Vaccinations
By Anastasia Place
You Should Not Be Able To Opt Out Of Vaccinations
I believe that parents should not be able to opt out of required vaccinations for their children. That is because the children who do not get their vaccinations are open to risks that the vaccinated children are safe from. Thousands of unvaccinated children have died from various diseases that could have been prevented by a simple vaccination.
Why Vaccines Should Be Required
- The people who cannot take vaccines because of various medical reasons rely on herd immunity to protect them from preventable diseases.
- Jos Vandlear, a principal advisor on immunizations at UNICEF, explained that, "A virus will hop from one person to the next, but if a person is protected the virus can't go any further.
- When more than 8% of children are not vaccinated for measles and whooping cough, epidemiologists say that herd mentality will no longer take effect.
- Children not vaccinated against whooping cough are 24 times more likely to catch the disease.
- Dr. Dragsten, a pediatrician, says that "There is no link between MMR and Autism."
- When parents do not vaccinate their children preventable diseases can come back.
Why Some Parents Don't Like Vaccines
- Since 1983 more than $3 billion has been used to help those injured by vaccines.
- Parents should be able to decide if their child has to get vaccinated.
- Sometimes vaccines don't work, and some unvaccinated children never get the disease.
Overview
Vaccines have been around since the late 1700s but recently parents have been questioning them. Many parents believe that it is a personal decision and you should be able to delay or opt out of vaccinations. Other parents believe that in order to keep all children safe from preventable diseases, vaccines should not be optional.