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Williams, Betsy. Vaccinations are Essential to the Survival of the Human Race. 16 Nov 2015
This essay is for all the parents and caregivers of all children. I wrote this essay to help
clarify some of the misconceptions about vaccinations. This essay was compiled over a couple of
weeks and proofed by two people. The facts are presented in a clear manner. If I could rewrite it,
I would make sure the paragraphs flow smoothly.

Betsy Williams
Tammy Davis
Composition II
16 November 2015
Vaccinations are Essential to the Survival of the Human Race
Some words when spoken cause huge arguments, and debates. Vaccinations,
immunizations, and vaccines are three of those words. Some people believe that vaccinations
lead to problems for our society, while others believe vaccinations are necessary. It is a vicious
cycle centered on beliefs, opinions, and facts. However, vaccinations are essential to the survival
of the human race.
Some people believe that vaccinations cause autism. In FACT: Vaccines do not cause
Autism, it is discussed why people started believing that vaccines cause autism. There was a
study which has now been retracted that came out in the late 1990s, the study stated vaccines
cause autism. Since then people all over the world now blame vaccinations for autism and other
diseases (FACT). Even though this study was retracted, and it was found that the information in
the study was not acquired correctly there are still some people who believe the study is true.
There is no definite cause for autism. The Center for Disease Control has come out with

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recommendations on when to receive vaccines. The CDC recommends that children receive the
MMR vaccine at 12 to 18 monthsthe same time frame children begin to show diagnosable
signs of autism. This is likely one reason why some parents confuse a connection between the
MMR vaccine, and their childs first sign of autism (FACT). Because the Center for Disease
Control recommends getting the MMR vaccine between 12 and18 months, that is when
healthcare providers give the vaccine to children. There is no scientific proof linking autism with
the MMR vaccine. It is simply coincidental that children start showing signs of autism around
the same time as the MMR vaccine is administered. Well over two dozen studies have been done
in an effort to determine if the MMR vaccine is in fact linked to autism. To this day, there is no
proof that the MMR vaccine causes or affects autism in any way.
In addition to believing that autism is caused by vaccines, some people are worried about
the cost, and if vaccinations are cost effective. It is hard to find the value of life, and to put a
dollar amount on a life. However, in a study done on the value of statistical life, they have come
up with a way to show us how vaccines save not only money but people too. The average
benefit over the decade was $23 billion per year, corresponding to an average of 640,000 lives
saved per year (Ozawa). It is obvious that vaccines not only save thousands, and thousands of
lives, they also save billions of dollars. It is hard to think of a persons life in terms of money, but
doing so helps us to put a dollar amount on the lives vaccines saves. Every day we make choices
that influence our health. Some of those choices are more dangerous than others. In FACT: The
benefits of preventing disease with a vaccine far outweigh the risks they focused on lives that
vaccines save, and deaths that vaccines prevent. In one year, vaccines prevent more than 8,500
child hospitalizations in Colorado, 33,000 deaths in the U.S., between 2, and 3 million deaths
worldwide (FACT). The article says vaccines prevent between 2 and 3 million deaths in the

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entire world each year. How can we refuse to vaccinate, when so many lives can, and are saved
by vaccinations? The answer is that we cannot. The cost is miniscule compared to the lives
saved.
Additionally, there are some people who believe that immunizations are detrimental to
the person receiving them. In Vaccines for Children- A Guide for Parents and Caregivers, one
aspect of this thought process is explained clearly. Because immunizations programs of the 20th
century were so successful, many of todays parents have never seen many vaccine-preventable
diseases, and do not understand the potential for them to re-emerge (Vaccines). Many people
alive today have never seen how devastating these diseases are, nor have they lost a loved one to
these diseases. It is easy to be against vaccinations when the benefits, and risks are not fully
understood. Vaccines do have risks, and negative side effects. In Vaccines for Children they
cover the risks, and benefits. A vaccine is a medication. Like any medicine, vaccines have
benefits and risks, and although highly effective, no vaccine is 100% effective in preventing
disease or 100% safe in all individuals (Vaccines). The majority of these risks associated with
vaccines are short lived, and not life threatening. Every single day each and every human makes
choices. Each and every day a person makes tradeoffs that involve their health. Most all choices
we make on a daily basis have risks associated with them. We put our lives at risk by getting in a
vehicle, and driving down the street. People risk their health when they choose to smoke
cigarettes. We risk our health by breathing in air, which could have harmful bacteria or
something to kill us in it. The risks associated with vaccines and preventing mass casualties due
to diseases like tuberculosis, smallpox, measles or many more are worth the risk. Millions of
people have died from disease epidemics in the past. The risks are worth protecting millions of
people from these atrocious diseases. The side effects or risks that are caused by vaccines are

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typically anything from a fever, to redness at the injection site to muscle soreness. These are the
most likely risks of vaccines. These side effects do not typically last more than a couple days,
and then after the vaccine is administered, the body is prepared to fight off that disease.
Another reason some people are against vaccines is that they may not clearly understand
how vaccines work. Some believe that a live virus is introduced to the body during a vaccination.
While others believe that the vaccination creates a shield to protect the body. Vaccines do not
100% guarantee that the person will not get the disease. Vaccines prepare the bodys immune
system for a future attack of a certain disease caused by a certain virus or bacteria. By preparing
the bodys immune system for a future attack, the body is better prepared to fight the virus or
bacteria giving the person a greater chance of survival (Vaccines). Vaccines can be given by
injection, mouth, or sprayed in the nose; they contain a weakened virus that will not cause the
actual disease (Vaccines). It is much easier to stay ahead of these diseases with vaccines than to
have the diseases return, and try to eradicate it again. Vaccines are a proactive approach to
keeping a body healthy.
Vaccinations have been around for hundreds of years; because of this not all health care
providers today have had experience with the severity of these diseases. In a study that was
published, and supported by the Center for Disease Control, Michelle Mergler and her associates
examined how the beliefs of health care providers, and parents influenced whether or not they
vaccinated their children.
Vaccines were one of the greatest public health achievements of the 20th century,
dramatically reducing morbidity and mortality from many infectious diseases. As a result
of this success, the majority of health care providers and parents have no or minimal
experience with many vaccine-preventable diseases (Mergler).

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It was found that most parents will agree with their health care providers about vaccines. Health
care providers can greatly influence parents in their decision making process. If a health care
provider believes that vaccines are beneficial, of course they are more likely to recommend them.
However, if these health care providers have not had experience with the severity of these
diseases, they may not be as likely to encourage parents to do something to prevent these
diseases. A great deal of trust has been placed in our health care providers. We believe that they
will lead us in the correct direction to protect our families. On the other hand, we as parents must
take control. We must stand up for what we believe in, and protect our children at all costs.
In addition to protecting our children, there have been many disease outbreaks in recent
years that are believed to be associated with unimmunized or under immunized people (Mergler).
These diseases were once thought to be eradicated, but parents choosing not to vaccinate for
whatever reason is giving these diseases a chance to reemerge. Many people assume
immunizations are not working if the diseases are coming back. However, that is not the case.
Herd immunity is where a high percentage of the population is immune to an infection therefore
providing protection to those who are not immune to a disease. If enough people are immunized
in a community it makes it harder for the disease to infect someone in that community. In the
late 1990s, MMR vaccination rates began to drop from more than 90% to 80% or lower- well
below the level required for herd immunity against measles. In response, the number of cases
began to rise: while only 56 cases were confirmed in Wales and England in 1998, 1,348 were
confirmed by 2008 (Why). This is an example of what happens when herd immunity is not in
place. In the first year that the herd immunity is low, the number of confirmed victims may not
be high, but as the years go on the disease keeps spreading. Every disease and infection has a
herd immunity specific to itself. If we do not keep vaccinating then these diseases that were once

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thought to be extinct, perhaps because herd immunity was at the right percentage, are going to
have a greater chance reemerging. Once a disease has a foothold, it keeps spreading. Doctors and
scientists continue striving to find a way to eradicate these diseases because these diseases are
highly contagious and can easily spread. If these diseases have a chance to come back due to not
vaccinating, it could quickly become an epidemic. We must keep vaccinating.

Presently, the United States does not have many of these diseases. In todays world
people love to travel. People travel to the United States and they also travel from the United
States to other countries. Other countries have not been vaccinating as strongly as the United
States has been over the years. Diseases like measles, tuberculosis and even smallpox are still
numerous in other countries. Some third-world countries are not vaccinating due to the lack of
financial assistance. People from around the world participate in mission trips. On the mission
trips they travel to many different places, including third world countries, some of which have
these diseases present there. They may not know immediately that they have been infected.
When the people return home, they go through airports, buses, sometimes even train rides. If
they have been infected, they have the chance to spread that disease to thousands of people. If
herd immunity is too low, the disease will spread. With all of the travel in todays world diseases
can spread faster than it can be stopped. Immunization is the key to protect the world.
If we stop vaccinating or allow people to choose not to be vaccinated we are risking
millions of lives. Some of those lives are children who do not have a chance to speak for their
selves. Children are not allowed to choose if they want to be vaccinated or not, as their parents
make this choice for them. Parents are supposed to look out for and protect their children. By not
vaccinating, the parent is choosing to possibly allow their child to become infected with a

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preventable disease. If there is a reason that the vaccination would cause death in the child, then I
do believe that the parent should be able to choose not to vaccinate. However, putting thousands
possibly millions of people at risk, just because a parent does not want to vaccinate their child is
a selfish decision. The diseases that we have vaccinations for have proven to be able to kill
millions and millions of people extremely fast. The diseases we have vaccinations for are not
nice, and often times the victim suffers greatly before passing away. We have the technology to
prevent these diseases. There have been numerous studies to determine if vaccinations can cause
autism or other disorders and every study has the same conclusion. There is no proof that
vaccinations cause autism or any other disorders. It has been proven that vaccinations are
financially beneficial. They are not as risky as the actual disease. Furthermore, if we do not keep
vaccinating, the herd immunity will drop and the disease will come back potentially killing
millions. Vaccinations are the key factor in the survival of the human race.

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Works Cited
FACT: The benefits of preventing disease with a vaccine far outweigh the risks. n.d.
21 October 2015. <immunizeforgood.com>.
FACT: Vaccines do not cause Autism. n.d. 21 October 2015.
<immunizeforgood.com>.
Mergler, Michelle j, et al. Association of Vaccine-Related Attitudes and Beliefs
betweeen Parents and Health Care Providers. 2013.
Ozawa, Sachiko, et al. "During the "Decade of Vaccines," the Lives of 6.4 Million
Children Valued at $231 Billion Could be Saved." Health Affairs 30.6 (2011):
1010-20. 21 October 2015.
Vaccines for Children - A Guide for Parents and Caregivers. August 2015. 21 October
2015. <fda.gov>.
Why Vaccinate? 31 July 32014. 2015 October 21. <history of vaccines.org>.