In recent years, an anti vaccination groundswell has formed and many believe that immunizing children does more harm than good. Meanwhile, there are those who believe that the first group is spreading harmful propaganda and should be silenced immediately. The pros and cons of childhood immunization are numerous, requiring further investigation, so read on to learn more.
List of Pros of Childhood Immunization
1. Keeping Your Child Healthy
This should be the most obvious advantage of all. Keeping your child safe from any number of life threatening illnesses is the main reason why parents even opt for vaccinations in the firs place. Death, disability, and avoiding the spread of an epidemic are all the reasons that most parents need. For most, the long term health of their child is more important than any other factor.
2. Ability To Attend School
While the anti vaccination movement has led to the formation of a number of schools that no longer require prospective students to receive certain shots before attending, the majority of reputable learning institutions ask for proof of vaccination before allowing a student to enroll. This is done as a safety precaution, to give parents added peace of mind.
3. Disease Remains A Threat
A low incidence of a disease does not mean that the threat has been eradicated completely. All it takes is one careless portion of the population for a disease that was erroneously thought to be dormant to become an epidemic. While polio and measles no longer rampant, there is still a risk that your child could develop both of these diseases if they are not vaccinated.
List of Cons of Childhood Immunization
1. Vaccines Are Not 100 Percent Effective
The success rate of vaccines is less than 100 percent, which is too low for some parents. In the majority of instances, a vaccination is 95 percent effective, meaning that five out of every 100 children who are vaccinated will still be at risk for developing the disease in question.
2. Failure To Prove That Vaccines Are Necessary
It is difficult to prove that vaccines are the number one catalyst for the decrease in the presence of certain diseases. Long range testing has yet to be done in order to prove the effectiveness of vaccinations, which has led the anti vaccination movement to believe that natural human evolution is what has led to the decreased occurrence of diseases like measles and polio.
3. Parents Should Make The Decision
Parents believe that mandatory vaccination is a violation of their human rights and do not wish to be forced into a decision that disagrees with their personal belief system. Depending on a parent’s religious beliefs, they may not be comfortable with the idea of vaccination.
