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Vaccines

Ana Martin, Editor-in-Chief

 

Following the recent measles outbreak, with its epicenter at Disneyland in California, the discussion on whether parents should vaccinate their children appears to have reignited. Many point to the event as a prime example of the needless suffering that can result from voluntary refusals to vaccinate. Others, however, still maintain that while this recent spread of the disease is unfortunate, it is nonetheless a parent’s choice to decide whether or not to vaccinate his or her child.

The anti-vaccination movement (whose adherents have been nicknamed “anti-vaxxers”) has undeniably been gaining ground in the past 15 years, and though many laud it as a victory for personal choice in healthcare, though its spreading should truly give us pause. This is because through this trend, we are systematically disregarding medical advances that have been made up to this point and, in my personal opinion, decidedly regressing.

While I do not doubt that anti-vaxxers advocate out of genuine concern for their children’s health, many of their arguments are based on well-intentioned misunderstanding and ignorance. Many, moreover, cite fear regulations and

For example, many argue that vaccines should not be made mandatory because they may onset autism in children, as some parents have provided anecdotes noting that their children exhibited signs of autism shortly after being vaccinated. However, this rumored connection has not been validated throughout the course of over 40 scientific studies, according to American Academy of Pediatrics. In fact, the only study to have ever demonstrated a link between vaccines and the development of autism was proven to have been falsified and the doctor at fault, Dr. Andrew Wakefield, has had his medical license revoked.

Additionally, according the Australian Department of Health and Ageing notes that the timetable for administering vaccines is directly related to other developmental milestones. Because of this, certain indicators of development (or a lack thereof) logically correlate with receiving vaccines, but should not give the illusion of causation.

Many anti-vaxxers also argue that “natural immunity,” or immunity of certain diseases that comes from personally experiencing the illness, is preferable to the immunity acquired from vaccines. This too has been scientifically refuted.

According to the Australian Department of health and Ageing again, this idea is “Tied [to] the belief that vaccination interferes with the body’s natural processes. However, choosing to remain unvaccinated, and have the disease rather than prevent it, can have serious consequences. Diseases such as tetanus and meningitis can kill and maim, whereas the vaccines against these diseases are generally well tolerated with minor side effects. Vaccines provide the same stimulus to the immune system as an infection and can potentially offer more effective protection against certain pathogens. Most importantly, protection through vaccination avoids the complications associated with having the disease. The benefits of vaccination far outweigh those of infection with a vaccine-preventable disease.”

To add to this is the sobering fact that simply contracting a disease such as measles or whooping cough does not guarantee full recovery or even survival. Though they may no longer be focal point of health to the public, the diseases in question are still dangerous—capable of inflicting incredible pain and even death.

The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases has stated that, “In the US, vaccine-preventable infections kill more individuals annually than HIV/AIDs, breast cancer, or traffic accidents. Approximately 50,000 adults die each year from vaccine-preventable diseases in the US.”

Perhaps more importantly, however, is the fact that the growing percentage of the population that is not vaccinated is endangering the “herd immunity” that benefits everyone and acts as a shield against illness for those who are immunocompromised. Specifically, according to Huffington Post contributor Jaqueline Howard, “parents who fail to vaccinate their kids may be jeopardizing the health of other children who are unable to get the vaccine because they are too young or for other reasons. When the number of unvaccinated children rises above a certain threshold, so-called “herd immunity” is compromised–and preventable diseases get a toehold in the community.”

In sum, though the decision of whether to vaccinate a child or one’s self may seem to be minor and a matter of personal preference, the reality of the issue is that this individual choice can have dramatic and dire effects for the population at large.