The Vaccination Dilemma
Ashden Gobbett
Mrs. Koontz
January 19, 2015

The Vaccination Dilemma
I am pro vaccinations. As a nurse and a mother; I see both sides of the vaccination dilemma. You want to protect your child/loved ones from disease, but vaccinating our children can be scary with all the injections given at one time. Also the fear of having a reaction to the vaccination/s given. However, whatever side of the fence you are on, vaccinating our children is the number one way to protect them from disease. Disease is everywhere, lingering in the shadows and around us. From one cough, to a handshake, your body is now fighting off a disease. Then, while hugging your child or loved one, you start spreading the disease you have already begun to fight off, to them. There are many reasons why you should vaccinate your child/children. Immunizations can save your child’s life, vaccinations are safe and effective, and immunizations can protect others you care about, while saving you money.
Getting your child/children vaccinated can save their lives from getting diseases. “Some diseases that once injured or killed thousands of children, have been eliminated completely and others are close to extinction– primarily due to safe and effective vaccines.”(2015) Polio was one of the most feared diseases in America that killed thousands and left others with paralysis. Now it is no longer a threat and not even detected anymore because of the Polio vaccine. (2015)
Vaccinations are safe and effective. Many parents try to debate that the multiple injections at one time in a single visit can overload a child’s immune system, especially in an infant. In actuality, an infant’s immune system begins to develop while in utero and becomes primed- forming T-cells and B-cells, which help fight off infections. Also, maturation of the immune’s response occurs from 16 weeks gestation and slowly gains stronger to one year of age. (Chatterjee and O’Keefe 2010) So, it is important to reassure parents and caregivers that vaccines will not weaken or overwhelm an infant’s immune system.
Lastly, immunizations can protect other people you care about and can save you and your family money. Children and adults are still able to get vaccine-preventable diseases, such as, Pertussis. Pertussis came back in 2010 with over 21,000 cases reported and 26 deaths in the West Coast