Hello,
This is my rough draft for my English 102 class. For some reason I cannot attach the file. See essay below:
Modern medical science is constantly discovering new ways to help keep us safe and healthy. One of the most profound and beneficial advances in medicine was the creation of vaccines however, some are beginning to think quite the opposite. There is a growing population that is questioning the overall safety of vaccines and are now associating them with diseases and other complications. Because of this, we are seeing a rise in diseases that we once thought were on their way out. Vaccines not only are beneficial to the person receiving them, but to the community as a whole. Everyone should be educated on the helpfulness of this modern miracle so vaccinations can continue to be commonplace.
In 1998, a British surgeon and medical researcher by the name of Andrew Wakefield published an article to The Lancet claiming there is a link between the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, and autism and bowel disease. This shocking accusation sparked fear and curiosity among the normal and medical community. Researchers tried for several year to recreate the results of the study yet were never successful in confirming Wakefield's hypothesis. The British General Medical Council conducted an investigation and found 36 charges including charges of dishonesty and abuse of developmentally challenged children. Subsequently, The Lancet removed the 1998 publication and notated the article had been falsified. Wakefield was then removed off the Medical Register and was barred from practicing medicine. Even though Wakefield and his article was discredited, the wake of fear that was left continued to spread.
Even with the Wakefield's article debunked, the damage had already been done. With this spread of false information, more parents are skeptical of vaccines and believe they are linked to autism. According to a poll conducted by kidshealth.or 1 in 4 parents believe that autism is linked to vaccines. MMR vaccination rates saw a sharp drop in the United Kingdom from 92% in 1996 to to 84% in 2002 with some rates being as low as 61% in 2003. What is most concerning is these rates are much lower than what is needed to avoid an epidemic of measles. In 2008 there was a measles outbreak in San Diego, California. A family from San Diego traveled to Europe and one of the children brought the measles back with him. Due to the parent's refusal to vaccinated, the child exposed 839 people to the disease. The antivaccinationist activities resulted in a high cost to our society and will only continue to do so if something doesn't change.
Over in the United States, a celerity by the name of Jenny McCarthy caught wind of Wakefield's article. Even though his article was discredited, McCarthy still defended Wakefield's claims and felt her son became autistic due to a childhood vaccine. McCarthy blamed the vaccines for her son's autism and used her celebrity status to warn parents of the link between vaccines and autism. McCarthy's son was later said to have a disease known as Landau-Kleffner syndrome which is often times confused with autism. Despite the overwhelming evidence that proved Wakefield's study false and new information pointing to McCarthy's son having a different disease entirely, McCarthy still spread the word that vaccines are linked to autism. To this day, McCarthy is still very much a part of the anti-vaccine movement and cautions parents against vaccines which only worsens to underlying fear of vaccinations.
The reach of the anti-vaccine movement has extended so far that multiple diseases are now making a comeback when they were believed to be on their way out. In 2011, the CDC reported hundreds of measles cases which is the most that has been seen in the past 15 years. It is not surprising to learn that a majority of those who were infected were not vaccinated. If these vaccines were to stop entirely, there would be an estimated 2.7 deaths per year according to the CDC. The CDC did a study covering 8 countries who had lowered their immunization coverage of pertussis and found the occurrence of the disease increased anywhere from 10 to 100 times than that of the rate in countries where vaccine rates were sustained. Due to a drop in vaccines, 41,000 cases of pertussis were reported which resulted in 18 deaths in 2012. In 1990, there was an outbreak of diphtheria which was primarily caused by people who were not vaccinated. Because of this, there were more than 150,000 cases and 5,000 deaths reported. Many of the people who are choosing not to vaccinate were not around in a time where vaccines didn't exist so they are not aware of the risks associated with not vaccinating. These risks are very real and we could see these trends increase as vaccine rates drop.
Those who choose not to vaccinate commonly claim that ''herd immunity'' will protect them. This is the idea that when enough people have been vaccinated, those who haven't been, will be safe from disease as well. While it is true that this can lower a person's chance of catching a disease, there are some who don't have the option of getting vaccines such as infants, pregnant mothers, those with severe allergies to chemical compounds found in the vaccines, and people who have lowered or compromised immune systems which puts them at a higher risk. Refusing to vaccinate is dangerous not only for that person, but for the community as a whole.
Another way that people justify their refusal to vaccinate is claiming that vaccines contain toxic chemicals that can poison children. There are claims that certain chemicals such as aluminum hydroxide, formaldehyde, thiomersal, and phenol are used in such high doses, that they are dangerous. The short and simple answer to this question would be no, there are no dangerous levels of chemicals in vaccines. Considering the whole purpose of vaccinating a child is to protect against dangerous diseases, it would seem counterproductive for the companies who manufacture these products to have an end goal of causing harm. The Robert Koch Institute stated that the vaccines that do contain these substances are in minute concentrations which brings them below the toxicological threshold. The substance that causes to most worry is thiomersal which is a mercury salt that is used as a preservative in certain vaccines. There was an instance in which two American doctors had suggested this compound caused a rise in the autism cases. After this claim was made, the World Health Organization (WHO), the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the United States Institute of Medicine conducted their own separate investigations. Not one of the companies were able to conclude there was a scientific link to autism. In light of the controversy on vaccines, several pharmaceutical companies responded by creating a mercury-free vaccine to hopes to slow down the declining vaccination rates. Experts to this day believe there is no connection between the chemical compound thiomersal and autism.
The benefits of vaccines are very difficult to dispute when there is overwhelming evidence that proves they are safe and effective. There are a series of 13 shots that are available to children that have shown their effectiveness over the years. One of the diseases that we are all familiar with is chickenpox. Before this vaccine was introduced, nearly everyone in the United States had contracted the disease by adulthood. The availability of the vaccine has had a large scale impact on reducing outbreaks and has decreased outbreaks by as much as 90%. If the chickenpox vaccine were to be discontinued, the disease would easily return to prevaccine rates. Another common disease is Hepatitis B and it infects about 12.5 Americans. A majority of those who become infected then suffer from chronic infections and at least 5,000 die from this disease a year. Since the vaccine has been introduced, the frequency of Hepatitis B cases has dropped from approximately 450,000 to 80,000 yearly. At one point in time, mumps was a common disease in which nearly 300,000 cases were reported yearly. In 2001 rates were as low as 266 cases annually. Mumps was at one time the leading cause of deafness in children in the United States and was also associated with other serious complications. These are just a few examples of the more common diseases that once were a common concern. With the help of vaccines, these diseases are no longer a major threat to everyday life.
Even with all the medical evidence to back vaccines, parents will still question the overall safety of a vaccine. Before a vaccine is approved, it is tested by scientists and medical professionals to evaluate it's safety and effectiveness. Nearly all children can be vaccinated safely aside from those with weakened immune systems and specific allergies. Vaccines are not only crucial in protecting the health of the child, but to every person that child encounters. With thanks to our successful vaccinations, the parents in this generation have been spared witnessing the effects of these diseases. Vaccines save lives and the best thing someone can do is to learn the facts so that the best choices can be made.
This is my rough draft for my English 102 class. For some reason I cannot attach the file. See essay below:
Should I Vaccinate?
Modern medical science is constantly discovering new ways to help keep us safe and healthy. One of the most profound and beneficial advances in medicine was the creation of vaccines however, some are beginning to think quite the opposite. There is a growing population that is questioning the overall safety of vaccines and are now associating them with diseases and other complications. Because of this, we are seeing a rise in diseases that we once thought were on their way out. Vaccines not only are beneficial to the person receiving them, but to the community as a whole. Everyone should be educated on the helpfulness of this modern miracle so vaccinations can continue to be commonplace.
In 1998, a British surgeon and medical researcher by the name of Andrew Wakefield published an article to The Lancet claiming there is a link between the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, and autism and bowel disease. This shocking accusation sparked fear and curiosity among the normal and medical community. Researchers tried for several year to recreate the results of the study yet were never successful in confirming Wakefield's hypothesis. The British General Medical Council conducted an investigation and found 36 charges including charges of dishonesty and abuse of developmentally challenged children. Subsequently, The Lancet removed the 1998 publication and notated the article had been falsified. Wakefield was then removed off the Medical Register and was barred from practicing medicine. Even though Wakefield and his article was discredited, the wake of fear that was left continued to spread.
Even with the Wakefield's article debunked, the damage had already been done. With this spread of false information, more parents are skeptical of vaccines and believe they are linked to autism. According to a poll conducted by kidshealth.or 1 in 4 parents believe that autism is linked to vaccines. MMR vaccination rates saw a sharp drop in the United Kingdom from 92% in 1996 to to 84% in 2002 with some rates being as low as 61% in 2003. What is most concerning is these rates are much lower than what is needed to avoid an epidemic of measles. In 2008 there was a measles outbreak in San Diego, California. A family from San Diego traveled to Europe and one of the children brought the measles back with him. Due to the parent's refusal to vaccinated, the child exposed 839 people to the disease. The antivaccinationist activities resulted in a high cost to our society and will only continue to do so if something doesn't change.
Over in the United States, a celerity by the name of Jenny McCarthy caught wind of Wakefield's article. Even though his article was discredited, McCarthy still defended Wakefield's claims and felt her son became autistic due to a childhood vaccine. McCarthy blamed the vaccines for her son's autism and used her celebrity status to warn parents of the link between vaccines and autism. McCarthy's son was later said to have a disease known as Landau-Kleffner syndrome which is often times confused with autism. Despite the overwhelming evidence that proved Wakefield's study false and new information pointing to McCarthy's son having a different disease entirely, McCarthy still spread the word that vaccines are linked to autism. To this day, McCarthy is still very much a part of the anti-vaccine movement and cautions parents against vaccines which only worsens to underlying fear of vaccinations.
The reach of the anti-vaccine movement has extended so far that multiple diseases are now making a comeback when they were believed to be on their way out. In 2011, the CDC reported hundreds of measles cases which is the most that has been seen in the past 15 years. It is not surprising to learn that a majority of those who were infected were not vaccinated. If these vaccines were to stop entirely, there would be an estimated 2.7 deaths per year according to the CDC. The CDC did a study covering 8 countries who had lowered their immunization coverage of pertussis and found the occurrence of the disease increased anywhere from 10 to 100 times than that of the rate in countries where vaccine rates were sustained. Due to a drop in vaccines, 41,000 cases of pertussis were reported which resulted in 18 deaths in 2012. In 1990, there was an outbreak of diphtheria which was primarily caused by people who were not vaccinated. Because of this, there were more than 150,000 cases and 5,000 deaths reported. Many of the people who are choosing not to vaccinate were not around in a time where vaccines didn't exist so they are not aware of the risks associated with not vaccinating. These risks are very real and we could see these trends increase as vaccine rates drop.
Those who choose not to vaccinate commonly claim that ''herd immunity'' will protect them. This is the idea that when enough people have been vaccinated, those who haven't been, will be safe from disease as well. While it is true that this can lower a person's chance of catching a disease, there are some who don't have the option of getting vaccines such as infants, pregnant mothers, those with severe allergies to chemical compounds found in the vaccines, and people who have lowered or compromised immune systems which puts them at a higher risk. Refusing to vaccinate is dangerous not only for that person, but for the community as a whole.
Another way that people justify their refusal to vaccinate is claiming that vaccines contain toxic chemicals that can poison children. There are claims that certain chemicals such as aluminum hydroxide, formaldehyde, thiomersal, and phenol are used in such high doses, that they are dangerous. The short and simple answer to this question would be no, there are no dangerous levels of chemicals in vaccines. Considering the whole purpose of vaccinating a child is to protect against dangerous diseases, it would seem counterproductive for the companies who manufacture these products to have an end goal of causing harm. The Robert Koch Institute stated that the vaccines that do contain these substances are in minute concentrations which brings them below the toxicological threshold. The substance that causes to most worry is thiomersal which is a mercury salt that is used as a preservative in certain vaccines. There was an instance in which two American doctors had suggested this compound caused a rise in the autism cases. After this claim was made, the World Health Organization (WHO), the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the United States Institute of Medicine conducted their own separate investigations. Not one of the companies were able to conclude there was a scientific link to autism. In light of the controversy on vaccines, several pharmaceutical companies responded by creating a mercury-free vaccine to hopes to slow down the declining vaccination rates. Experts to this day believe there is no connection between the chemical compound thiomersal and autism.
The benefits of vaccines are very difficult to dispute when there is overwhelming evidence that proves they are safe and effective. There are a series of 13 shots that are available to children that have shown their effectiveness over the years. One of the diseases that we are all familiar with is chickenpox. Before this vaccine was introduced, nearly everyone in the United States had contracted the disease by adulthood. The availability of the vaccine has had a large scale impact on reducing outbreaks and has decreased outbreaks by as much as 90%. If the chickenpox vaccine were to be discontinued, the disease would easily return to prevaccine rates. Another common disease is Hepatitis B and it infects about 12.5 Americans. A majority of those who become infected then suffer from chronic infections and at least 5,000 die from this disease a year. Since the vaccine has been introduced, the frequency of Hepatitis B cases has dropped from approximately 450,000 to 80,000 yearly. At one point in time, mumps was a common disease in which nearly 300,000 cases were reported yearly. In 2001 rates were as low as 266 cases annually. Mumps was at one time the leading cause of deafness in children in the United States and was also associated with other serious complications. These are just a few examples of the more common diseases that once were a common concern. With the help of vaccines, these diseases are no longer a major threat to everyday life.
Even with all the medical evidence to back vaccines, parents will still question the overall safety of a vaccine. Before a vaccine is approved, it is tested by scientists and medical professionals to evaluate it's safety and effectiveness. Nearly all children can be vaccinated safely aside from those with weakened immune systems and specific allergies. Vaccines are not only crucial in protecting the health of the child, but to every person that child encounters. With thanks to our successful vaccinations, the parents in this generation have been spared witnessing the effects of these diseases. Vaccines save lives and the best thing someone can do is to learn the facts so that the best choices can be made.