Pros And Cons Of Vaccination Programs

It is true, that the use of vaccines in modern immunisation programs has either eradicated or greatly reduced the incidence of certain diseases throughout the world. Vaccination programs work to not only reduce the chance of disease in the most susceptible individuals but also increase the immunity of the population. Such immunity is referred to as herd immunity. Herd immunity depends on a high proportion of individuals being immunised. When there are a large number of immune individuals in a population, there is a decrease in the chance of diseases being transferred between them.
In first world countries like Australia, England and America, scientists have worked to eradicate the spread of some diseases through the creation of vaccines, more than third-world countries like those in Africa have. This difference in immunisation levels between countries like these, presents a problem for example, someone of a first-world country who is not immunised, to go and travel to a third world country, as they have a much higher chance of contracting a disease that would have been seen to be prevented against in their own country because of effects like herd immunity. This problem amongst our population of modern day Australia, for example, presents the issue and topic of immunising children at a young age and what this means in terms of their development and how they affect everyone else. These arguments are presented in the table below. …show more content…
The American Academy of Pediatrics states that “most childhood vaccines are 90%-99% effective in preventing disease
- The ingredients used in vaccines are safe in the amounts used. Ingredients such as thimerosal and aluminium can be harmful in large doses but they are not used in harmful quantities in