Why vaccinate?
Immunizations can save a child’s life, especially from early childhood diseases as mumps, measles and German measles. Vaccines are safe and effective. They have been vetted by physicians, researchers and health care professionals. Serious side effects are rare. By getting inoculated, you not only safeguard yourself, but you also help keep safe and healthy those who are too young or frail to get the vaccine. You won’t be a carrier with the potential to spread a contagious disease. You also can save time and money by getting immunized. Many of these pathogens will keep you at home for a few days because of the contagious nature of the disease and severity of symptoms. Moreover, vaccines have greatly decreased incidences of deadly and disabling diseases like smallpox, which has been virtually eradicated.
Then there are parents and guardians who will not immunize their child for fear of vaccine safety. Many believe vaccines cause diseases and are more problematic than health officials would have us believe.
The “Anti-vaxxers'” History and Reasons Not to Vaccinate
The term “anti-vaxxers” relates to those adults who choose not to have their children immunized for various reasons, including what they believe is an increase in the risk of autism. This belief grew out of a 1998 study, published in the Lancet, the British medical journal, by gastroenterologist Andrew Wakefield. He sounded the alarm about vaccine concerns such as genetically modified pathogens, heavy metals and other chemicals in the vaccine’s composition.
Some of the claims Wakefield made include:
- Vaccinated people are “immunocompromised,” which means that they are the ones who get the very disease against which one is immunized.
- Vaccines contain deadly additives such as aluminum, mercury, formaldehyde, MSG, antibiotics or genetically modified organisms.