The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences
Abstract
Research has proven that vaccines prevent disease. Important medical organizations conclusively support and advise the administration of vaccinations to prevent diseases that once caused devastating effects both in the individual who contracted, and in communities where these diseases spread. While some groups protest against the constitutionality of vaccinating, others counter that failure to do so subjects the unvaccinated to illness and death by contracting and spreading of the sickness. Despite statistics on reduced incidence of diseases with few consequences as a result of vaccine-induced passive immunity, fears of harm secondary to vaccination loom. In the 21st Century, many people are unaware of diseases that still occur in undeveloped countries due to herd immunity through a majority vaccinated population. The diseases, however, are only a plane ride away. Due to globalization, vaccine preventable diseases can land in anyone’s kindergarten. Although the link between vaccination and autism was pinned to research that was subsequently retracted, the rate of not vaccinating children continues to rise and these unvaccinated children pose risk to others who are unable to receive vaccines and compromise the core herd immunity. As modern science strives to demonstrate vaccine safety and efficacy, despite the rare but undisputed adverse effects, individual decisions to vaccinate remain a complex process with differences in perception, beliefs, and values to consider. These tenets will manage to produce research and evidence to support both pro-vaccination and against-vaccination in an attempt to determine if the potential benefits of getting vaccinated outweigh the detrimental side effects that may result. Further, a better understanding of the ramifications secondary to original research that noted negative correlations among vaccinated individuals and the vaccines they received will be understood. These controversies are the ripples experienced as a result of retracted and unethical research.
Recommended Citation
Shapiro, Y. (2016). Vaccinations: Weighing the Risks and Benefits. The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences, 9(2). Retrieved from https://touroscholar.touro.edu/sjlcas/vol9/iss2/5
