Nedderman 1

Will Nedderman
Ms. Weber
English I Pre-AP
14 May 2015
Measles
Imagine a world where youre scared to send your child to preschool, where every
playdate you risk your child contracting a deadly disease. (Pathos) Not too long ago that was a
world Americans lived in, and together if we vaccinate our children we can make sure we never
go back. Parents need to vaccinate their children in order to not only prevent an epidemic, but
save their kids lives as well.
The MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine is not bad for your children. Many
parents think that the vaccine can cause their children to get autism. This vaccine, or any other
vaccine for that matter, does not contain anything harmful in it. There is zero conclusive
evidence that suggests otherwise. The only reason that some people believe in the ridiculous
claim that vaccines are harmful, is because of Dr. Andrew Wakefield. Dr. Andrew Wakefield
stated in 1998, that autism was caused by the MMR vaccine. Because of the article that he wrote
on the subject, Britains General Medical Council charged him with professional misconduct and
later revoked his license to practice medicine. This in itself proves that there is nothing to worry
about. Many doctors, who actually have a license to practice medicine, agree that all children
should be vaccinated. One doctor, the professor of pediatrics at the Vanderbilt School of
Medicine, stated that she believes that measles would be at the top of my list for most
important vaccines to give your children (Dr. Kathryn Edwards). (Ethos) Another doctor, the new

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Surgeon General, deemed vaccines to be safe and effective (Dr. Vivek Murthy). So why not
vaccinate your children (ELLIPSIS)
Since humans are the only hosts for the virus, it should be possible to eradicate this awful
disease, if every parent vaccinates their children. The measles starts out like the common cold
with coughing, and sneezing, and a sore throat, and a fever. (POLYSYNDETON) The victim
then develops more severe symptoms, such as small white spots inside the mouth called Kopliks
spots and a rash that begins behind the ears and spreads throughout the body. The vaccine was
introduced in 1963, so why are the measles still around fifty-two years later? According to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) there have already been 169 cases of the
measles this year (CDC). (Logos) We can stop this if we all spread the word and educate every
one of the importance of the MMR vaccine.
If we are going to live in a measles-free world, parents must vaccinate their kids. I
encourage all parents around the world to not only vaccinate their own kids, but to push for other
parents to do the same. Lets put an end to these grim statistics and start saving lives, one
vaccination at a time.