Running

head: VACCINATIONS

Childhood Vaccinations
Jordan Thayer
Madonna University

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Abstract

Childhood vaccinations have both positive and negative aspects about them. The positive aspects
are the ingredients in vaccines are safe, vaccines save millions of lives every year, time and
money is saved from the use of vaccines, vaccines protect future generations from infectious
diseases, and vaccines help to strengthen the immune systems of whole communities. Some of
the most important evidence as to why vaccines have positive effects is the herd immunity, safe
ingredients, and all the lives saved by them. Some of the negative drawbacks to vaccines is that
that the freedom to parent children is being taken away and some would argue that our right to
religious freedom is being affected because of vaccines. The argument over vaccines does not
have a right or wrong answer. The power struggle between the government and citizens is what
vaccines come down to.

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Childhood Vaccinations

In 1796, an English physician and scientist made his mark on history. Edward Jenner
created the first smallpox vaccine and vaccinated an eight-year-old boy. Jenners vaccine was
then used for some 200 years with updates being made, and eventually smallpox was eradicated
(ProCon, 2016). This is merely the start of vaccinations being immersed into the United States.
In todays society, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends getting 28 doses of
10 vaccines for children aged zero to six. Although there is no federal vaccination law, all 50
states require that children have vaccinations before entering public schools. Although public
schools require vaccinations, parents around the U.S. are upset because of this. Many
controversies over the safety of vaccines arise and the timeline that they are being give.
In Feb. 1998 Lancet published an article by Andrew Wakefield, MD, titled IlealLymphoid-Nodular Hyperplasia, Non-Specific Colitis, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder in
Children. The article claimed Rubella virus is associated with autism and the combined
measles, mumps, and rubella [MMR] vaccine has also been implicated. Anti-vaccination
groups and parents began using Wakefields article as rationale to opt-out of vaccinating their
children (ProCon, 2016). This is the start of when vaccines were known to be associated with
Autism. Wakefield was later stripped of his medical license and the article was retracted because
of Wakefield falsifying data and patients medical records. According to PR Newswire (2009),
the U.S. Court of Federal Claims exonerated the debate over the causes of vaccines leading to
Autism. Three judges ruled that the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, give in
combination with thimerosal-containing vaccine, does not cause Autism. One would assume that
this would halt the negative controversies over vaccinations, but that is not the case.

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Although the initial article published was retracted regarding vaccinations leading to
Autism, the U.S. is still having trouble with the vaccination rates decreasing. This year, the U.S.
is experiencing a multi-state measles outbreak believed to have started at Disneyland this past
December, as well as three other unrelated outbreaks in Illinois, Nevada, and Washington,
according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As of March 6, 2015, 173 people
from 17 states and the District of Columbia were reported to have measles, with most linked
back to Disneyland (Disneyland Measles Outbreak, 2015). This article suggests that
vaccination rates in some communities may be as low as 50 percent. In order to stop the spread
of measles, around 96-99 percent of the community needs to be vaccinated. The likely cause of
the outbreak is U.S. parents not vaccinating their children then taking them to big tourist
attractions (Disneyland) with tourists from other countries with low vaccination rates.
The low vaccination rates affect something even bigger in the U.S. also. It affects our
Herd or Community Immunity. When a critical portion of a community is immunized against a
contagious disease, most members of the community are protected against the disease because
there is little opportunity for an outbreak. People who are not eligible for vaccinationssuch as
infants, pregnant women, or immunocompromised individualsstill get some protection
because the spread of infectious disease is contained (Community Immunity, 2015). Vaccines
do not only help the people that receive them, but also the community around that person.
Without them, thousands of children would die every year by diseases that are completely
preventable. Childhood vaccines have many positive benefits that they give not only to the
people receiving them, but the community also.
Vaccines are the best way to stop the spread of preventable diseases in todays society.
There are many reasons that vaccines benefit communities in positive ways and they have been

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proven to be safe for children by numerous medical studies. Since 2003, there have been a total
of nine CDC-funded or conducted studies that have found no link between thimerosal-containing
vaccines and Autism. The measles/mumps/rubella vaccine also showed no link between it
causing Autism (Vaccines Do Not Cause, 2015). The main reason parents were against
vaccines was because of the ingredient Thimerosal. Thimerosal is a mercury-based preservative
used to prevent contamination of multidose vials of vaccines. Thimerosal was proven in studies
to not be the cause of Autism when given through vaccines. With the exception of inactivated
flu vaccines, thimerosal has been removed or reduced to trace amounts in vaccines for children
under 6 years old. The FDA requires up to 10 or more years of testing for all vaccines before
they are licensed, and then they are monitored by the CDC and the FDA to make sure the
vaccines and the ingredients used in the vaccines are safe (ProCon, 2016). Scientists have
reduced the use of Thimerosal to ease parents minds and the CDC still monitors every new
vaccine for several years to ensure its safety. A positive benefit of vaccines is that they are safe
for children and monitored all the time.
The main reason of vaccines was to prevent the spread of diseases and save lives.
Vaccines have proven to do just that. According to Shot@Life, a United Nations Foundation
partner organization, vaccines save 2.5 million children from preventable diseases every year,
which equates to roughly 285 children saved every hour. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
estimated that 732,000 American children were saved from death and 322 million cases of
childhood illnesses were prevented between 1994 and 2014 due to vaccination (ProCon, 2016).
These numbers are simply staggering and show the effectiveness of vaccines. Every hour there
are 285 childrens lives being saved because of the advances in medical technology that provide
us with vaccines. CDC, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Institute of Medicine (IOM),

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American Medical Association (AMA), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), UNICEF, US

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and World Health Organization (WHO)
(ProCon, 2016). All of these well known and respected organizations state that vaccines are safe.
These organizations have been quoted saying that vaccines are some of the safest medical
products around.
It has been proven that vaccines cost less in money and time than it does for parents to
actually take care of their sick children. Think about all the time and money spent into taking
care of a sick child. The parent first has to take off work, then care for the child for a day to
several days, buying cold medicine and soup/crackers, and the sick child will most likely spread
the sickness to other family members also. For example, children under five with the flu are
contagious for about eight days, and, according to a 2012 CDC study, cost their parents an
average of 11 to 73 hours of wages (about $222 to $1,456) and $300 to $4,000 in medical
expenses (ProCon, 2016). A sick child not only affects the parents time having to care for them,
but also their parents expenses and even jobs. No employer wants their workers to consistently
be calling of work because their child is sick with the flu. Something as simple as a yearly flu
shot could save parents thousands of dollars every year.
Measles is a highly contagious virus that can be serious or even fatal. It starts with a
fever that can last a couple of days, followed by a cough, runny nose, and pink eye. A rash
develops on the face and neck then spreads to the rest of the body. In severe cases, pneumonia
and encephalitis can develop (Disneyland Measles Outbreak, 2015). The measles is bad
enough for a young child to acquire, but the diseases that can later be developed like pneumonia
and encephalitis could be life threatening and very costly. Vaccinations would help to prevent
potential long term disability and care for life threatening diseases.

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Vaccinations are the main contributor to the herd immunity in a community of people.
Communities are affected by this because if a major portion of people in an area are vaccinated,
then most of the people in the community are protected against the disease. Vaccinated mothers
protect their unborn children from viruses that could potentially cause birth defects, and
vaccinated communities can help eradicate diseases for future generations (ProCon, 2016).
Every child should be given the best chance at a normal and healthy life and vaccinations are
there to help improve those odds. Vaccinations are also made available to help protect the future
generations of humans to live longer, healthier, and stronger lives.
Children are no longer vaccinated against smallpox because the disease no longer exists
due to vaccination. The last case of smallpox in the United States was in 1948; the last case in
the world was 1977 in Somalia. In the twentieth century, there were 16,316 deaths from polio
and 29,004 deaths from smallpox yearly in the United States; in 2012 there were no reported
cases of polio or smallpox (ProCon, 2016). Vaccines have made such an impact on the world
that a brutal disease that killed thousands upon thousands of people is now eradicated from the
world. Vaccines have proven time and time again that they have many positive benefits and that
they have saved thousands of lives.
Diphtheria killed 21,053 people yearly, measles killed 530,217 people yearly, mumps
killed 162,344 people yearly, rubella killed 47,745 people yearly, and Hib killed 20,000 people
yearly in the twentieth century United States; by 2012 each of these diseases were decreased by
99% because of vaccinations (ProCon, 2016). I personally have never even seen any of these
diseases listed above. I have never even seen what chick pox looks like because of the
advancements of immunizations and the way that they have advanced our society today. When
the rates of vaccinations start to go down, many people get worried because of the U.S. being so

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abundant with tourists. Things like the Disneyland measles outbreak is just one example of a
minor even that occurred because of these low vaccination rates. For the measles vaccine to be
effective to the herd immunity, 96-99% of the population need to be vaccinated. The Disneyland
outbreak showed that only roughly 50 percent of people were vaccinated. Several diseases
throughout the world are still quite dangerous and children are at higher risk of acquiring these
infectious diseases because of their underdeveloped immune systems and the close quarters that
children socialize in. Vaccinations help to minimize the amount of spreadable diseases being
brought into the U.S. by tourists which are just a plane ride away.
The most important fact regarding the positive benefits of childhood vaccinations is the
herd immunity that they give. This herd immunity helps the entire community of citizens to be
safe against spreadable infectious diseases. Not everyone in a community is eligible to receive
immunizations because of reasons such as an infant being too young, a women being pregnant,
or an individual being immunocompromised. Herd immunity also helps to eradicate infectious
diseases for future generations that may not even be born yet. The idea that the next generation
of people could never even see the affects of smallpox is very promising from a medical
standpoint.
The second most important piece of evidence is that ingredients in vaccines have been
proven safe. Ingredients like Thimerosal have been thoroughly studied and tested to ensure the
safety of in vaccines. To lessen the worries of parents, the use of Thimerosal in vaccines is being
removed or reduced to small amounts in vaccines for children 6 years and under. The vaccines
are also being tested 10 years before even being licensed or distributed to citizens.
The third piece of evidence regarding the benefits of vaccinations is the amount of lives
they save. Every year, there are 42,000 childrens lives being saved by vaccines alone. That

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many children are able to grow up and live happy lives because of a shot that their parents had
them receive when they were kids. The American Academy of Pediatrics states that most
childhood vaccines are 90%-99% effective in preventing disease (ProCon, 2016). There is no
reason for parents to not get their children vaccinated in the U.S. It is mandatory for children to
have their immunizations up to date before they attend public school and college and there is
hard scientific evidence behind it, such as vaccinations being 90-99 percent effective from
preventing the spread of disease.
Childhood vaccines have many positive benefits that they give not only to the people
receiving them, but the community also. For example, herd immunity is affected greatly by
vaccines and the rate as to which people receive them. In order for the community to be safe
from a specific type of infectious disease, about 96-99 percent of the community needs to be
vaccinated. This percent lowers the chances that anyone in the community could acquire the
diseases and helps the people who are unable to receive the vaccinations be safer. Herd immunity
not only affects the society right now, but also for future generations. Vaccines have already
eradicated diseases like smallpox and have almost eradicated polio. These are major illnesses
that have killed thousands of people. Another positive benefit of vaccines is that the ingredients
in them are safe for the people receiving them. The CDC tests every vaccine for 10 years before
they even receive a license. Even after they are put on the market, the CDC still monitors every
vaccine to ensure the safety of them. And lastly, the most obvious positive benefit of childhood
vaccines is that they save millions of childrens lives every year. They help to prevent birth
defects for unborn babies as well as keep the mothers carrying the children safe. They have
erased several harsh diseases that the next generations of children will never even have to
witness. Vaccinations also help to prevent the unpleasant side effects that come with diseases

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that could leave children with potential long term disabilities for the rest of their lives. The herd
immunity, the safety of vaccines, and the millions of lives saved by vaccines all show the
positive benefits that vaccines give to the people receiving them, and the community around
them also.
Not all would argue that vaccines are whats best for society today. According to the
CDC, all vaccines carry a risk of a life-threatening allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) in about one
per million children. The rotavirus vaccination can cause intussusception, a type of bowel
blockage that may require hospitalization, in about one per 20,000 babies in the United States.
Long-term seizures, coma, lowered consciousness, and permanent brain damage may be
associated with the DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis) and MMR vaccines, though the
CDC notes the rarity of the reaction makes it difficult to determine causation (ProCon, 2016).
Now, one in a million chance is very low odds, but what parent is willing to gamble with the
safety of their childs life?
Although the ingredients in vaccines are deemed safe, some would say that these
ingredients may be immoral. Some DTaP/IPV/Hib combination, Hep A/Hep B combination,
HepA, MMR, and chicken pox vaccines are cultivated in cells from two fetuses aborted in the
1960s (listed as MRC-5 and WI-38 on package inserts). The Catholic Church, in a June 9, 2005
report about using vaccines made using cells from aborted fetuses, indicated that there is a grave
responsibility to use alternative vaccines to avoid the evil of actively or passively participating
in anything that involves voluntary abortion (ProCon, 2016). Using these aborted fetuses as the
ingredients in a vaccine does affect people within the Catholic Church and people who are
strongly religious. There are also other people that have issues with vaccines not because of their
religion, but because of their lifestyles or diets. Some vaccines for DTaP, Hep A, RV, Hib,

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HPV, IPV, flu, MMR, and chicken pox are made using animal products like chicken eggs,
bovine casein, insect cells, Cocker Spaniel cells, pig gelatin, and cells from African Green
monkeys, making those vaccines conflict with some vegetarian and vegan philosophies
(ProCon, 2016). A vegan is someone who does not eat meat, fish, or poultry and does not use
any type of animal based products or by products. Would a vegan consider getting a vaccination
being apart of breaking their diet or way of life?
People who oppose vaccinations also argue that their freedom to parent their children the
way they want is being taken away. Ron Paul, MD, former US Representative (R-TX), in an
Oct. 19, 2011 article, Government Vaccines Bad Policy, Bad Medicine, stated, intimately
personal medical decisions should not be made by government Freedom over ones physical
person is the most basic freedom of all, and people in a free society should be sovereign over
their own bodies. When we give government the power to make medical decisions for us, we in
essence accept that the state owns our bodies (ProCon, 2016). Some people feel that the county
is starting to make medical choices for them and without their consent simply because they think
they know what is best. Several religions oppose vaccines and mandatory vaccinations. The
First Amendment of the US Constitution states, Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. In the ruling for Cantwell v.
Connecticut (1939; 9-0), the US Supreme Court held that state and local governments
infringement upon religious freedom is also unconstitutional. Some Christian Scientists consider
vaccinations against their religion because founder Mary Baker Eddy stated that the calm,
Christian state of mind is a better preventative of contagion than a drug, or than any other
possible sanative method the perfect Love that casteth out fear is a sure defense (ProCon,
2016). Vaccines are starting to cross the threshold as to being constitutionally right or wrong.

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Some believe that vaccines are denying people the right to the first amendment, which is their
religious freedom.
When talking about vaccinations, there are mainly two sides to argue. One is that
vaccines help the community and prevent death, while the other side argues they are not
constitutionally right and medical decisions should be left to parents. In the end, this comes
down to a pro vs. con argument. Which side is more morally correct than the other and has the
most benefits and least drawbacks. This argument is about the power struggle that the society
and government are constantly having. Both the government and people want to have the upper
hand or most power by controlling the situation and end results. In the end, there does not seem
to be a correct answer if vaccinations are whats morally right for the world or not.

So how do you reconcile these two views? If you were to

say they were merely two sides to a coin, what would this
coin be, surely more than public health because where one
sides only talks about that issue, the other side doesn't
bring it up at all. And surely it is more than about the
right of the individual to choose things for themselves
(or their children) particularly when most of these people
readily pay taxes and do other things for the good of all.
So where does vaccination fit?
conclusion in this area.

Give us a stronger

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References

Community immunity (herd immunity). (16 April 2015). Vaccines.gov. Retrieved from
http://www.vaccines.gov/basics/protection/
Disneyland measles outbreak linked to low vaccine rate. (6 April 2015). NY Daily News.
Retrieved from http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/disneyland-measlesoutbreak-linked-vaccine-rate-article-1.2151859
Federal court declares vaccines do not cause autism. (2009, Feb 12). PR Newswire Retrieved
from http://search.proquest.com/docview/453621331?accountid=27927
ProCon.org (16 February 2016). Vaccines ProCon.org. Retrieved from
http://vaccines.procon.org