A prevalent and important issue that continues to cause debate and dominates society today is whether or not people should get vaccinated because they contain several risks and can damage your health. Parents should worry especially for their infants and young children even though it can affect a person of any age. Links have been found that connect vaccines with autism, neurological disorders, illness, allergic reactions, and much more symptoms that would cause someone to function below their full potential. When thinking of getting or having someone get a particular vaccine a person should consider a number of factors before making their decision. Vaccines will not always provide a perfect solution for treating diseases and people should know the truth about how much of a negative impact they can have before being vaccinated.

Vaccines contain chemicals and other elements poisonous to the body. Some chemicals include carcinogen which has the capability to cause cancer, a toxic heavy metal called mercury, and foreign proteins such as chick embryo, calf serum, rabbit brain tissue, and monkey kidneys (Sinclair, 2002, para. 2). When you mix the DNA of the foreign proteins with the DNA in your body by injecting your blood with a vaccine, triggering of an allergic reaction and possibly produce anaphylactic shock in infants. Reactions include fever, swelling, rashes, and more seriously the development of diseases such as diabetes and asthma (Sinclair, 2002, para. 6). If someone puts vaccinations in their body they risk weakening their energy and strength, hindering the body’s ability to function as healthy as possible. If a young child receives a vaccine it may impair their early brain development (BJ, 2011, para.1). A major factor that makes parents reluctant to let their young children receive vaccinations is the fact that their immune systems have not fully developed and vaccines could change the way they grow to function. In 1990 the recommended age of vaccination went from fifteen months to just two months (BJ, 2011, para.1). Doctors may argue that an infant needs protection from disease as soon as possible, but that seems unreasonable if they get vaccinated against diseases that have a very low risk of getting or no risk at all. Some vaccinations given at birth include Hepatitis B, which protects against STD’s, and Polio, which no one in the entire United States carries (A. Bekker, personal communication, February 3, 2014). Why have your child vaccinated unnecessarily against a disease they have little to no chance contracting? People must look at the risk versus benefit analysis and also the prevalence of the disease before deciding if a particular vaccination makes sense. One must think logically and ethically.

The first vaccine became approved for use in the United States in 1988. Only a short four to five years later, reports of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) having prevalence among children in the United States increased (BJ, 2011, para.1). The link between the two seems like no coincidence and for nearly fifteen years now this topic has been a never-ending controversy. A study of twelve individuals, each of who had a developmental disorder, found that nine of them had been diagnosed with autism soon after receiving the MMR vaccine (Recame, 2012, para. 4). Scientific evidence can prove that these theories have truth to them.

Vaccines will not always work one hundred percent of the time and usually ten percent of people vaccinated against a certain disease will not have full protection. Some vaccines require multiple doses and reinforced doses at certain intervals through out life. They also do not go into effect immediately, sometimes it takes up to two weeks (Hinman, 2014, para. 5). Although sometimes a hassle, parents will argue having their child vaccinated will make them feel safer and more comfortable about the child’s health. Vaccines cannot protect people who have already had exposure to the disease, a downside to them, which makes them less trustworthy. Several people turn to doctors who deal with natural medicines as an effective and healthy alternative to the harmful vaccines (Harmsen, 2013, para. 3).

Each year more parents avoid getting their child vaccinated for several reasons. In a survey of 203 parents asking for their reason to putting off the vaccinations they replied, “fear of side effects.” The most popular concerns include: risk of disease, children are better off building natural immunity, their systems need to mature more, wanting to avoid vaccination overload and mercury additives (Recame, 2012, p.2). Parents contemplate that if the chance of getting the disease has very low probability, why get them vaccinated when the vaccine could be ineffective and pointless for a non-prevalent disease. Some parents even believe experiencing a disease can lead to a positively better development (Harmsen, 2013, p.7). Every parent must consider these important factors before putting their child at risk.

Parents need to make decisions based on true and reliable facts. Alarmingly, most parents say they obtain their information on vaccines from media, friends or family, Internet, and religious beliefs (Recame, 2012, p.2). This shows a lack of communication between people and professional healthcare officials, who make the most reliable sources and who you should talk to to find out information. A parent’s specific lifestyle and social environment can influence their decision. Parents may make their decision on what other people say or their fear of being judged (Harmsen, 2013, p.7). An important decision such as this needs careful thought and planning using intelligent facts rather than what someone heard or saw in society.

Although it can seem like a simple shot, a vaccine can affect a person’s whole life without him or her knowing. They may suffer from symptoms they do not even notice. With plenty of alternatives to turn to vaccinations could eventually die out once people realize the danger they possess and how they should not be used for any reason despite the few benefits they have. It is not worth putting any life at risk of harm from all of the side effects it can cause. If someone does consider getting a vaccination they must consider the consequences. All of the recorded reactions people have had from vaccines did not happen by coincidence.