Many people today are presented with the question of whether to vaccine or not to vaccine. This is a question that all parents or soon-to-be parents will come across as they contemplate the health and well being of their child. As the case has been for many years, we currently have the resources to prevent our children from contracting preventable diseases, saving them the struggle of fighting off those unwelcomed bugs with the aid of vaccinations.
Dating back to as early as the late 1700’s, when the first vaccine was successfully administered, smallpox became less prevalent in societies with high smallpox vaccination rates. Leaving some societies with low smallpox outbreak rates and eventually eradicating the disease altogether. Because of the smallpox vaccine, we are no longer faced with the struggles or death that once consumed societies around the world due to this preventable disease. Vaccines have also been the cause for extremely low rates of polio and measles, which at one time ran rampant through societies. These are just a couple of the success stories, of many, that have proven the benefit of vaccine usage.
The science behind vaccinations is very simple. Through each injection received, the patient is exposed to a nominal amount of the germ. Because the body is exposed to a small amount of the germ, the body may present mild symptoms, indicating the body’s ability to fight off this unwanted guest. The human body has the amazing ability to, within just a few days, build up defenses against the germ that was introduced into the body. Upon the germ’s arrival in the body, the white bloods cells immediately recognize that there is an invader present and thus begins to build up its defenses. These defenses, also known as antibodies, are then stored in the body for an extended period of time, some indefinitely. Then at any point when this vaccinated patient is exposed to the same germ, their body already has the necessary antibodies in place to fight off the disease and not be affected by it.
More on how a vaccine works can be found here.
Center for Disease Control and Protection 2014 Vaccine Schedule here.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) vaccine schedule, children from the ages of newborn to 18 years old will receive 14 different vaccines, some consisting of a series of two or three injections. A couple of vaccines, such as the DTaP vaccine, allows for the benefit of vaccinations against Diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis, with the administration of just one injection. This schedule has been designed and recommended by medical professionals who have conducted research, completed studies, collected data, interpreted and analyzed the data, and now recommend these vaccinations while keeping the health of children and future children in mind.
Two vaccines that are currently recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and CDC are the varicella vaccine (licensed in 1995) and the MMR vaccine (licensed in 1963). Both vaccines have proved to be very effective, most importantly by decreasing outbreak rates that can be attributed to increased vaccination rates and herd-immunity effects. Herd-immunity is the benefit received by a population when the majority is immunized, which leads to a decreased opportunity for an outbreak. This is also a great benefit to those that are not eligible for vaccinations including, pregnant women, babies, and immunocompromised individuals
Vaccines have been proven to be of great benefit in societies around the world. Aiding in building up defenses in one child at a time.
What are you thoughts on vaccines? Are you in favor, or not in favor of vaccinations? Do you support certain vaccines and not others?
References:
1. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Vaccines and Immunizations Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/default.htm
2. CDC, Understanding How Vaccines Work, Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/patient-ed/conversations/downloads/vacsafe-understand-color-office.pdf
3. American Academy of Pediatrics, 2014 Vaccination Schedule, Retrieved from http://www2.aap.org/immunization/izschedule.html
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ReplyDeleteHey Lea,
ReplyDeleteGood writing so far. I am a fan of vaccines. When I first joined the military everyone got a ton of vaccines. I didn't even know what some wee but they made me get them. I also decided not to get a flu shot last year and got super sick so i'll probably get one this year.
Michael,
DeleteSorry to hear that you got sick this past year! Hopefully next year's flu shot will keep you healthy throughout cold and flu season. I grew up as an Army brat and can relate to getting lots of shots, some of which were then not routine here in the states. I was born in Helsinki, Finland while my father was stationed there. At that time I received the smallpox vaccine which was not currently being administered in the states. Have you had to spend any time overseas?
Lea,
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your blog post, I'm much more interested in learning about vaccines. I'm in favor of vaccines because I think that they are one of the main reasons why we are still here today. They have definitely come a long way over the years. I really liked how you explained how the vaccines work once they're in the body. I think it's really awesome that our bodies have the capability of doing that and are able to fight off the germ later on in life as well. I had a general idea on the process, but that definitely cleared a lot of questions up for me!
Lea,
ReplyDeleteThere are many people out there with different background, therefore, it is better to protect yourself. I was vaccinated twice with the vaccine that you only need to vaccinate once in your life. I did not remember much of the detail but I have the big scar because my body was trying to get rid of the new vaccine. Despite of that coincidence, I still think that vaccines are really important and everyone should be required to get vaccination to prevent contracting contagious disease.
Lea,
ReplyDeleteI have the same opinion about people should vaccinate to prevent diseases. In some cases, we will get sick after we have the injection. My boy was always sick right after he got the flu vaccination. It also took him 4 to 5 days to be recovered. Thus, I decided not to let him have the flu vaccine and he seems ok. In the last few year, when I got the H5N1 vaccine, I got real sick, muscle aches. I used to regret to inject that vaccine.
Lea,
ReplyDeleteI thought your topic and blog post were interesting. There is always a lot of debate about whether or not we should vaccinate children, so it is a controversial topic. The only thing I would add to your blog is more information on the potential negatives to vaccinations, and this is where the controversy comes from. Other than that, I liked how you informed the reader about the positives of vaccinations. You gave a lot of information about how vaccines work, and the role that they have played in keeping illness and disease to a minimum. I can’t wait to read more.
Lea,
ReplyDeleteI am in favor of vaccinations. I have all my vaccines and get my flu shot every year. I am a firmly believer and have read many studies that show no concrete evidence about vaccines causing others harm. Before entering a new year at old my private school, students had to get vaccinated or be up to date with their shots. I know that many schools have the same policy and I wonder if some parents are deciding not to vaccinate their kids how they are letting their kids go without them. I think if more and more people go without vaccines the effects will only get worse.
Lea,
ReplyDeleteYour topic is very interesting and although I am in favor of vaccinations I would have liked to hear in your blog about some of the arguments against them. I did recently hear that some are arguing vaccinations can cause other conditions such as autism. While I am not a proponent of this idea it would seem to be a big drawback if it were found to be true.
Overall, as your blog indicated vaccinnes can be very important in keeping people healthier and lowering our health care costs.