Vaccinations are a controversial issue for the American public largely due to conflicting scientific research that both supports and discredits the use of vaccinations in adults and especially in children. Vaccines are used to prevent and destroy infectious diseases and viruses that could otherwise be fatal. They work by introducing a small strain of a virus to the immune system, typically at an early age, to develop immunization memory. This allows the body to respond and ward off infection easily.

The discussion posted for my class was focused on whether or not students agreed with the use of vaccines. I was for the use of vaccinations simply because of the immense difference they have made in our society as a whole. We are no longer at risk of dying from Hepatitis or Tetanus thanks to vaccines such as HepB and DtaP that are given to kids at an early age.

According to the Center for Disease Control, if deadly diseases can be prevented by vaccines, they should be. I wholeheartedly agree with this. The side-effects are no different than any other medication, and most scientific articles that state otherwise are poorly researched observations. An example of this sort of faulty evidence can seen in a 1998 study that tried to linked the MMR vaccine with Autism. If was found that British gastroenterologist, Andrew Wakefield, who conducted the study, did not use a control group, and the vaccine was given at a time when signs of autism start to present themselves. The study was poorly conducted, but the public read Wakefields published work and word spread of the harmful effects of vaccines.

Despite these few findings that state the harm of vaccinations, the positives outweigh the cons which leave me with the same response. And if I ever have children, they will definitely get vaccinated.

Reflection :

My research into vaccines made me realize that I need to take all my reading with a grain of salt. Often, we read biased articles that a based on minimal scientific fact. I saw a lot of public debate over the safety of vaccinations, and saw how confrontational the subject has been- it only takes one published work to persuade the public. The topic of Vaccinations has ties with the government agencies such as the  Center for Disease Control which uses their platform to bring awareness to the importance of Vaccine use.

The class itself did not have much impact, but the few discussions that I participated in definitely made me reconsider my opinions on medical practices

Center for Disease Control. “Understanding How Vaccines Work.” Www.CDC.com/Vaccines, Center for Disease Control, Feb. 2013, www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/conversations/downloads/vacsafe-understand-color-office.pdf.

Offit, Paul A, et al. “Vaccines and Autism: A Tale of Shifting Hypotheses.” Clinical Infectious Diseases, Nfectious Diseases Society of America, 15 Feb. 2009, academic.oup.com/cid/article/48/4/456/284219.