VACCINATING CHILDREN IN THE U.S.

ShouldparentsintheU.S.vaccinatetheirchildren?

AnnikaLindburg

LinfieldCollege
VACCINATING CHILDREN IN THE U.S. 2

TableofContents

Abstract..3
Introduction....4
Argumentsagainstvaccines.58
Argumentsforvaccinatingchildren..913
Bothsideswantwhatisbestfortheirchildren..13
Conclusion.15
References..16
VACCINATING CHILDREN IN THE U.S. 3

Abstract

Thispaperdiscusseschildhoodvaccinations,andthecontroversiessurroundingit.Inthis

paperinformationhasbeengatheredfrommanysourcestoprovethatvaccinesareeffectivein

keepingchildrenhealthy.Furtherresearchhasprovedthereisnocorrelationbetweenthe

measles,mumpsandrubella(MMR)vaccineandautism.Thereisalsosomeconcernaboutthe

ingredientsinvaccines,butevidencehasshownthatingredientslikethirmesoalhavebeentaken

outofmostvaccinesanddonotposeathreattochildren.Whiletheantivaccinemovementis

gainingpopularity,anditisfurtherdifficulttoweedthroughmanyconflictingonlinearticles,it

isimportanttorememberthatvaccinesareoneofthemostcosteffectiveandsuccessfulpublic

healthinterventions.Overall,vaccinesarevitaltokeepchildrenhealthyanderadicatediseases.
VACCINATING CHILDREN IN THE U.S. 4

Introduction

Vaccineshavebeeninthenewsalotlatelyduetotherecentmeaslesoutbreakandthe

increasingpopularityoftheantivaccinemovement.Vaccinesareacontroversialissueinthe

UnitedStatesandsomeparentsarehavingadifficulttimedecidingwhethertovaccinate

children.Manyparentsdontrealizehowimportantandsuccessfulchildhoodvaccinesare.

Publichealthexpertsagreethataftercleanwaterandflushtoilets,themostimportanthealth

advancesinhistoryhavebeenvaccinations(McNeil,2008).Inadditiontobeingoneofthemost

importanthealthadvances,vaccinesareoneofthemostcosteffectiveandsuccessfulpublic

healthinterventions.Inaddition,vaccinessaveanestimatedsixmilliontoninemillionlives

worldwide,includingthelivesofthreemillionchildren(Lee&Rosenthal&Scheffler,2013).

Vaccineshavealsosavedmorelivesthanallthemiracledrugsofthelatterhalfofthe20th

centuryantibioticssuchaspenicillin,andantiviralslikedrugstofightAIDSandtheflu

(McNeil,2008).Interestingly,vaccinesrepresentthesinglegreatestpromiseofbiomedicine:

diseaseprevention(Stern&Markel,2005).

Inordertofurthercomprehendvaccines,itisimportanttounderstandhowvaccines

work.Vaccinesstimulateimmunesystemstoproduceantibodies.Aftergettingvaccinated,your

bodydevelopsimmunitytothatdiseasewithouthavingtogetthediseasefirst.Unlikemost

medicines,thattreatorcurediseases,vaccinespreventthem(Vaccines&immunizations,2011).

Mostdrugsareessentiallychemicalagents;vaccinesarebiologicagentsthatcanbe

compromisedduringprocessing(Stern&Markel,2005).Understandingthebenefitsofvaccines

andhowimportantitisarethefirststepstowardeducatingparentsonthereasonsforvaccinating
VACCINATING CHILDREN IN THE U.S. 5

children.Explaininghowvaccinesworkcanalsohelpparentsmakeaninformeddecisionon

whethertovaccinatechildrenbybeinginformedonthisheavilydebatedtopic.

Thispaperwillprovidethehistoryandbackgroundonchildhoodvaccines.Itwillfirst

examinetheargumentsforvaccinatingchildrenandthentheargumentsagainstvaccinating

children.Thedifferentsidesoftheargumentswillprovideastrongerunderstandingofchildhood

vaccinesandwillprovethatvaccinesarenecessarytohelpeliminatediseasesandkeepchildren

healthy.Ifmorechildrenwerevaccinated,almostalldiseaseswouldbeeradicated.Not

vaccinatingchildrenputschildrenatriskandcreatesadiseaseriddenenvironment.Parents

shouldvaccinatechildrenunlessachildissickorcannothandleavaccination.Parentsshould

notrelysolelyonherdimmunitythatisanindirectprotectionwhenalargepercentageofthe

populationisimmunetoadisease.Therefor,inordertokeepchildrenhealthyanderadicate

diseaseschildrenshouldbevaccinated.

Argumentsagainstchildhoodvaccinations.

Theantivaccinemovementthinksthatvaccinesaredamagingtochildren.Forexample,

Miller(2015)knewafewpeopleinjuredbyvaccinesandnoneofthemwerecompensateddueto

thehighcostsforanattorney.Similarly,JennyMcCarthyclaimsthatherchilddevelopedautism

followingaseriesofvaccines(Kluger,2014).Anothersupporteroftheantivaccinemovement,

AndrewWakefield,stillstandsbyhisclaimthatthemeasles,mumpsandrubella(MMR)vaccine

causesautisminchildrenevenafterhisstudyonvaccineshasbeenwidelydiscredited(Ziv,

2015).Thereisalotofconflictinginformationonlinefromsocalledexpertsandpublicfigures

onwhethervaccinesharmchildren,butitisimportanttolookatbothsidesoftheargumentand

thesciencebehindvaccinesbeforecomingtoaconclusion.Notably,Wakefieldsclaimshave
VACCINATING CHILDREN IN THE U.S. 6

beendiscredited,andretractedfromthepublicationthatpublishedit.Whiletherearemany

supportersofJennyMcCarthyandherclaimsthathersondevelopedautismafterreceiving

vaccines,itisimportanttorememberthatonlyasmallnumberofchildrenhavehealthproblems

followingvaccinesandoneparentsclaimthatvaccinesnegativelyaffectedchildrenshouldnot

beacauseforconcernforeveryparent.

Thechemicalsinvaccinesarenotsafe.

Thereisconcernoverthesafetyofthechemicalthimerosalthatisinsomevaccines.

Mainly,parentshaveworryoverthirmesoalthatisinasmallamountofvaccines.Themercury

containingpreservativethimerosalwasremovedfrommostchildhoodvaccinesin2001,asa

safetymeasure(Newport,2015)Incontrast,Kennedy(2014)claimsthatchildrenstotal

thimerosalexposureremainshigh,despitethephaseoutofthimerosalpreservedvaccinesfrom

thechildhoodvaccineschedule.However,Withtheexceptionofsomeinfluenzavaccines,

thimerosalisnotusedasapreservativeinroutinelyrecommendedchildhoodvaccines(Common

ingredients,2014).McNeil(2008)saysthatrumorscontinuetospreadthatthevaccine

preservativethimerosalcausesautism.Numerousstudieshaveshownnolinkbetweenautism

andeithervaccinesorpreservatives.Whilethimerosalisachemical,itisimportanttoremember

thatithasbeenremovedfrommostvaccinesandsomecontainonlyasmallamountthatdoesnot

harmchildren.

Concernsoverotheringredientsinvaccines.

Someparentshaveapprehensionaboutaluminumthatisaningredientusedinvaccines.

Aluminumisaddedintovaccinestoenhancetheimmuneresponseofvaccinatedindividuals.

AluminumsaltsareaddedintoDTaPvaccinesthatprotectchildrenfromdiphtheria,tetanus,the
VACCINATING CHILDREN IN THE U.S. 7

pneumococcalconjugatevaccine(whoopingcough)andthehepatitisBvaccines(Common

ingredients,2014).Anotherworrywithsomeparentsistheformaldehydeingredientinvaccines.

Formaldehydeisachemicalthatisusedinvaccinestoinactivatevirusessothatitdoesnotcause

diseasessuchasthepoliovirususedtomakethepoliovaccine.Formaldehydeisalsousedto

detoxifybacterialcontaminationsuchasthetoxinusedtomakethediphtheriavaccine(Common

ingredients,2014).Someparentshearthewordchemicalwhenreferringtoaningredientin

vaccinesandimmediatelyjumptoconclusions.Noparentwantstohearthataluminumor

formaldehydeareinvaccinesbecausethenamesalonesoundlikeacauseforworry.Reading

detailedinformationabouttheingredientsinvaccinesandhowtheyarenotharmfultochildren

canhelpreducetheworryoveringredientsinvaccines.

Therearetoomanyvaccinesgiventochildren.

Childrenreceivemanyvaccineseachyear.Asaresult,morethan10millionvaccinesper

yeararegiventochildrenbetween2and6monthsofage(Vaccineadverseeventreporting

system,2015).Interestingly,Haddeland(2015),whoisprovaccines,admitsthattherearealot

ofvaccinationsparentshavetoputtheirchildthrough.Granted,Haddelandthinksitwouldbe

greattoseemorecombinedvaccinationsandfewershots.Likewise,Offit(2011)understands

thatnoparentcanwatchachildreceiveasmanyasfiveshotsatonetimeandnotworrythatits

toomuch,butfearshouldbeallayedbythescience.Newparentsdonotlikethefactthatbabies

receive20to30injectionsbeforetheageof2andsufferthesideeffectsofpainandmildfevers

(McNeil,2008).Kennedy(2014)suggestssaferandcosteffectivealternativessuchas

manufacturingmultidosevaccinevialsthatislessexpensivethanmanufacturingsingledose

vials.Givingmultiplevaccinesatoncetochildrenhelpsthemdevelopimmunityovertime.
VACCINATING CHILDREN IN THE U.S. 8

Whiletherearealotofvaccinesgiventochildren,childrencanhandletherecommendedamount

ofvaccinesotherwisedoctorswouldnotrecommendthem.

Somevaccinesconflictwithreligiousbeliefs.

Therearesomeingredientsinvaccinesthatmightinterferewithreligiousbeliefs,suchas

gelatinfrompigsthatisaningredientinthemeasles,mumpsandrubella(MMR)vaccineand

chickenpoxvaccines.Inaddition,manyJewsandMuslimsdonotconsumeswineproducts

(Sandstrom,2015).Interestingly,areligiousexemptionforchildhoodvaccinationsgoesagainst

theFirstAmendmentthatprohibitsthemakingofanylawrespectinganestablishmentofreligion

orimpedingthefreeexerciseofreligion(Spence,2015).Whileparentscancitereligiousviews

asareasonnottovaccinatechildren,thereisntaparticularreligiousgroupthatisagainst

vaccines(Spence,2015).Therearenotmanyreligiousgroupsthatareopposedtovaccinations

andwhileitisimportanttoallowpeopletheirindividualrights,manyparentstakeadvantageof

thereligiousexemptioneventhoughtheyorcertainreligionsarenotagainstchildhood

vaccinations.Futurebillsareintheworksthatwouldmakeitmoredifficultforparentstocitea

religiousexemptionasareasonfornotvaccinatingchildren.Currently,MississippiandWest

Virginiaarethetwostatesthatdonotallowreligiousexemptionstowardvaccines.

Vaccineeffectiveness.

Thereisconcernthatsomevaccinesarenotusefulandthereforenotnecessary.Agins

(2015)statesthattheinfluenzavaccineislessthanhalfeffectiveaslastyears.Furthermore,

uniquecharacteristicsoftheinfluenzavirusmakedevelopmentofaneffectivevaccinedifficult

(Ackerman,2008).Inaddition,vaccineefficiencyisquestionableastherehasntbeenextensive

researchtoknowhowlongvaccineslast(Miller,2015).Furthermore,Kennedy(2014)questions
VACCINATING CHILDREN IN THE U.S. 9

theeffectivenessoftheCentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention(CDC)tolowertheageofflu

vaccinationsforchildrenbecauselittlescientificevidenceexistsindicatingthatfluvaccinations

areeffectiveatpreventingchildrenunder2yearsofagefromcontractinginfluenza.Vaccinesare

notperfect,andwhiletherehavebeensomecasualties;themajorityofvaccinesarevitalto

keepingchildrenhealthy.

Argumentsforvaccinatingchildren.

Ashorthistoryofvaccines.

Vaccineshavebeenusedforaround200yearsandhavehelpedeliminatelifethreatening

diseases.Forexample,in1796,EdwardJennerwasthefirsttocointhewordvaccinations

whenheinsertedpusfromawomanscowpoxlesionintoaboysarmandtheboynever

developedsmallpoxandthereforcreatedthefirstvaccineforsmallpox(Kluger,2014).In

addition,in1977smallpoxwaseradicatedworldwide(Kluger,2014).Furthermore,in1979,

poliowaseradicatedintheU.S.untiltheFrenchchemistLouisPasteurdevelopedarabies

vaccinein1885;vaccineswereknownonlyasacowpoxinoculationforcowpox.Pasteurdefined

vaccinesasasuspensionofliveorinactivatedmicroorganismsorfractionsthereofadministered

toinduceimmunityandpreventinfectiousdisease(Stern&Markel,2005).Diseasessuchas

measlesaremakingacomebackintheU.S.duetosomeparentsnotvaccinatingchildrenwhich

putsallchildrenatrisk.Ashistoryhasproven,vaccineshavehelpederadicatediseasesandkeep

childrenhealthy.

Vaccineskeepchildrenhealthy.

Vaccineshavebeeninstrumentalinsavinglivesandkeepingchildrenhealthy.Moreover,

inthelast15years,protectionbyvaccineshasbeenextendedtothemajorityofchildreninthe
VACCINATING CHILDREN IN THE U.S. 10

developingworld(Vaccinesandimmunizations,2011).Forexample,sincethemid1980s,the

UnitedNationsInternationalChildrensEmergencyFund(UNICEF)andtheWorldHealth

Organization(WHO)calledforanewcommitmenttoregularlyreaching80percentofinfantsby

1990.Inmostnations,thatgoalwasreachedandhassincebeensustainedsavingoverthree

millionchildrensliveseachyear.Inaddition,immunizationscanbecreditedwithsaving

approximatelyninemillionlivesayearworldwide(Vaccinesandimmunizations,2011).

Furthermore,routinevaccinationsinthe2009U.S.birthcohortwouldprevent42,000deathsand

20millioncasesofdiseases(Byington,2014).Theonlywaytoeliminatefurtheroutbreaksisfor

parentstokeepvaccinatingchildren(Lee,Rosenthal,&Scheffler,2013).Asaresult,If95to

100percentofthepopulationwerevaccinated,vaccinationswouldeliminatethespreadof

diseases(Rosenbloom,2015).Statisticsshowthatvaccinatingchildrenkeepsdiseasesthatwere

eliminatedfromcomingbackand,asaresult,helpsthegreatergood.Vaccinationsalsohelpto

protectthenormalgrowthofmillionsofchildren.

Diseasesarecomingback.

Diseasesthatwereonceeradicatedarecomingbackbecausefewerparentsare

vaccinatingchildren.Themeasles,mumps,andrubella(MMR)outbreakisinpartduetothe

reducedcompliancewiththeMMRvaccinationrequirements(Wallis,2014).Infact,whooping

cough,influenzatypebandthemeasles,mumps,andrubella(MMR)viralinfectionsare

resurfacingduetosomeparentsnotvaccinatingchildren(Offit,2011).Lastyear,therewere

morethan640measlescases,thelargestnumberrecordedsincemeasleswasdocumentedas

eradicatedin2000(Chinni,2015).Parentsshouldvaccinatechildreninordertoeliminate

eradicateddiseasesfromreappearing.Manyparentsaretooyoungtohavewitnessedwhat
VACCINATING CHILDREN IN THE U.S. 11

previousdiseaseslikepoliodidtochildren,andwithoutvaccinatingchildrenthesepreviously

extinguisheddiseasescouldcomeback.

Theantivaccinemovementsargumentsarefaulty.

Manyargumentsagainstvaccinesarefaultyandnotbackedbysolidevidence.

Sometimes,whatparentsarecallingvaccinereactionsarearednessorswellingonchildrens

armafteravaccine,whichisacommonsideeffectanddoesnotprecludechildrenfromgetting

additionalvaccines(Cole,2015).Infact,manyconcernedparentshaveutilizedtheInternetasa

meanstobackupclaimsthatvaccinescauseautism(Camargo&Grant,2015).Inaddition,the

mistrustofscienceandscientistshashadnegativeresultsduetotheinfluenceoftheantivaccine

activismthatledtoanincreaseofinfectiousdiseasesintheUnitedStates(Camargo&Grant,

2015).Incontrast,thevaccineadverseeventreportingsystem(2015)receives300,00reportsa

yearandonly13percentofvaccinationshaveresultedinserious,i.e.,disability,hospitalization,

lifethreateningillnessordeathwhichdebunkstheclaimsmadebyJennyMcCarthyandRep.

DanBurton(RInd.)thatvaccinescauseautism.InremarktoJennyMcCarthysclaimthather

sondevelopedautismafterreceivingaseriesofvaccines,Haddeland(2015)statesthatitisa

coincidencethatvaccineinjectionscoincidewithdevelopmentalmilestonesthatarentreached

withautism.Haddeland(2015)alsosaysthatifMcCarthyhasacureforautism,wewouldall

liketoknowwhatitis.Theantivaccinemovementisincreasinginpopularitybutthescience

behindttheargumentsisfaulty.Whilesomeparentsareadamantlyagainstvaccinatingchildren,

itisimportantthattheyunderstandbothsidesoftheargumentandthedatabackingupthe

claims.

Difficulttofindpositivevaccinearticlesonline.
VACCINATING CHILDREN IN THE U.S. 12

Parentshaveahardtimesortingthroughthemanydifferentviewsandopinionon

childhoodvaccinationsonline.Infact,manyconcernedparentshaveutilizedtheInternetasa

meanstobackuptheirclaimsthatvaccinescausedtheirchildautismorsomeothernegative

effectfromvaccines(Camargo&Grant,2015).Inaddition,whatthemediacoversiswhatthe

publicperceives(Rosenbloom,2015).Thebiggerchallengeisthatthereisasplitinthemedia

withsomereportingfromoneperspectiveandsometheother(Hayward,2015).Thereisalotof

controversyandnegativeinformationonvaccinationsfrombasicInternetsearches(Cole,2015).

Alternatively,Wallis(2014)statesthatvaccinationmessagesareineffectiveanddoctorsshould

usesubtlermessagesinsteadofscaretactics.Moreover,itisdifficulttoweedthroughmany

onlinearticles,especiallywhenanyonecanwritesomethingonline.Partofthedifficultyof

findingtrustworthysourcesisthattheInternethasalotofarticlesontherisksofvaccinesand

lessonthepositivesofvaccines.Therehavebeenparentswhowereprovaccinesbutthengot

overwhelmedontheInternetandchangedtheirviewsduetotoomanyconflictingarticlesonline.

Herdimmunityisnolongerworking.

Toomanyparentsarerelyingonherdimmunitythatdiminishestheeffectivenessofit.

Unvaccinatedchildrendependonthosearoundthemtobevaccinated;ifnot,theyaretheones

mostlikelytosufferduringoutbreaks.Forexample,Cole(2015)appreciatesherdimmunitybut

worriesthatifparentsarenotvaccinatingchildrenandarerelyingonherdimmunitytoprotecta

childfromthedisease,itsgoingtobreakdownafterawhile.Inaddition,Schiffer(2015)talked

aboutcellularherdimmunityinwhichinafullysusceptiblegroupofpeople,thegroupgets

infected.(Vaccineandinfectiousdiseasedivision,2015).Similarly,Offit(2011)statesthatsome

parentsareangrythatunvaccinatedchildrenhaveputtheirchildrenatrisk.Somechildrencannot
VACCINATING CHILDREN IN THE U.S. 13

bevaccinatedduetohealthrisksandareparticularlyvulnerable.Someparentsthatareagainst

vaccinesarerelyingonherdimmunitytokeeptheirchildrenfromgettingsick.Herdimmunity

hasareverseeffectbecausetheirneedstobeasubstantialamountofchildrenvaccinatedinorder

forherdimmunitytobeeffective.

Vaccinationratesaredecreasing.

Duetotheincreasingpopularityoftheantivaccinemovement,childhoodvaccination

rateshavedecreased.Since1991,thepercentageofunvaccinatedchildrenhasmorethandoubled

(Offit,2011).Inaddition,thestateswiththebestchildhoodvaccineratesareMontana,Colorado,

Ohio,andWestVirginia.Theyhavesomeofthehighestvaccinationrateswithanaverageof86

percentofchildrenvaccinated.(Chinni,2015).Incontrast,Oregonhasoneofthehighestnon

medicalexemptionrates(Johnson,2015).57percentofchildrenenrolledinkindergartenarenot

gettingvaccinatedduetononmedicalexemptions(Chinni,2015).300schoolsinWashington

havefailedtoreportimmunizationexemptionratesasrequiredbylaw(Aleccia,2015).Thecost

ofnotvaccinatingatall,ashistoryhastaught,canbehigh(McNeil,2008).Smallpoxisalsonot

giventochildrenbecausethediseasehasbeeneliminatedfromtheworld.Parentsneedto

vaccinatechildreninordertokeepdiseasesfromcomingbackandtohelpkeepchildrenhealthy.

Manyparentsthatdonotvaccinatechildrendidnotseetheeffectsofsucheradicateddiseases

suchaspolioormeaslesonchildren.Ifthoseparentscontinuetonotvaccinatechildren,thenthe

vaccinationrateswillkeepdecreasingandchildrenwillbesusceptibletodiseases.

Somereligionsareencouragingvaccinations.

Manyreligionsaresupportiveofparentsvaccinatingchildren.Interestingly,theCatholic

Churchhassanctionedtemporaryuseofvaccinessuchasrubellavaccines,thatmaybe
VACCINATING CHILDREN IN THE U.S. 14

developedfromdescendantcellsoftissuefromabortedfetusesandthechurchalsoencourages

theirfollowerstoseekoutalternativevaccinesthatdonotusesuchcells(Sandstrom,2015).

Someingredientsinvaccinescouldcausereligiousconcerns,suchasgelatinfrompigsthatisin

themeasles,mumps,andrubella(MMR)vaccineandchickenpoxvaccines.ManyJewsand

Muslimsdonotconsumeswineproducts(Sandstrom,2015).Itisnotparticularlycommonthat

religiousgroupswouldbeagainstchildhoodvaccinations.Eventhoughreligiousexemptionsare

allowed,manystatesaretryingtogetridofthatexemptionsinceparentsaretakingadvantageof

it.Sinceitiseasytoaccess,parentsfindthatasasimpletooltogetoutofvaccinatingchildren.

Bothsideswantwhatisbestfortheirchildren.

Itisimportantforparentstorealizethatbothsidesofchildhoodvaccinationshavethe

samegoalofwantingtheirchildrentobehealthy.Haddeland(2015)understandsthis,statingthat

allparentswantstheirchildtobeperfect,andwhenchildrenarenotparentsgolookingfor

answers.Furthermore,Kluger(2014)saysthattheantivaccinemovementistryingtodowhatit

thinksisrightdespitethescienceshowingthattheyarewrong.Inaddition,Offit(2011)states

thatifwecanrecapturethefeelingthatweareallinthistogether,allpartofalarge

immunologicalcooperative,thenthegrowingtragedyofchildrendyingfrompreventable

infectionscanbeavoided.Whilevaccinatingchildrenisimportanttokeepchildrenfrom

becomingsick,itisimportanttorealizethatbothsidesjustwantwhatisbestforchildren.

Alternatively,itiscounterintuitivetobeaccusatoryofparentsthatchoosenottovaccinate

childrenandhastheoppositeeffectbymakingparentslessinclinedtochangetheirviews.

Realizingthatbothsidesshareacommongoalcanhelpkeepjudgmentoutandmighthelpto

movetowardfurthereducatingparentsonwhychildrenshouldbevaccinated.
VACCINATING CHILDREN IN THE U.S. 15

Conclusion

Itisinthebestinterestforparentstovaccinatechildren.Parentsshouldvaccinate

childrenunlessvaccineswouldbeharmfultothechildinordertokeepchildrenhealthyand

eradicatediseases.Asresearchhasproven,vaccinationshavekeptdiseasesatbayandkept

childrenhealthy.Therefore,Diseasessuchaspolio,measles,mumps,andrubella(MMR),

chickenpox,flu,whoopingcough,diaptheria,andtetanuscouldcontinuetobepreventedby

vaccinations.Inaddition,manyparentsareneedlesslytakingadvantageofreligiousormedical

exemptions,andsomestatesarecatchingonandtryingtomakeitmoredifficultforparentsto

accessthoseoptions.Asaresult,ifmoreparentsvaccinatedchildrenandstoppedtaking
VACCINATING CHILDREN IN THE U.S. 16

advantageoftheeasytoaccessexemptions,theworldwouldbeahealthierplace.Forexample,

noparentwantsdiseasesthatwereonceeradicatedtocomeback.Educatingparentsonwhat

couldhappeniftheychoosetonotvaccinatetheirchildrencouldhelpincreasetheoverall

childhoodvaccinationrates.Furthermore,itisimportanttorememberthatthereareriskswith

anything,likedrivingyourcartothegrocerystoreyetparentsdothateveryday.Inaddition,all

parentswantwhatisbestforchildreneveniftheirviewsaredifferentthanothers.Insteadof

tryingtoscareparentsintovaccinatingchildrenwithstatistics,doctorsshouldacknowledge

parentsworriesregardingvaccinesandhelpthemmakeaninformedandeducateddecision.

ThereisalotoffalseinformationandworryontheInternet.Thiswouldhelpeliminatediseases

andkeepchildrenhealthy.Onepressingissueisthatbecausethosediseaseshavebeen

eradicated,parentsforgetaboutthem.TherecentmeaslesoutbreakthatstartedinDisneylandhas

beenawakeupcallforsome,andshouldremindparentsthetollthatnotvaccinatingchildrencan

have.Vaccinesareinstrumentalinkeepingchildrenhealthyanderadicatingdiseases.

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