An Overview

A child’s least favorite word: shots. The thought of needles makes many youths cringe. Still most kids go through with all the required vaccinations without a second thought. However, some remain unvaccinated against preventable diseases such as measles and mumps. Why are these youth being left unprotected?

The many rumors surrounding inoculations are hard to dispel. Many internet stories circulate about whether or not vaccines are safe. If all of these concepts were true, the true nature of vaccines is the world’s best kept secret. Medical fraud and government conspiracies mislead the population down a dangerous path. According to these rumors vaccines cause autism, ADHD, diabetes, tics, seizures, paralysis, and even death.

I have a three-year old niece who is up-to-date on all of her shots and a niece to be born within a month. If those rumors were true, then my nieces should remain on the safe side: unvaccinated. But scientific research has refuted these claims again and again. So why do these arguments continue?

Interestingly, the opinions of the anti-vaccination debate have their own scientific findings. Some of this data comes from the discredited scientist Andrew Wakefield. Wakefield is no longer allowed to practice and has since moved to the US. He wrote Callous Disregard: Autism and Vaccines: The Truth behind a Tragedy that reignited the vaccine debate, now with celebrity support from Jenny McCarthy (anybody remember McCarthyism?).

If enough parents swallow these concepts and refuse to get their children vaccinated, not only will it put those kids at risk, it could put the general public in danger. Herd immunity involves the risks of exposure to an infected person. The more people vaccinated against the disease, the less risk of the disease spreading. The more infectious the disease, the higher the percentage of people vaccinated against the disease needs to be.

 

                According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), many states are beginning to fall below the required percentages for herd immunity. The population is steadily becoming more at risk for epidemics once thought to be extinguished. Oddly enough, I think if we were to experience an epidemic, the anti-vaccination crowd would tell us it was because of shots.