Whether or not to get vaccinated for something is one of many medical questions that parents, or anyone, must ask themselves throughout their lives. Is it worth the possible fever or reaction you might get after having the shot? What are the chances that you will ever be exposed to a life threatening disease that a vaccine could have prevented? Are those chances large enough for you to get immunized? Many people question whether vaccinating is the healthy thing to do. Vaccines have become a huge controversy throughout families and doctors across the country. All children should be required by law to be immunized with major vaccines because there is a high effectiveness in preventing diseases and it benefits the entire community.
I always remember that feeling of anxiety when the nurse rolls up my sleeve and cleans off a little area on my arm. I anticipate that pinching and tightening feeling, but in the end I know that the small amount of pain is worth it. It has been proven that vaccines have a high effectiveness in preventing major diseases (Walkinshaw). Vaccine effectiveness, in terms of percentage, ranges from the low seventies and eighties for influenza or pertussis, to the nineties for measles and up to 100% for human papilloma virus and hepatitis B (Walkinshaw). Although the numbers do vary from the seventies up to one hundred, they are all higher than the effectiveness of not being vaccinated at all.
The more that you are vaccinated for a specific disease, the less likely you are to contract it (Crowcroft et al 2011). “Booster shots”, repeat vaccines you receive throughout the years, as the doctors call it are effective and do help your body create a wall of defense between your health and the disease that the shot is preventing.
Some doctors and researchers would disagree with saying that vaccines are completely effective in removing the chances of an infection (Clinical: Journal watch). Although some diseases are completely preventable once the vaccine has been administered, like human papilloma virus, not all have the 100% success rate that parents are looking for (Walkinshaw). Having doctors and medical professionals say things that go against vaccines ultimately fuels the fire for those skeptics out there. Although this may be true, vaccines still improve the chances of protection. (Clinical: Journal Watch)
Everyone gets that fearful feeling in the pit of their stomach when they hear that a school has been shut down because of insufficient students. This is usually due to influenza or better yet a more threatening disease like the mumps. Then you sit there and think how this happened, since most parents get their children vaccinated for infections like these. But, it only takes the spread of a rumor about vaccines being harmful to stop parents from vaccinating their children. This then leads to outbreaks, like ones that tend to close down schools. Vaccines benefit the entire community because they prevent outbreaks like these (Drennan).
The prevention of serious diseases requires at least 95 percent of all children to have their first round of vaccinations and boosters in the following years (Drennan).This is called Herd Immunity. If this does not happen, then everyone is at risk for contracting a serious life threatening disease that could have easily been prevented. This is the serious risk that is posed to everyone in the community when word gets out that vaccines are not effective. Dr. Andrew Wakefield’s article was the main fuel for the fire about vaccines and their helpfulness in the nineties. His false information lead many parents to choose to not vaccinate their children, causing disease outbreaks all over the country.
When asking yourself whether or not you to take your young child to get his/her MMR vaccine or the polio vaccine, think about the health dangers that those diseases arise for you in the future. Getting vaccinated and having few side effects like nausea, a fever, or itching at the injection site is much better than exposing yourself to serious diseases and their side effects. Vaccines offer you lifelong protection and booster shots help encourage the protection they give you. If you ignore the advice to get these shots, you are ignoring your chance at a healthy life. Although vaccines have become a huge controversy throughout families and doctors across the country, everyone should be vaccinated and protected against serious diseases. Vaccines have a high effectiveness in preventing diseases and it benefits the entire community. Nobody wants to be the one bad apple that spoils the entire batch, so go get vaccinated and remove your chance of being that bad apple.
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