The Importance of Childhood Vaccination Essay -- Medicine Health

Since the introduction of vaccinations, medical science has managed to all but eliminate many formally fatal and debilitating childhood illnesses in countries where the immunization of children is approximately universal. Diseases such as measles, mumps, diphtheria, rubella and polio convey been relegated to a marginal status in developed countries with active immunization campaigns smallpox is in reality considered to have been completely eliminated from the earth, without a single case having been reported since roughly 1979 (Childhood). Largely centered around a study published in 1998 in the British medical journal The Lancet, there has been an upsurge in concerns of the safety of vaccinations and a resulting decrease in their usage, which has lead to a somewhat anachronistic return of these diseases. While some parents concerns over the safety of vaccinations are based upon the well-intentioned desire to keep children safe from autism, the act of not vaccinating children act ually causes far greater damage by exposing them to acquiring potentially life-threatening illnesses and removing a critical link in the chain of herd immunity.Over the dwell 12 years, a growing population of parents have chosen to avoid immunizing their children with the misguided belief that they are protecting their children from the specter of autism. One of the most general concerns in this vein centers around the MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella combination) vaccine. The concern over the MMR vaccine began when In 1998, Andrew Wakefield and colleagues published a paper in the journal The Lancet. Wakefields shot was that the MMR vaccine caused a series of events that include intestinal inflammation, entrance into the bloodstream of proteins harmful ... ... In Context. Web. 28 Oct. 2010. Deer, Brian. MMR doctor Andrew Wakefield fixed data on autism. The sunlight Times. Times Newspapers Ltd , 8 Feb. 2009. Web. 28 Oct. 2010. HAZLEHURST v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVS. 604 F .3d 1343 (2010). Leagle.com. Leagle, Inc. Web. 28 Oct. 2010Noncompliance with Mandatory Vaccinations Threatens Community Health. Should Vaccinations be Manditory? Ed. Nol Merino. Detroit Greenhaven Press, 2010. At Issue. Gale fence Viewpoints In Context. Web. 28 Oct. 2010.Vaccine Risks Are Outweighed by the Risks of Not Vaccinating. Should Vaccinations be Manditory? Ed. Nol Merino. Detroit Greenhaven Press, 2010. At Issue. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 28 Oct. 2010.Vaccines. Current Issues Macmillian fond Science Library. Detroit Gale, 2010. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 9 Nov. 2010.