One of the biggest debates crossing the country today is whether or not to vaccinate your children against many common childhood diseases. However, there is also much more to consider in this debate. Questions come into play about the ethics of a government mandated program for vaccinations and if parents have a right to choose whether their children are vaccinated. However, the most important questions of all is whether vaccines pose health risks to children and if the risks are greater without them.
How Long Has The Vaccination Debate Gone On?
Believe it or not, the vaccination debate is nothing new. Benjamin Franklin wrote in his autobiography that he wished he had given his son the smallpox inoculation, as the disease killed his son. He also states that it is better to err on the side of caution and states that parents should have their children vaccinated.
However, one of the reasons why Franklin chose not to vaccinate his child against smallpox is because he was worried about how the vaccination would affect his child. This is actually a valid concern. Children are now required to have almost two dozen shots before they reach the first grade. Although mercury was present in vaccines until some years ago, it’s not used any longer. However, there are other ingredients, such as aluminum, that can cause problems in children when there are too many shots given all at the same time.
Should Vaccines Be Mandatory?
If you think that all doctors are for mandatory vaccinations, you may be surprised to find out that the Jane Orient, who is the Executive Director for the Association of Physicians and Surgeons, states that the AAPS is against this strict regulation. She feels that both the parents and the pediatricians are in a very difficult situation. However, she also states that some children will face serious affects or even death from unnecessary vaccines or from those that only have limited benefits. She goes on to say that mandating vaccinations could cause problems between the patient and the doctor, as the parents may feel that their objections are not considered or taken seriously.
Religious Considerations
There are also religious considerations. Many parents do not believe in vaccinations for personal religious reasons. All but two states, Mississippi and West Virginia, respect these beliefs and allow non-vaccinated children to attend school as long as they have the proper documentation. There are children that suffer from diseases that affect the efficiency of their immune system and may have difficulties health wise with scheduled vaccinations.
Many physicians feel that it’s not so much the vaccinations as the schedule that may cause problems. Does the problem lie with vaccinating against several diseases at once increase the likelihood of complications from those vaccines? In terms of statistics, it does. Each time a child gets another vaccine, there is an increased chance of a severe reaction. This is actually just simply math. If you vaccinate a child against three different diseases on the same day, there is a higher chance of a reaction to one of the three shots than if they only received one.
What's in a Vaccine?
There are several different ways that a vaccine is made. The main goal is to weaken the bacteria or the virus in such a way as to let the child develop immunity to the disease, but without developing any of the symptoms. Vaccines contain the same components that are found in the disease virus or bacteria. Measles, mumps, rubella, and chickenpox vaccines are created by weakening the virus so they don’t reproduce well.
For hepatitis A, polio, and influenza, the vaccine is used to kill the virus with a chemical so it can’t reproduce. One part of the virus is removed and used to create a vaccine for hepatitis B. Some bacteria can cause a specific disease by creating a toxin. For diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus, the toxin is inactivated with a chemical so it is no longer harmful.
This is why many people feel that vaccines can be very dangerous to their children when part of the bacteria and viruses are used to create them. However, most children will not have a reaction to the vaccinations. There are many research studies that are ongoing to try and determine if there are other complications that can occur from vaccinations. There are tons of books about vaccines, this one has the best reviews on Amazon.
So, Should You or Shouldn’t You Vaccinate?
This debate is going to continue until there is substantiated proof one way or another. There simply is no easy answer to whether or not scheduled vaccinations can cause significant health risks in children. For now, you should speak with pediatrician at length if you have concerns, do your own research, and do what you feel is best for your child.
