Vaccinations for humans is a very controversial topic and that is what this paper is going to be discussing. A vaccine is a substance that is either injected, given orally, or nasally to help a person become immune to a virus or bacteria. In this paper we will be discussing the pros and cons to human vaccines such as herd immunity, reactions, cost and effectiveness. Before we talk about the pros and cons first let’s talk about the history of vaccines.
First, vaccines first started back in 1796 when Physician Edward Jenner discovered a vaccine for human smallpox by using a similar virus called cowpox to create it (Brunson, 2020). Even back then people realized that other people in the community needed to be exposed to the virus in a safe way without getting it. Before they actually had a vaccine, they would expose themselves by to the scabs of those that had smallpox but this wasn’t the best thing to do since some people developed smallpox while others became immune (Brunson, 2020). This was just the start of vaccinations and almost 100 years after the smallpox vaccine is when other vaccines like rabies and the plague were discovered. Currently there are so many vaccines for humans but currently scientists are trying to create one for Covid-19. Now let’s drive into the pros for human vaccinations.
Most importantly, human vaccines help prevent the spread of disease throughout not only your community but also the world. With how often people travel to other countries its very important that not only the United States vaccinates but that other countries do to because it will help create herd immunity. Herd immunity is when most of the population is immune to a disease since they were vaccinated so it helps stop the spread of the disease (Brunson, 2020). Herd immunity is very important since it helps protect those that can not receive a vaccination for example if you have a weakened immune system, going through chemotherapy, depending on the vaccine if you are pregnant and even age. Some children are not old enough to receive a vaccination, so herd immunity is what they depend on for example measles. The measles vaccine cannot be given to a baby until it is at least 12 months of age, so during this time the child can get measles from someone else (Boulanger, 2018). Provaxers blame antivaxers for not vaccinating their children against a disease like measles because it dropped the herd immunity low enough that there are cases popping up in children that should be protected by herd immunity. Another reason to vaccinate is because most health insurances cover vaccines so people are paying nothing or else a small amount. For example, military insurance also known as Tricare pays for vaccines 100% for both military personal and their family (HHS,2018). There is also the option to go to the state health department where they also do low cost vaccines for those that do not have health insurance. At the end of the day it is cheaper to get a vaccination even if it is a fifty-dollar copay versus paying for the treatment for the disease since hospital stays are expensive. Vaccines do not mean that you are 100 percent covered but it is still highly effective, but it also depends on the vaccine. For example, the measles vaccine is 98 percent effective and most vaccines children and babies get are 85 to 95 percent effective
(Boulanger,2018). So yes, vaccines are not 100 percent effective, but the percentage is still higher than not receiving one. Also, there is a ridiculously small amount of people that have vaccine reactions and the most common severe reaction is anaphylaxis which is a severe allergic reaction (Procon.org,2019). Everyone knows that its very common for the injection site to be sore or red afterwards which is seen a lot but it’s not life threatening it is just uncomfortable According to Procon.org (2019), “you are 100 times more likely to be struck by lightning than to have a serious allergic reaction to the vaccine that protects you against measles” (Para# 4). So, a lot of antivaxers are mainly worried about the reaction worried about the reactions instead of considering more important things like how important herd immunity is.
Therefore, people are vaccinating against diseases that are not seen if rarely seen in the United States which some people would argue is pointless to receive that vaccine. One disease some people think should not be vaccinated for anymore is polio because in 1979 it was eradicated in the United States, but it is still vaccinated for today (Procon.org, 2019). So, if there is already a high enough herd immunity, the virus activity is low enough or else eradicated some antivaxers believe there is no pro to vaccinating against it. Also, some diseases that people vaccinate against can be treated and are not that harmful when the reaction to a vaccine can be much worse. For example, diseases like chickenpox, measles, rubella is often just a rash and sometimes a fever so they can be treated with rash cream and acetaminophen versus having a bad reaction to a vaccine (Procon.org, 2019). Provaxers like to write off vaccine reactions as being mild but there is some reactions that aren’t spoken about. They are rare but still possible for example seizures, brain damage, or death depending on the vaccine (Brunson, 2020). One other point is effectiveness because depending on the vaccine antivaxers do not see the point of risking reaction. For example, the flu shot is not as effective as the community may think it is. The flu vaccine is only 40 to 60 percent effective and that is if the scientists happened to predict the correct strain for the vaccine for the upcoming flu season if not that percentage is even lower (Boulanger, 2018). So, for that reason some people do not receive one unless they are required to by work but even with that its not like they can fire you since it is your choice. Humans are not like dogs and cats where they are required by law to have the rabies vaccine. If a person chooses to not ever vaccinate their child, then they can do so and its 100 percent legal.
Finally, we have discussed some pros and cons of vaccinating and from here you can make your own decision about vaccines. Personally, I am pro vaccines because I believe they do more help than harm since some diseases can be life threatening and kill a lot of people. I also agree with herd immunity 100 percent since not everyone can get vaccinated. My mother for example has stage 2 Non-Hodgkin lymphoma so she cannot receive any vaccines since she already has a low immune system, so she relies on herd immunity to not get sick. I find it incredibly sad and selfish that some people choose not to vaccinate healthy children and put other children and people at risk. As I said above some babies can get measles under 12 months old and they cannot receive the vaccination until they are at least 12 months so, I cannot imagine having a baby and my child possibly getting sick. I personally would blame the antivaxers because this would be their fault since they decided not to vaccinate their healthy children that were old enough to receive it and they lowered the herd immunity causing my child to get sick. I personally believe that it should be a law to at least receive some vaccinations to help control herd immunity for those that do not have a choice to receive a vaccination. Hopefully one day people will see the importance of vaccines and it is better to receive them not only for yourself but for those around you.
