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Makayla Hook

Dewey

Eng101

8 December 2017

Vaccines: Are They Worth It?

In 1998, a widespread panic within the public surfaced as a faulty case study lead by

Andrew Wakefield warned parents of vaccines. Wakefield was originally a gastroenterologist

and hastily concluded inflammation in a recently vaccinated child was caused but the Measles

Mumps and Rubella vaccine. He then led a study consisting of twelve children, eight of which

showed symptoms of Autism just one month after receiving the MMR vaccine (Plotkin par.3).

Besides the premise of his study being outrageously flawed, the conclusion, vaccines cause

Autism, addressed parents fears and therefore, was widely accepted. Shortly after hs article was

published in The Lancet, scientists were eager to look into this study. The study was ruled faulty,

not only because no other scientist found a link between vaccines and Autism, but because

Wakefield manipulated data and didnt follow proper procedure while running his study. Aside

from Wakefield, no other scientist found a link between Autism and vaccines. The benefits of

vaccines definitely outweigh the risks.

There is has always been stigma around vaccines and whether or not they are safe.

Reassurance comes in the form of safety regulations for a vaccine to even be considered.

According to Buckland, the development cycle of vaccine generation is a complex and

expensive undertaking (par. 12). In fact, the development process is so specific that only four

of the major pharmaceutical companies have the knowledge and facilities required (Buckland

par. 1). Each facility is specialized to ensure there is not a possibility of contamination. Every
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step in manufacturing a vaccine must be detailed in a report. Vaccines, depending on the type,

may contain live viruses, expressed proteins, polysaccharides, polysaccharides attached to a

protein, or inactivated viruses (Buckland par. 12). Around the same time the FDA started to warn

pregnant women about eating certain types of fish, the public began to worry about Mercury

being used as a preservative within vaccines. Too much Mercury exposure can damage brain

and nervous system. The damage to the nervous system and brain resemble symptoms of Autism.

To find a link, researcher Amy Kalkbrenner followed half a million kids, some of which got the

vaccine with mercury and some that didnt, and she found no correlation or link to Mercury and

Autism (Rogers).

Vaccines will always cause symptoms. Whether it is irritation or itchiness around

injection site, or high fever, these symptoms are far better than the disease in its natural state.

(The Benefits par. 1). The word safe is subjective to vaccines, meaning each vaccine is

considered safe but the term safe is different for each. With that being said, vaccines can elicit

seemingly severe responses such as seizures. About 1 in every 14,000 children has had a seizure

in response to a vaccine. (Diptheria). Neurologist, Professor Ingrid Scheffer says the fever

response to kill bacteria is actually what triggers the seizure; however, there is no evidence of

permanent brain damage or learning disabilities being caused by seizures elicited by vaccines

(Rogers). Since viruses contain weakened pathogens, the body easily breaks them down and is

left with cells that remember how to fight off the disease (U.S Department par. 14). The immune

response with the weakened pathogen actually protect the body from further exposure to a

specific pathogen. Because the vaccine contained a weakened version of a pathogen, it is not

able to replicate and cause serious infection as the virus would in its natural environment.

Immunity from a vaccine is lifelong and isnt as highly priced as immunity from natural
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infection (The Benefits par. 27). Price for immunity from natural infections include pneumonia

from chickenpox, birth defects from rubella, and many more. (The Benefits par. 27).

The newest wave of anti-vacciners is actually causing more harm than good. Once

eradicated diseases are making their way back into the United States. In 2008, there was an

outbreak in measles in a predominantly unvaccinated community of people. Since then 2011 saw

an increase in cases all over the European Region, in 2013 the U.S experienced 11 outbreaks...

[with up to] 58 cases, 2014 experienced 23 outbreaks, and in 2015 there was a huge measles

outbreak in California. As of November 4, 2017 there has been 120 reported cases of measles

(Measles). The same virus that was said to be eradicated in 2000, resurfaced just eight years

later.

With respect to vaccines causing autism, it is important to remember that correlation is

not causation. Fortunately, vaccines do not have a correlation to Autism, nor do they cause it.

There has been multiple studies on this claim and not a single one has had the outcome that is

widely believed. The only study that has proven, for lack of better terms, that Autism and

vaccines are linked was debunked due to manipulation of medical history and other factors that

go into Autism; however, the fear of vaccines is understable. Parents do not want their child to

experience any sort of discomfort, whether that manifests in the form of symptoms of the illness

the child is getting the vaccine for or even from the injection site itself. The benefits of vaccines

show to be far more worry-free than the risks.

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Works Cited
Buckland, Barry. The Process Development Challenge for a New Vaccine. Research Gate ,

May 2005, The process development challenge for a new vaccine - ResearchGate

Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis (DTaP) VIS. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 18 Oct. 2016, DTaP - Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention

Plotkin, Stanley, et al. Vaccines and Autism: A Tale of Shifting Hypotheses | Clinical Infectious

Diseases | Oxford Academic. OUP Academic, Oxford University Press, 15 Feb. 2009,

Vaccines and Autism: A Tale of Shifting Hypotheses - Oxford Academic.

"The Benefits of Vaccination Outweigh the Risks." Vaccines, edited by Nol Merino,

Greenhaven Press, 2015. At Issue. Opposing Viewpoints in Context,

libproxy.gc.maricopa.edu/login?url=http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ3010938204/O

VIC?u=mcc_glendale&xid=87c525c9. Accessed 21 Nov. 2017. Originally published as

"General Vaccine Safety Concerns," Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC],

Apr. 2013.

Measles (Rubeola). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control

and Prevention, 13 Nov. 2017, Measles | Cases and Outbreaks | CDC

Rogers, Heather, et al. Vaccines - Are They Safe? - Science Vs by Gimlet Media. Gimlet

Media, 14 Sept. 2017, fhttps://gimletmedia.com/episode/vaccines-are-they-safe/

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. How Vaccines Work. Vaccines.gov, U.S.

Department of Health and Human Services, 11 Oct. 2006,

https://www.vaccines.gov/basics/work/index.html