Research Vaccine Paper Essay Example

concerns, however, upon further research, it is clear that the safest decision one can make for themselves and for the community is to get vaccinated.

Vaccines have been around for ages, since 1798, when the smallpox vaccine was created. Edward Jenner was the man who found that cowpox actually gives immunity to someone with smallpox. He is also known as the man that created vaccinology (The Immunization Advisory Centre). This vaccine was revolutionary because it was the first time a disease could be prevented. This prevention has changed science, medicine, and the community. Vaccines have changed the community because with this new immunity to the vaccine came a change in the demographics.

This vaccine changed the lives of millions because it guaranteed immunity and gave many people the chance to live longer. The community now has the chance to have longer life spans and be able to have more children. Along with this change in community, this first vaccine allowed for further research in immunity and has aided in the creation of new vaccines. Vaccines have helped communities live longer and has helped scientists advance their medical technologies.

Now, this sounds like an overall great addition to society, so what is the issue with vaccines? Public health officials have always been concerned

with epidemics because a lot of diseases can easily be spread and can also be lethal, that is why it is much safer for a parent to vaccinate their children, for the better of their child and their community. The concerns revolving around vaccines include whether or not the cons of vaccinating their children outweigh the pros. Children get vaccinated in order to prevent them from getting a lethal disease, which was the main reason why the vaccine was created. Something as common as the flu can lead to death because it can cause pneumonia and blood infections (CDC). If children do not get vaccinated, they can be up to 35 times more likely to contract the disease compared to those children who have become immune through vaccinations (Omer). There are a few cases that have occurred where a child has reacted poorly to vaccine, but it is very unlikely.

These cases are so unlikely to happen it statistically only occurs about 1 in every million, which is a very slim chance (CDC). Children need these vaccines to ensure that they live longer lives and continue to live healthier lives. Through vaccines, people have lived longer. According to Rino Rappuoli, vaccines have helped increase life expectancy for age 58 to

age 70, which is a large gap considering someone could live 12 years longer than before.

For it is understandable that there are is of course a slight chance that someone Vaccines are accessible for people of their community to prevent them from dying of specific diseases. Along with reasoning on why someone should be vaccinated for their own health, people must be vaccinated to ensure the health of their community as well. If a parent is refusing that their child not be vaccinated, they are putting everyone at risk because th child could have the lethal disease without being aware. This is due to the fact that every disease as an incubation period, the time period in which the disease is in the body before showing any symptoms.

The incubation period is crucial to spreading disease because the virus or bacteria is nesting in the body while the child is asymptomatic, having a disease but not showing any signs are symptoms. If a child remains unvaccinated, they are putting other kids in danger as well. Like in the past, if there are less people vaccinated, the more people actually get the disease. There have been studies that show that communities wither higher immunization reports have fewer cases of these diseases (Omer). For example, back in 2008 there was a measles outbreak in Washington of 19 cases, 18 of those cases were unvaccinated children. One of the cases was an infant that could not yet be

class="custom-blot check-text__match red frequency--match check-text__match--highlight" data-match-index-1="0">vaccinated that contracted the disease (Omer).

Not vaccinating one child ended up affected nineteen other children’s lives, what would happen if a larger amount of children didn’t get vaccinated? Not vaccinating one’s child not only puts themselves at risk of death, but puts the community also at risk, especially to those who physically cannot receive the vaccine. Different opinions have rose because there have been cases in the past that show that vaccines are not safe because of its contents. Vaccines have been known to contain Thimerosal which is used as a preservative in a multitude of vaccines (Dorea) . Thimerosal is a chemical component that contains 50% ethylmercury which has been a concern to parents and the community because it contains mercury and they do not want to run the risk of their child possibly getting mercury poisoning. Symptoms revolving around mercury poisoning include numbing of the hands, feet, and around the mouth, loss of peripheral vision, and loss of coordination (EPA).

Parents have chosen not to vaccinate their children because of the slight chance that their children can get mercury poisoning from the small amounts of Thimerosal. Concerning vaccines, parents have become more consciousness about the less common outcomes of receiving the vaccines. According to the World Health Organization, they

claim that the small amounts of Thimerosal in the different vaccines that a child receives is safe enough for them (Dorea). For Thimerosal is in a variety of vaccines, it is only used a preservative and it is safe enough for a child to receive any vaccine that includes Thimerosal.

Also, if a parent is still concerned about the contents of the vaccine, there are options where a parent can ask for a Thimerosal free vaccine. Another issue that has stopped parents from allowing their children to receive a vaccine is the fact that there was an issue going around stating that a mandatory vaccine was causing children to develop symptoms of autism. The measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine (MMR) is the main vaccine that is associated with autism symptoms. The MMR vaccine is mandatory in most states to be allowed to register for kindergarten. It is also a vaccine that requires two separate doses all before the age of six with at least five weeks between doses.

The original issue on the possible correlation between autism and vaccines started when there was a paper published by Andrew Wakefield, a British gastroenterologist, that studied eight different children after they had received the MMR