...Vaccinations: The Greatest Health Development of Modern History Dr. Carl Sagan, a renowned Cornell-educated academic and astronomer, once stated that “Advances in medicine and agriculture have saved vastly more lives than have been lost in all the wars in history” (Sagan 15). Of all the advances in medicine throughout history, nothing is more beneficial and effective in the mission to prevent the spread of infectious diseases, than the vaccine. Diseases previously common to man, such as smallpox, polio, and whooping cough, are now prevented by this miracle of medicine, resulting in countless of human lives being saved. Despite controversial and considerable opposition from numerous anti-vaccine movements, vaccines are widely accepted to be...
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...Smallpox and Vaccination Images are a significant tool in the history because it elucidates feelings, behavior and new tendencies in society (Leggat 1995). In the history of vaccines, it is not different; there are many pictures that explain reality in different societies at different times. From this context, this essay will analyze two pictures that link smallpox early attempts of treatment in two different societies. The first selected picture was found in AIDS: The Burdens of History a book wrote by Fee and Fox in 1988. The image explains the early vaccination technique called “Jennerian vaccine” that was a prodigious improvement in the history of medicine. I believe that this picture was intentionally made to show how the vaccination...
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...Disease Control and Prevention have attributed these cases to parents refusing to have their children vaccinated. Within the past two months, there have been 102 cases of measles reported in 14 states (Grady 1). Vaccinations have proven to be extremely effective. After receiving two doses of the measles vaccination, 97% of people are immune to this disease (“For Health Care Professionals” 2). It is completely unacceptable to have an outbreak of a disease that is almost completely preventable and was eliminated from the United States 15 years ago. In order to protect citizens against communicable diseases, it should be mandatory for almost everyone to receive vaccinations. There are two types of immunizations: active and passive. The more common of the two is the active immunization, which stimulates the body’s immune system to fabricate a defense against a disease-causing microorganism (“Immunization” 1). The first recorded active immunization was Edward Jenner’s use of the cowpox virus to produce immunity to smallpox in 1796 (Riedel 5). Currently, any formulation containing a microorganism for the purpose of immunization is referred to as a vaccine. A population is fully protected from a disease when herd immunity has been reached ("Herd Immunity — History of Vaccines." 1). Herd immunity is when those who cannot become vaccinated are indirectly protected by the large, vaccinated percentage...
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...Do Childhood Vaccinations Cause Autism? Jennifer Jones XBCOM / 275 August 24, 2014 Kristine Dunn Do Childhood Vaccinations Cause Autism? The idea that autism is caused by childhood vaccinations has been influencing public policy, even though rigorous studies do not support this hypothesis. Legislators are right to take into account the concerns of parent groups and other individuals who are directly affected by autism, but policy decisions should be based on hard evidence rather than unproven ideas. The hypothesis is based on the observation that the number of autism cases increased in the years of the 1980s, coinciding with a push for greater childhood vaccinations, which increased above recommended levels of a child’s exposure to mercury in the vaccine preservative, called thimerosal. The autism diagnosis continued to rise even after thimerosal was removed from the United States childhood vaccines in the year of 2001. A review by the Institute of Medicine, of over 200 studies concluded that there were no links between vaccines containing thimerosal and autism. Autism is no more common among vaccinated children than those children who are unvaccinated, and its incidence has not varied with the presence of thimerosal in vaccines across different times and locations. These findings have not persuaded supporters of the mercury autism link, whose strategies have become more extreme as the evidence against the hypothesis have mounted. Mercury is a known neurotoxin,...
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...Vaccination is defined as any preparation used as a preventative inoculation to confer immunity against a specific disease, usually employing an innocuous form of the disease agent, as killed or weakened bacteria or viruses, to stimulate antibody production. Pharmaceutical companies tout these vaccinations as safe and effective, but like prescription drugs, these products carry risks of not working and a risk to cause harmful side effects. The harmful side effects are one of the many reasons that some families all across America choose to delay vaccinations or refuse them all together. Whether it is due to the gaps in knowledge about the risks or the lack of studies conducted in medical literature, families are more and more reluctant to vaccinate....
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...Child Vaccinations Mandatory Law or Personal Choice By: Courtney Boyd Childhood vaccinations, a personal choice or mandatory law? The anti-vaccine movement created by parent complaints have made many parents and guardians question the safety and effectiveness of vaccinations. I will discuss the history of vaccines, how vaccinations work, the effects of not receiving vaccines, the exemptions of states, as well as a guide to the age a child should receive each vaccination and the vaccine required. History of the vaccine Do you know how long it usually takes for a new vaccine to become available to the public? Scientists and researchers spend many years (10-15) in science laboratories during the first stage of this extensive process. Once this process has been completed, the United States Food and Drug Administration (U.S. F.D.A.) has a series of trials that are conducted on human volunteers. These series are used to test vaccine efficiency, to determine appropriate dosage, and to monitor adverse side effects. That’s not the end though, after these series of tests, the FDA still monitors the vaccine reactions for many years. The first vaccine was not discovered until 1798 by Edward Jenner and was used for vaccination against the smallpox virus. Later on, over a 100 years, Louis Pasteur proved that a disease could be prevented by infecting a person with the weakened germs. Dr. Pasteur used a vaccine on a boy in 1885 to prevent rabies as...
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...Vaccinate! No do not vaccinate! In the recent years there has been a sprout in the anti-vaccination movement, more and more people are choosing to not vaccinate their kids. There are no federal laws that demand vaccination; nonetheless all states have certain vaccinations requirements for children entering public schools (procons.org). Since the start of vaccination requirements there have been anti-vaccination movements that are fighting to bring awareness to people on the affects of vaccinations. Some say it is a violation of human rights, while others put great emphasis on the harmful side effects of vaccines. As a result, many Americans have turned to medical treatments that go against mainstream medication, something know was Complementary...
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...epilepsy, diabetes, and violent behaviour. As in the 1800s, people feel that these notions are true and are refusing vaccinations. This essay will explore each stage in the history of the vaccination from it’s initial formation to rapid World War II development to recent controversies. It will specifically look to answer the question, “How significant are vaccinations and their historical development in regards to its impact on North American society?” Initial Creation: Edward Jenner, Cowpox, And Smallpox Vaccination Prior to delving into the history of the vaccination itself, it is essential to first understand the difference between variolation and vaccination. Although variolation and vaccination were both created with the sole purpose of providing the patient with immunity from the objective disease, they are different practises which are often used interchangeably, noticeable in non medical parlance. Variolation involves the transfer infectious material from smallpox¹ sores of an infected person to the body of an uninfected person², introducing the disease in a controlled amount. People established this process due to observations that those who were infected with smallpox and survived never contracted the disease again. However, variolation sometimes proved lethal as in many instances the disease sample developed into a serious case of smallpox. Vaccination, on the other hand, is a process in which an antigen (a foreign substance or a toxin) is introduced into the body...
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...Unvaccinated Children: Should they be allowed public schools? Deborah Toodle Stephen Webber English 215 18 August 2013 Abstract The purpose of this paper is to identify the problem that will be addressed with my proposed solution. It will describe the history and overview of the issue both medically and publicly as well as the current status of public and political opinion. Three problems will be identified in the course of this paper as well as support to show the true application of these problems. Finally a solution is proposed and discussed after a summarization of the problems. Unvaccinated Children: Should we allow them in public schools? Every day one of a parents greatest worries is the health of their child. As they get older and venture out of the house and out of a parents sight more often, children are exposed to an even greater risk of illness. The culmination of this is the day a parent puts a child on a school bus and sends them off for the first time. One of the biggest fears of the modern day parent is the health risks of sending a child to public schools. While they claim to be safer in the modern world, the exposure of children to one another in a confined place for days on end still continually results in easily contracted illnesses. Children are constantly reported as having flu’s or colds that can be traced back to an entire classroom of sick children. So why should they be exposed to extra illnesses and even sometimes...
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...topics that are featuring in all the articles. The relationship between autism and the MMR vaccine appears in all the articles. Dr. Andrew Wakefield appears to be the driving force behind the concept. In the articles, suggestions by Dr. Andrew Wakefield that there might be an association between autism and MMR vaccine are recurring. Wakefield’s ideas have also been labeled as fraud with intent to commit deliberate fraud. Wakefield’s studies have also been withdrawn and we can see further that he is later denied the right to practice medicine in England. This is evident in the various articles. In the article by Michael Wilrich (2011), “how the pox incident changed vaccination rules,” we see that Dr. Wakefield’s report in the medical journal, The lancet, which suggested on the possibility between the MMR and vaccination, was discredited and debunked. According to Wilrich, (2009), “The Lancet withdrew the study in 2010. Later in 2011, the study was labeled a deliberate fraud (Wilrich, 2011). In the article, anatomy of scare, Begley, (2009), Dr. Wakefield is still adamant about the relationship between the vaccine and autism. Suggesting that the vaccine damaged the intestines allowing harmful proteins to leak into the blood system where they caused neurons damage. Wakefield was adamant, “it is a resolved.” In the articles much is talked about on the relationship between vaccine and autism but it has not been scientifically proven to substantiate the claims. Parents are weary of the...
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...Professor Perez ENGL102 8 November 2015 The Anti-Vaccination Movement Over the last 30 years, the number of vaccine-preventable diseases has increased substantially. This is due to a rising number of “anti-vaxxers” spreading misinformation “that vaccines are actually ineffective, useless, or even dangerous” (Kata 3778). The internet and other forms of mass media have steered parents to believe these claims and it has had devastating results. It has been proven by scientists for hundreds of years that the use of vaccinations greatly outweighs the risk of not getting them. The research shows that the claim that vaccines cause autism or any other disease cannot be substantiated by any scientific evidence and therefore, should not be entertained under any circumstances. The background of the anti-vaccination movement is an old one. The United Kingdom’s Vaccination Act of 1853 is a good example of this. The act required parents to vaccinate their children for small pox at three months or risk life in prison. This is a harsh punishment for the parents, but considering the millions of deaths that small pox has caused world-wide, lawmakers at the time considered it a just penalty. “The anti-vaccination movement experienced a steady decline from the turn of the century up to the 1970's” (Kasarda 548). After the 1970’s there was a resurgence in the anti-vaccination movement. This is due to research from a group of authors working at London Hospital. “M. Kulenkampf, J.S. Schwartzman...
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...Jennifer Krahenbuhl English 102 Patricia McKeown September 1st 2014 Pros and Cons to Vaccinations in Children Almost everyone has heard of the benefits and dangers of childhood vaccines. Parents are especially eager to do what is best for their child to protect him or her. Some people have different opinions on what the best specifically entails when it comes to childhood vaccines. Vaccinations are a controversial discussion as parents question whether it should be mandatory or optional when they feel the cons outweigh the pros. The government says it is the right thing to do for parents and their families to remain safe from illnesses and diseases. However, there have been opinions of opposition voiced by parents and health advocates about whether or not it is worth the risk of being sick once vaccinated and whether these vaccinations actually work. The argument on both sides range from First Amendment right issues all the way to disabling health concerns. This essay will serve to examine and elaborate both the positive and negative perspectives on vaccinations in infants and children and why certain parents hesitate in vaccinating their children. The center of disease and control prevention(CDCP) claim there are five important vaccinations every child should receive. The chicken pox vaccine, measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) Vaccine, the Hepatitis vaccine, the haemophilus influenza type B(HIB) Vaccine, and pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. The chicken pox vaccine is probably...
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...CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY: I certify that the attached paper is my original work and has not previously been submitted by me or anyone else for any class. I further declare I have cited all sources from which I used language, ideas, and information, whether quoted verbatim or paraphrased, and that any assistance of any kind, which I received while producing this paper, has been acknowledged in the References section. I have obtained written permission from the copyright holder for any trademarked material, logos, or images from the Internet or other sources. I further agree that my name typed on the line below is intended to have, and shall have, the same validity as my handwritten signature. Student's signature (name typed here is equivalent to a signature): _Marie Jean, Carrie Johnson, Paul Gauthier, Mike Waidlich________ Marie Jean WEEK II LEARNING TEAM Find articles that your team feels would give them a balanced view on these issues. Cite your sources. Summarize the article. The key question to cover in detail is the following: Tell why you see these as credible sources. Use the following to guide your discussion of “credibility” of your source. To determine credibility, you must “confirm the veracity” of your own research. Specifically, you must evaluate your source materials to make sure the evidence you use is relevant, sound, valid, and objective. Before you decide to use a source, examine the following issues: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/Vaccine_Monitoring/Index...
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...While the dangers of vaccinations are clear to some, other still continue to believe vaccinations are fundamental to our health. Jeffrey Kluger, editor at Time magazine, wrote an article “How a Vaccine Is Like a Banana — and Why That's Good”, where he argued that the same chemicals in a vaccine are also found in bananas and other foods. He states, “Want to see just a few of the chemicals that get pumped into the bodies of babies from the average vaccine? Try these: 2-methyl-butyraldehide, ethyl ethanoate, tocopherol, alpha-terpanine and a wicked slug of terpinyl-acetate…….Oh wait, my bad! Those aren’t the ingredients in a vaccine. Those are the ingredients in a blueberry. And the same is true for bananas and eggs too.” While he is correct, his concept is extremely flawed. He only named five of the ingredients found in some vaccinations, while failing to mention...
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...Vaccinations protect from nasty diseases, but the antiimmunisation voice is getting louder. Introduction Whilst some, or all of us, hate getting needles jabbed in us, it is sometimes necessary so we don’t get sick, or worse, die. There are terrible diseases i.e. Rubella, Polio, Whooping Cough, out there which we try to avoid. Vaccinations may help prevent getting them. Though we get immunised, we still need to be careful in making a well informed decision on behalf of this we love and care about. It is still possible to contract the disease we were vaccinated against, as in the case of chicken pox, where a person can come down with a slight case of it. We will look at the pros and cons of the immunisation debate and understand the benefit of proper decision making when deciding to get immunised. Body It is thought that vaccinations can help stop, and even get rid of, nasty diseases. It is reported that “Polio, for example, was eliminated in the United States by 1979 after widespread vaccination efforts” - as quoted from historyofvaccines.org. But while some people vaccinate their children, others do not. (Research from the National Health Performance Authority has found 77,000 Australian children are not fully immunised. As reported by Amy Simmons for ABC News. April 2013) In numerous parts of the world, it is thought that people need vaccines to stop the spread of disease. While some countries aren’t plagued with deadly diseases, there are some countries that...
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