Vaccine-Preventable Diseases - Essay Example

"Vaccine-Preventable Diseases" is a peculiar example of a paper on childhood immunization. 
How did parents become more worried about adverse reactions to vaccines than about the diseases that the vaccines were developed to prevent?

            The first vaccine was invented in 1796 when an English doctor realized that people living close to cows had become immune to the smallpox virus. Since then many diseases such as chickenpox and polio have been prevented by developing vaccines for them and getting people vaccinated accordingly. Parents are anxious about their children. They do not want their newborn child to get affected by any disease. Therefore, they take preventive measures, and they get their children vaccinated to protect them from viruses or diseases, which can even lead to death. Vaccines help children by training their bodies to fight against infectious diseases. (How Vaccines Prevent Disease).

            However, in recent years, people have become a little doubtful before getting their children vaccinated. This is because of the allergic reactions children can have after they are vaccinated, which can sometimes be deadly as well. An adverse reaction is a harmful incident that takes place in a person’s body after he has been immunized and is caused by the immunization process. Mostly, the allergic reactions include redness, swelling, and fever, while fatal effects are a rare possibility. (Adverse Reactions to Immunization: Information for Parents)

            As vaccine-preventable infectious diseases are constantly decreasing, parents have become more aware of the harmful after-effects related to vaccines. In addition to this, advancements in medical technology and increased information about vaccines have led to several inquiries and examination of existing vaccines, which has also made many people nervous. Therefore, people think twice about getting their children vaccinated and have become fearful of the allergic reaction a vaccine can have. (Adverse events following immunization (AEFI)

            Surveys have also been carried out, which proves that modern parents have become more alert to the hazardous effects of vaccines. A large number of families were reported to have refused the usage of a certain vaccine because of the adverse reactions related to this. Numerous health providers and public health professionals have also succumbed to the fact that fears related to the safety of a vaccine, have become a lot common nowadays. This is also a problem that has to be dealt with immediately because vaccines are supposed to prevent diseases, and not to put a person in a hazardous state of health. Chronic illnesses, which have been related to vaccines, include asthma, autism, diabetes, and multiple sclerosis. (The Basics of Pediatric Immunizations: Adverse Reactions and Safety Concerns)

            Although the benefits of vaccines far exceed the adverse reactions caused by them, it has still become a matter of great concern for parents, who are not ready to take risks with their child’s safety. Thus, this has led to a loss in public confidence in vaccines, as people are more concerned about the allergic reaction these vaccines can have, instead of the numerous diseases these vaccines help to prevent.