harmful not only to your child but to the child who comes in contact with
your child.” (Paul Offit). Whooping Cough, aka Pertussis, is another highly contagious disease that is
worrisome. While the Measles vaccine is 98 percent effective, the Pertussis vaccine works only 85 percent
of the time. It’s almost a catch twenty-two, because in 2008, a baby in Minnesota died due to not being vaccinated
against Haemophilus Influenza Type B. Of the five who became ill, two had been vaccinated. A year before,
pharmaceutical Merck & Co had recalled more than 1 million doses of the Bib vaccine because it was found to be
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infected with Bacillus Cereus, a bacteria known to cause food poisoning and diarrhea. Those vaccinated before the
recall were unknowingly being injected with a potentially contaminated product.
The Bottom Line
There's still a lot we don't know about vaccine safety and the long-term effects of vaccines on the body's
immune system. “It’s one of those topics where there is fundamental disagreement even about what counts as a fact.
We don't know if giving vaccines in combination with other vaccines is safe. We don't know if the aluminum and
formaldehyde found in measurable quantities in some vaccines and injected intramuscularly into our bodies has
negative health consequences. Because the studies of autism and vaccines do not include control groups of large
enough numbers of completely unvaccinated children, it's disingenuous of scientists and of the mainstream press to
claim that the link between autism and vaccines has been disproved. When public health officials dismiss parental
concerns without adequately studying them, there is an erosion of public trust. (John Lantos, MD). Whatever
measures are taken to boost a child’s natural immunity, there is no way to eliminate risk. There are risks to
vaccinating, and to not vaccinating. It is counterproductive to terrify parents into vaccinating their children, or to vilify
those who choose not to. We, as Americans have the right to refuse a pharmaceutical product. More parents than
ever are exercising this right. The CDC, drug manufacturers, government spokespeople, vaccine skeptics, and
vaccine advocates- most of those who make up each of these groups are also parents. As parents, we aim to keep
our children, and those around us, healthy as possible, whichever means we take to do so.
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Works Cited
Centers for Disease Control, "Pertussis (Whooping Cough) — What You Need to Know"
(13January 2009).
Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Invasive
Haemophilus influenzae Type B Disease in Five Young Children — Minnesota, 2008," Morbidity and
Mortality Weekly Report 58 (Early Release, 23 January 2009): 1-3.
Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Vaccines
and Preventable Diseases: Polio Disease — Questions and Answers" (6 April 2007).
Healy, Melissa. "Vaccinate or Risk It?." Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, CA). 14 Sep 2009: E1+.
SIRS Researcher. Web. 17 Nov 2010.
KeepKidsHealthy.com. A Pediatrician’s Guide to your Children’s Health and Safety. “2008
Immunization Schedule.”
Margulis, Jennifer. "vaccine debate." Mothering 155 (2009): 36. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Web.
17 Nov. 2010.
Offit, Paul A. and Moser, Charlotte A., "The Problem with dr. bob's Alternative Vaccine
Schedule, “Pediatrics 123, no.1 (January 2009): e164-e169.
Sears, Robert W., “The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child” (New York:
Little, Brown and Company, 2007), 75.
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