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Tyler Coburn
Dr. Moore
Composition II
18 July 2016

Abstract
Vaccines have been considered the most important discovery to the health and medical field.
The more people that get vaccines, the more likely a contagious disease is to be eradicated. The
use of vaccines has eliminated several deadly and highly-contagious diseases. Though there are
a number of diseases that have been eradicated in the United States, some of these diseases are
still affecting other countries, such as Nigeria, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. One known
corporation that has been working diligently on distributing vaccines in a costly and effective
manner is UNICEF. UNICEF has been working since the 1980s to bring vaccines to countries
that are overrun by deadly, preventable diseases. UNICEF has a limited budget based on how
much money is donated and also meets resistance due to religious ideology. This paper is
intended to raise awareness and also raise knowledge of how safe and effective vaccines are.

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The Vaccine Debate

Edward Jenner was an English country doctor from Gloucestershire. While still studying
medicine, Jenner noticed that milkmaids that had contracted a disease called cowpox developed a
sort of immunity to smallpox. In May of 1796, Jenner took fluid from a cowpox blister and
administered the fluid under the skin of an 8 year old boy. After the boy recovered from a single
blister, Jenner then administered fluid from a smallpox blister, and no disease developed. This
became known as the first vaccine ever used. Following Jenners lead, scientists have developed
vaccines for an amazing amount of deadly diseases including tetanus, yellow fever, whooping
cough, polio, and even a more sophisticated smallpox vaccine. Ever since Jenners discovery,
vaccines have been in use and have saved numerous lives. Amanda Z. Naprawa says of Jenners
discovery, Vaccines are considered to be among the greatest human inventions of all time. They
are directly responsible for the increased life expectancy we enjoy by preventing childhood death
from diseases such as measles, pertussis, and diphtheria (Naprawa 2015). Because the viruses
that we receive vaccines for can often cause serious complications and even death, every child
should be immunized as soon as possible to protect themselves and others around them.
Vaccines help develop immunity by imitating a certain infection. Vaccines are commonly
made from parts of the same germ that cause disease; for example, the smallpox vaccine is made
from the smallpox virus. The germs that vaccines are made from are first weakened or killed to
prevent getting you sick. Vaccines are generally introduced into your body by injection. Petra
Rattue says: "Though no one likes to get shots, vaccines are an integral part of keeping kids and
our community safe. They work to safeguard children from illnesses and death caused by
infectious diseases and protect our kids by helping prepare their bodies to fight often serious and
potentially deadly diseases (Rattue 2012)". After being introduced to the vaccine, your body

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recognizes the vaccine as a disease and immediately starts producing anti-bodies, which start
destroying vaccine germs much like they would a regular disease. The anti-bodies then stay in
your body and protect you from further disease, creating immunity. Anti-bodies can stay in a
persons blood stream for many years. The fact that anti-bodies stay in the blood stream for so
long explains why people that are exposed to chicken pox usually only get the disease once.
Vaccines not only protect the person receiving them, but they also protect the people
around them. People who have received a vaccine are less likely to spread disease to others that
may be too young for vaccines, those who cant be vaccinated due to medical reasons, and those
whose bodies do not respond to the vaccine. Whenever a large portion of a group or community
has become immune to an infection, there is a smaller chance of contagious disease spreading.
This form of protection to those that havent been immunized is called herd immunity. Herd
immunity has been quietly saving the lives of people that cant be vaccinated or those that refuse
to get vaccinations. Dr. Steve Dudley says about herd immunity, You need to understand that
your child does not live in a vacuum. He or she interacts with others everywhere. Unvaccinated
children can be the vehicles for introducing deadly diseases into communities. Children with
compromised immune systems who cannot be vaccinated are especially vulnerable (Dudley
2011). The problem with herd immunity is that, in order to stop outbreaks of disease, there has
to be a high percentage of people in the group who are immune to the disease. Since there are
people who are physically unable to be vaccinated and depend on others around them to keep
them safe, it is extremely important that information regarding safeness and effectiveness of
immunizations is spread.
Many people refuse to immunize their children due to the misconception that vaccines
cause autism. Due to these thoughts and misconceptions, there has recently been a resurgence of

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diseases that were previously declared eradicated. According to Liz Szabo Doubts about
vaccines safety and fading memories of vaccine-preventable diseases have contributed to a
resurgence of nearly forgotten diseases such as measles, which was officially declared eradicated
in the USA in 2000 (Szabo 2014). Recent studies have debunked the thought that vaccines
cause autism or other chronic illnesses. Before getting FDA approval, research has to show and
have strong evidence that not only is a vaccine safe, but it also works. This research can take
over 10 years just to prove that a vaccine is both safe and effective.
Polio is a highly contagious, crippling, and potentially deadly disease. The polio virus
spreads from person to person and invades the infected persons spinal cord and brain, which
causes paralysis. The virus easily spreads in areas with poor sanitation. The polio virus is
usually spread from human feces into a water supply, or, by touch, into food. There are currently
only three countries that have failed to stop transmission of polio. These countries are Nigeria,
Pakistan, and Afghanistan. Though there has been recent made to combat the spread of polio in
these areas, even one child that goes without an immunization puts the whole country at risk of
contracting the disease. In 1988 UNICEF joined the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI).
UNICEFs goal is to provide an affordable oral polio vaccine to every child in the affected
countries. UNICEF is supported entirely by the voluntary contributions of governments, nongovernmental organizations, private individuals, foundations, and corporations. UNICEF
receives no funding from the assessed dues of the United Nations. Some challenges that
UNICEF encounters when trying to get immunizations to these countries are political resistance,
and the fact that the native people and caregivers lack understanding of polio. Though UNICEF
has contributions coming in from several different sources, the amount coming in is barely
enough. UNICEF has been using social media as a platform to raise awareness for these issues.

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Through the use of social media, knowledge about immunizations and preventable diseases has
been easier to spread and to obtain. UNICEF has also been partnering with the World Health
Organization (WHO) to meet global vaccination goals by 2020. Together these two
organizations have started hosting the World Immunization Week and several other programs to
help raise more money and awareness for these causes. World Immunization Week has been a
proven success and has been recognized by people all over the world. Dr. Justine Carr says of
World Immunization Week, World Immunization Week reminds us that now is the time to make
sure your children are up-to-date on their vaccines (Carr 2016).
Vaccinations also have benefits outside of their life saving characteristics. With medical
costs rising all over the world, having all children vaccinated would be a smart way for countries
around the world to save money. Naprawa answers the question of how vaccines save money by
saying, When a child gets sick with a vaccine-preventable illness (as with any very serious
illness), she will need to seek treatment and this of course is going to cost something. Now if the
child gets a serious complication, she may need to be hospitalized. So there are hospital bills,
medications, and doctor visits before, during, and after the illness. Tragically, if there are longterm complications, such as deafness from mumps or brain damage from measles, there will be
costs associated with this as well (adaptive devices, special education requirements, etc.)
(Naprawa 2015). Being hospitalized in the United States for certain diseases can cost upwards
of $40,000 and other costs can include missed time from school and work. With an average cost
of $136 per filled syringe, the amount of money saved is outrageous.
In the United States alone, vaccines save thousands of lives each year and have saved
millions of lives since the 1940s. There are diseases that our grandparents and greatgrandparents generations suffered from that our current generation no longer worries about. The

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reasons we no longer worry about diseases that have been eradicated are due to the use of
vaccines. The responsibility of getting children vaccinated lies on the parents of the child. With
all the information available about how well vaccines work, there should be no one left
unvaccinated. The problems we are running into are based on religion, knowledge, and for other
countries, availability. It is everyones responsibility to raise the awareness for the need of
vaccines.

Author Biography
I am from Kremlin, Oklahoma. I am currently pursuing a nursing degree at NOC Enid. I have a
passion for helping others. While growing up I witnessed how my mother, who is a nurse, would
care for people. The feeling I got when strangers would tell me how grateful they were for the
care given by my mother is indescribable. I hope to first obtain an AASN and after that continue
working towards my BSN.

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Works Cited

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Naprawa, Amanda Z. "Vaccines Don't Just Save Lives-They Save Money." Berkeley Wellness.
N.p., 09 June 2015. www.berkeleywellness.com 15 July 2016.

Rattua, Petra. "Vaccines Can Save Children's Lives." Medical News Today. MediLexicon
International, 09 Aug. 2012. www.medicalnewstoday.com 15 July 2016.

Carr, Justine. "Guest Opinion: Vaccines save Lives." The Herald News, Fall River, MA. N.p., 28
Apr. 2016. www.heraldnews.com 15 July 2016.

Szabo, Liz. "CDC: Vaccines save Hundreds of Thousands of Lives." USA Today. Gannett, 24
Apr. 2014. www.usatoday.com 15 July 2016.

Dudley, Steve. "Dear Parents: Why Vaccines Are Vital." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles
Times, 08 Aug. 2011. www.latimes.com 15 July 2016.

Wallace, Kelly. "After Measles Cases, Why Children Should Be Vaccinated." CNN. Cable News
Network, 5 Feb. 2015. www.cnn.com 15 July 2016.