Vaccines - Agents of Prevention or Causation?

  • Added:
    Mar 17, 2013
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USACE employees receive flu protection
USACE employees receive flu protection
Photo by USACE Europe District

Are vaccines safe for your child?  If you ask Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, the answer is yes.  The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) says maybe, stay informed, and watch your child carefully.  Parents of a child who has had a severe reaction to a shot or died after getting one will shout no from the highest rooftop.

One reason so many parents distrust the immunization process is that the pharmaceutical companies threatened to halt production of immunization vaccines in the US back in the 1980s unless they received at least some federal protection from lawsuits.  They were given that in 1986 with exceptions under the Vaccine Injury Table of Compensable Events handled by a D.C. Court of Claims. To make the situation even more toxic to concerned parents, the U.S. Supreme Court in 2011 removed all liability, even if a plaintiff could be prove the harmful vaccine could have been produced in a safer formula.

Despite that, there have been positive changes made.  In 2001, the FDA ordered Thimerosal removed from all vaccines for children aged 6 and younger.  The concerns were that the chemical might increase the development or perhaps even be a causational agent of autism.  The only exceptions to this ban are some flu vaccines and those contain only very small, trace amounts.

If you are the parent or caregiver of an infant or young child, there are many pros and cons to consider before deciding to not immunize or to halt any further immunizations.  Here are five each to keep in mind.

Pros:  

  • Vaccinations strengthen a child's immune system
  • Vaccinations keep a family safer
  • Vaccinations keep a community safer
  • Vaccinations have virtually eliminated formerly common diseases such as smallpox and polio
  • The risks of a reaction are very small compared to the risks of the disease itself such as Mumps

   

Cons: 

  • Unimmunized children can spread disease to other children, the elderly or people with reduced or compromised immune systems
  • Genetic predispositions for immune disorders equal bad reactions; not all are known or can be tested for yet
  • Vaccinations are no longer required due to improvements in sewage treatment and safe drinking water
  • Vaccination immunity is artificial and weakens the body's natural immune system
  • Many states do not allow enrollment of children in public schools who are not immunized

Author's Profile

Rick Samson loves working out and playing sports. He currently writes articles on Interesting Articles.


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