Vaccination Controversy - Research Paper Example

Vaccination Controversy Introduction Vaccination has been used by health personnel since nearlyhundred years to artificially induce an immune response for the prevention of subsequent infections. Since the very beginning, vaccination has been surrounded by numerous controversies. In most health settings, vaccination constitutes one of the most controversial medical procedures. The central theme of vaccination controversy is the fact that the medical procedure interferes with core biological functions vital for survival. Vaccines are manufactured using either killed or attenuated organisms and contain various poisons such as mercury, formaldehyde and aluminum hydroxide. (Link, 2005). Keeping in view the fact that most vaccines are ineffective in providing absolute immunity and pose the danger of promoting the development of disorders like Autism, parents should be granted the right to delay or omit one or more of the mandated vaccines. Risks The history of medical profession is littered with numerous examples of vaccines which have been recalled either because they were extremely toxic or simply ineffective. The Rotavirus and lyme disease are examples of vaccines that have been recently recalled and discontinued. Attenuated vaccines are produced from living weak pathogenic microorganisms. Therefore, the chances of toxicity with attenuated vaccines are more likely compared with killed vaccines. Vaccines also contain surface antigens or toxins which are obtained from animals such as cattle, horse, monkeys, and ducks. Such vaccines have a high tendency to cause anaphylactic reactions in hypersensitive individuals. Certain vaccines have known to cause serious side effects and in some cases, the effects have claimed lives of children. Some of the side effects commonly caused by vaccines are convulsions, fever, rashes, nerve, and brain damage. The risk of such side effects is more pronounced in case of viral vaccines. According to anti-vaccinationists, during pre vaccine era the incidence of childhood infectious diseases had naturally lowered therefore, there is no need of vaccinations. Moreover, vaccinated children do not show absolute immunity because there have been cases where such children have acquired the infection against which they had been vaccinated. Vaccines are capable of causing age shifts which have further fueled the development of controversies surrounding this medical procedure. The immunity following natural infection is life long whereas, artificial immunization, in most cases, is capable of providing only short term immunity. Sophisticated critics argue that there is no point in risking the health of children by exposing them to the dangers of artificial immunization because it does not provide effective and life term immunity. The cases of vaccine injuries have heightened vaccination controversies over the last decade. (Link, 2005). Vaccination associated risks in Children Children born in developed industrialist countries over the last two decades have received an unprecedented number of vaccines. The number of mandated and recommended vaccines was tripled during the years 1983 and 2005. During the same years, routine vaccinations were doubled for the number of childhood diseases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices carries out a process each year to add new vaccines to the State’s list of mandated and recommended vaccines. Over a hundred years ago, children were only vaccinated for small pox. Rapid scientific developments led to the addition of a number of vaccines to the State’s mandated lists including diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, polio, measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines. Today, American children receive more than three dozen immunizations comprises of nearly fifty vaccines by the time they reach the age of six years. The beginning of the twenty first century has shown a drastic increase in the number of immunizations children receive. The possible negative consequences, and increased frequency of booster shots have created more concerns for parents and such concerns continue to rise with each new addition to the mandated list. The medical community’s one size fits all approach to vaccinations has raised concerns over associated potential harmful effects. The rumors about pharmaceutical companies preferring profitability before safety have paved way for debates regarding parental rights over vaccination of their children. Today, the top vaccination associated concerns for parents are anxieties over corporate power and profit motives, the increased frequency of booster shots, and potential harmful side effects of immunization. (Largent, 2012). In my opinion, parents should be allowed the right to decide the number and type of vaccines their children will receive. Most critics consider vaccination a personal decision in which the government should not intervene or interfere. (Williamson, 2007). Certain critics have gone as far as to suggest that vaccination seems to be a government plot intended to eliminate certain groups and parts of the population. The current risk associated with vaccination seems to be increasing with each new addition to the recommended list. Keeping in view the potential risks associated with immunization, parents should have the right to choose not have their children vaccinated with one or more of the mandated or recommended vaccines. Recent statistics have revealed that growing numbers of parents are acting upon their concerns and more than 40% have denied getting their children vaccinated with one or more of the mandated vaccines. (Largent, 2012). A Fundamental Human Right The right to choose the type and number of vaccination children will receive is an essential, basic, and unalienable parental right. Vaccination interferes with the health of an individual therefore, it a fundamental human right to choose vaccination. The surfacing of the undisputed scientific fact that vaccination can cause injuries and death in vulnerable and hypersensitive individuals has fueled the debate over the safety of this medical procedure. Today, most parents consider that their fundamental right is brutally violated because if they decide to delay or omit one or more mandated vaccines then their children will not be allowed to attend school. Similarly, non vaccinated adults cannot keep certain jobs in modern society and this clarifies that the absence of free choice has violated our fundamental human right. Furthermore, this violation has impregnated deeper into our societal roots. Ending compulsory vaccination is regarded as a major goal of most sophisticated critics. (Habakus, Louise and Mary, 2011). Increased Risk of Disorders Vaccination can trigger the development of certain disorders such as Autism, SIDs, rare nerve disorders and several autoimmune diseases including rheumatoid arthritis. The above mentioned side effects do not illicit the anxiety as the risk of development of Autism Spectrum Disorders does with the use of vaccination. ASD does not have the typical label of “disease” because medical science has been incapable of determining the underlying cause of Autism. Therefore, ASD is regarded as constellations of symptoms. Most probably, the cause of such constellations of symptoms is an underlying injury or an abnormality. Since, vaccines are known to interfere with core biological functions and cause injuries therefore; immunization inevitably increases the risk of development of autism and other disorders. (Habakus, Louise and Mary, 2011). Conclusion During the early 1700s, vaccination for small pox was carried out in a very dangerous and an ineffective manner. The vaccinated individuals received toxic doses of mercury and other poisons. The heavy metal and other chemicals precipitated numerous complications including vomiting and tooth loss. The primary reason why people refused to be vaccinated back then and now is the fear which has developed due to the controversies surrounding the medical procedure since the very beginning. (Allen, 2007). The profit motives and lack of concern over safety of the manufactured vaccines in pharmaceutical companies have posed tremendous concerns for parents in modern scientifically advanced society. The concern continues to accelerate as the mandated or recommended list of vaccines continues to expand each year. The side effects and increased risk of development of disorders associated with vaccines has given rise to the struggle for the liberation of parental right over delaying or omitting mandated vaccines. With each passing year, parental struggle against governmental inference in their fundamental right of choosing vaccination continues to intensify. References: Link, Kurt. The Vaccine Controversy: The History, Use, and Safety of Vaccinations. Westport, Conn: Praeger Publishers, 2005. Print. Williamson, Stanley. The Vaccination Controversy: The Rise, Reign, and Fall of Compulsory Vaccination for Smallpox. Liverpool [England: Liverpool University Press, 2007. Print. Habakus, Louise K, and Mary Holland. Vaccine Epidemic: How Corporate Greed, Biased Science, and Coercive Government Threaten Our Human Rights, Our Health, and Our Children. New York: Skyhorse Pub, 2011. Print. Largent, Mark A. Vaccine: The Debate in Modern America. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2012. Print. Allen, Arthur. Vaccine: The Controversial Story of Medicine's Greatest Lifesaver. New York: W.W. Norton, 2007. Print. Read More