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Alyssa Harlamert

Professor Rickard

English 1101

December 4, 2019

Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate: That’s the Question

When going to a doctor's appointment or taking kids to one are questions asked different

about immunizations? How about the note that’s sent in the mail over the summer before the kids

go into certain grades telling parents their children can’t come to school without getting specific

vaccinations? There are many different opinions on this topic out there. Some think vaccinations

are bad for people, some think people are insane not to get them, and some have mixed feelings.

Vaccinations are created to help fight off viruses that can become wide spread very quickly.

Most of the diseases they create vaccines for are even lots of times deadly. So why even bother

in considering passing up vaccinations in the first place. Vaccinations are beneficial to the world

because they protect future generations, are safe, and they can end up saving families time and

money.

Over the years there have been some serious diseases that have killed many. One

example of a disease like that would be polio. Polio was a disease that was extremely wide

spread and very deadly and caused paralysis. This disease was a huge outbreak all through the

United States. Over time a treatment for polio was created and became one of the mandatory

vaccines. Now due to that vaccination for polio there is not a single case in the United States.

With vaccinations like this being created everyday to fight against diseases like polio,it is

helping to grow the population and allowing people to live longer because they aren’t getting

these harmful diseases and their bodies are now becoming immune to the diseases, all thanks to
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the immunizations. “While some babies are too young to be protected by vaccination, others may

not be able to receive certain vaccinations due to severe allergies, weakened immune systems

from conditions like leukemia, or other reasons. To help keep them safe, it is important that you

and your children who are able to get vaccinated are fully immunized” (“Five Important Reasons

to Vaccinate Your Child”). In this article it expands on this thought to help explain. It talks about

how so many children and infants are vaccinated early on, and because of that the children that

cannot be vaccinated are so much more safe because there is a drastic decline in chances of the

unvaccinated children getting any type of disease that they create a vaccine for. Also, it is also

beneficial for all adults to be vaccinated as well because then they don’t pass on that disease to

their offspring because they have been treated, therefore protecting all the new generations

through the parents and children they will be born into the world surrounded by.

Many don’t want to get vaccinated because they think that vaccines are unsafe and

harmful for infants. That is untrue though. It has been proven that vaccines are perfectly safe for

infants as long as they are given the proper dose just like any other human it depends on the age

to know what dose to give. “Fortunately, young infants are surprisingly good at building

immunity to viruses and bacteria. About 95 percent of children given DTaP, Hib, and hepatitis B

virus vaccines will be fully protected by two years of age” (Offit). This explains that giving these

vaccines are safe to give to infants because if it wasn’t then professionals wouldn’t be able to

know these stats, and they are showing that these vaccines given to them at that young age are

truly helping them and not harming them. The same article by Offit mentions that the definition

of safe is harmless and even everyday activities aren’t harmless. Examples that were given are

bath and shower accidents, food getting stuck and choking, and getting struck by lighting. This is

very accurate, these are all things that we don’t think twice about. These are everyday activities,
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bathing and eating and just being outside in a storm, and yet we don’t consider them harmful

even though they cause many deaths yearly. So in reality, although vaccines aren’t harmless

since there are chances of side-effects, just like all other medications, neither is most other daily

activities that occur in everyone's lives that are still considered safe. Therefore vaccines are safe.

Most schools require vaccines in order for kids to be able to go there, that way the other

kids in school can’t get the illness. Therefore if you don’t get your child vaccinated you're

basically limiting the education given to them, or spending extra money on sending them

somewhere where they will be allowed to attend without vaccinations which takes up more time

in your day. On top of that, if a kid then gets any of the diseases that they didn’t get

immunizations for, the parents are going to have to spend even more money on treatment for that

disease. So, not only will those parents be spending a ton on treatment, but they will also be

losing money since they can’t be at work and losing time because they are spending their days at

the doctor trying to find answers for their child.

One of the biggest reasons people are against vaccinations are due to ideas that certain

ones cause autism. This is false. There have been many studies done to prove that vaccines don’t

cause autism. The main vaccine that people claim is responsible for autism is the MMR vaccine,

but it is inaccurate. “Four studies have been performed that disprove the notion that MMR causes

autism” (Offit). Therefore this one single statement proves the idea of the MMR vaccine causing

autism wrong.

Vaccines are something that will always be argued about, I don’t think the argument will

end anytime soon. Now it can be known that vaccines do benefit people through keeping future

generations healthy, by vaccines being safe, and by not spending more time and money as

needed. Vaccines are important in the medical world today. So if you haven’t already please go
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get vaccinated and get your children vaccinated for your health for theirs and for the future

generations.

Works Cited

“Five Important Reasons to Vaccinate Your Child.” Vaccines, Jan. 2018,

www.vaccines.gov/getting/for_parents/five_reasons

Miller, Neil Z. "Given the Risks, Vaccinations Should Not Be Mandated." Should Vaccinations

be Mandatory?, edited by Noël Merino, Greenhaven Press, 2010. At Issue. Gale In

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Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/EJ3010616204/OVIC?

u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=41d33432.

Offit, Paul A. "Vaccine Risks Are Outweighed by the Risks of Not Vaccinating." Should

Vaccinations be Mandatory?, edited by Noël Merino, Greenhaven Press, 2010. At Issue.

Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/EJ3010616205/OVIC?

u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=0b9f2106.