Benefits of Vaccines Essay -- Parents Should Have Their Children Vacci

The controversy concerning vaccination for children has been a debate for many parents. A vaccine is defined as a biological agent used to prevent very serious illnesses and diseases, such as smallpox, measles, influenza, tuberculosis, and hepatitis by injecting a weakened infectious organism into the human body. When vaccines are given, the human body produces antibodies against the foreign substance, thus creating a defense mechanism for immunity to occur. Parenting decisions based on vaccinations are a sensitive matter in a child’s life. Many parents favor vaccines because they care about their children’s health during the first years of their lives. There are parents who fully trust and admire doctors for their efforts in contributing to preventative healthcare. However, some parents delay vaccinations because they are genuinely concerned about severe allergic reactions or long-term side effects. Other parents completely refuse vaccinations because they are unable to afford it or hold personal, moral, or religious beliefs. Disease prevention is important to public health because it protects both those who receive them and those with whom they come in contact with. There is a minority of parents who are against vaccinations because of the idea that it causes more harm than good. They fear that vaccinations will cause serious and permanent damage in the natural immune system. They also believe that their child’s immune system is never allowed to grow if they become too dependent on the medicine. The Family Doctor website has an article called, Vaccines: What They Are and Why Your Child Needs Them that affirms, â€Å"Vaccines are generally quite safe. The protection provided by vaccines far outweighs the very small risk of serious... ...nes and Community Decisions to Vaccinate." PubMed Central Journals: Public Health Reports. Web. 13 May 2012. . Holy Bible: New American Bible. Kansas: Catholic Bible Publishers, 1970. Print. Catholic Readers Edition. Siegal, Judy. "Parents Should Be Pressed to Have Their Children Vaccinated." Proquest. The Palestine Post Limited. Web. 12 May 2012. . Staff, Editorial. "Childhood Vaccines: What They Are and Why Your Child Needs Them." Health Education. Family Doctor, Dec. 2010. Web. 15 May 2012. . "Vaccines ProCon.org." Vaccines ProCon.org. Web. 12 May 2012. .