The Vaccine Debate and Update on the Measles Outbreak
The recent measles breakouts in 2019 have once again brought light to the vaccine debate. Should we get our children vaccinated?
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends getting 29 doses of 9 vaccines (plus a yearly flu shot after six months old) for kids aged 0 to six. No US federal laws mandate vaccination, but all 50 states require certain vaccinations for children entering public schools. Most states offer medical and religious exemptions; and some states allow philosophical exemptions.
So what exactly are the pros and cons of vaccinations? These are some of the arguments and points raised regarding vaccines.
| Pros | Cons |
| Vaccines can save children’s lives | Vaccines can cause serious and sometimes fatal side effects |
| The ingredients in vaccines are safe in the amounts used | Vaccines contain harmful ingredients |
| Major medical organizations (CDC, FDA, AMA, IOM, AAP, UNICEF, HHS, WHO…) state that vaccines are safe | The government should not interfere in personal medical choices. Mandatory vaccines infringe upon constitutionally protected religious freedoms |
| Adverse reactions to vaccines are extremely rare | Vaccines are unnatural, and natural immunity is more effective than vaccination |
| Vaccines protect the community immunity for outbreaks | The pharmaceutical companies FDA and CDC should not be trusted to make and regulate safe vaccines |
| Vaccines save children and their parents time and money | Diseases that vaccines target have essentially disappeared |
| Vaccines protect future generations | Most diseases that vaccines target (chickenpox, measles, rubella, rotavirus) are relatively harmless in many cases, thus making vaccines unnecessary |
| Vaccines eradicated smallpox and have nearly eradicated other diseases such as polio | |
| Vaccines provided economic benefits for society |
The pro-vaccine side argues that vaccines can save lives by preventing life-threatening diseases. The anti-vaccine side argues that the ingredients used in vaccines are harmful and can cause side effects. I think both sides raise some good points. Personally I think I would get vaccinated for certain life-threatening diseases and just skip the ones that are geared towards less harmful diseases. And of course, it is always good to be informed about what is going into our bodies, so here is a breakdown of what goes into vaccines.
If you are not vaccinated or choose not to get vaccinated, make sure to keep up to date with the recent reported cases of outbreaks to protect yourself and others. Click here for reported cases of outbreak in LA County. Click here for updates on recent cases in the United States.
Watch the Pro-Vaccine vs Anti-Vaccine discussion on this episode of Middle Ground:
