Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Hina York
US 619
Candidate #:3085
“In the 20th century smallpox alone killed 300 million people” (nih.gov), and at one point
in time, it was the cause of death for 7% of Europeans. In 1979, the smallpox vaccination
eradicated the deadly disease in 1979. It is said by many that vaccination has been the most
effective contribution to global health after clean water and sanitation for contributions just like
this (nih.gov). However, despite the progressiveness of global vaccination, approximately 6.6
million children still die each year (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). The question of the safety of these
vaccinations also arises with many concerns over contaminants, what goes into a vaccine, and
adverse side-effects and deaths related to vaccinations. This poses the question should parents be
A major reason why parents haven’t been vaccinating their children in more recent years
spawns from a paper published by a gastroenterologist named Andrew Wakefield in 1998 which
linked colitis and autism to children receiving the MMR vaccine. The paper has now been
proven fraudulent after new studies were conducted but the impact on parents has had a lasting
effect. In 2000, the Centers for Disease control and Prevention (CDC) announced that measles
had been eradicated in the United States (Strauss, Elissa). Unfortunately, in 2014 there were 677
reported cases, which is outrageous considering there weren’t any 14 years earlier. Some of these
cases have been attributed to parents who abstain from having their children vaccinated, or “anti-
vaxxers”. Anti- vaxxers in Minnesota have also been held responsible for causing the biggest
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measles outbreak since 2015. Anti-vaxxer parents like these hold ‘measles parties’ with the
intention of exposing their children to others with the disease in order to build up their immune
systems. While to some, these parties may seem extreme, there is something for parents to worry
In 2014, at least 15 kids died in Syria after receiving measles vaccinations. These
children, all under the age of 2, were rushed to nearby medical facilities after they started
experiencing drastic symptoms after receiving the vaccine through a U.N. sponsored program
(CNN.com). After further investigation, it was suspected that the contaminated vaccines were a
product of human error and that strong muscle relaxants had accidently been mixed in with the
vaccine powder instead of the serum. If we can’t trust a vaccination program led by the U.N., it’s
a bit difficult to trust our own doctors. If human error was the cause of the deaths of these
children, it’s only plausible that something like this could happen again without the proper
regulations necessary. But this isn’t the only case where a failure in the health system has led to
death. In South Sudan, where “in 2016, there were 2,249 suspected measles cases (npr.org)”, a
measles campaign supported by UNICEF and The World Health Organization (WHO) led to the
death of fifteen children all under the age of five. In a statement issued by the two organizations,
it was revealed that “the vaccine had been left unrefrigerated,” and that “one syringe had been
used over the course of four days” (npr.org). Again, when the organizations responsible for our
health fail so tragically, it’s easy to see why some have been turned off by vaccines.
However tragic, if there is no human error with their handling, experts say that serious
reactions to these vaccines are rare but still occur. In a review of 11 vaccines all used in children
under 6 years old by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), it was found that there were adverse side
effects to some of the vaccines, but that patients rarely experienced them. “For example, the
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rotavirus vaccine RotaTeq was linked with 15 extra cases of intussusception per 1 million doses
of the vaccine, the review said. And between 3,000 and 4,000 children get the MMR vaccine for
every one extra case of a fever-triggered seizure” (livescience.com). However, some parents are
still concerned over what is actually in a vaccine. A study published in the International Journal
of Vaccines and Vaccination found “the presence of micro- and Nano-sized particulate matter
composed of inorganic elements in vaccine samples” not declared in the products’ ingredients
lists” (globalresearch.ca). Included in the vaccines were lead particles, stainless steel, tungsten,
platinum, silver, bismuth, chromium, and iron- which “can corrode and the corrosion products
exert a toxicity affecting the tissues,” and others. One ingredient commonly found in vaccines is
formaldehyde, a carcinogen that in prolonged exposure can cause cancer, but is used in vaccines
harmful ingredient is gelatin, which “is the single largest identifiable source of severe allergic
and MSG. However many of these substances are naturally occurring and have been deemed safe
Even while facing bleak incidences like these, more and more countries are progressing
towards increased vaccination. India accounts for 37% of the global deaths caused by measles
each year (WHO). The country is now seeking out to eradicate measles by 2018 with two
measles vaccinations which will fully protect children against the viral infection. After
Germany’s increase in measles cases, new legislation was passed requiring parents to provide
their children’s kindergartens with proof that they had attended vaccination counseling (CNN).
Italy has decided to follow in the United States’ footsteps and require proof of vaccination in
order for children to attend school. Unlike the United States, however, parents will be fined if
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unable to produce proof of vaccination. “In Australia, the ‘No Jab, No Pay’ policy contains both
financial disincentives and incentives. Firstly, patients in lower earning scales get some
additional family tax rebates if they have kept their child up-to-date with their various
vaccinations” (CNN.com). Epidemics of preventable disease that used to go back and forth
between Texas and Mexico are now a thing of the past since Mexico’s adoption of anew
vaccination policy. If a parent has failed to have their child vaccinated on time, a nurse will visit
the house and administer the vaccine, regardless if the parents are present or not.