The Dangers Of Vaccine Development

A little boy is visiting the happiest place on earth for the first time. Hundreds of thousands of excited families all packed into 85 acres of Disneyland property patiently waiting to meet their favorite character or ride their favorite rollercoasters. Unfortunately, there is a hidden danger lurking in the crowd of people. Travelers with harmful diseases, like the measles, continue to bring viruses to populated areas and risk spreading the disease to vulnerable, unvaccinated, children. This young boy, now freshly exposed to a life threatening disease, will return to school and, unknowingly, put all of his classmates at risk. Fortunately, this cycle could easily be prevented if the little boy and his classmates had their vaccinations. It only …show more content…
According to the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, "vaccine development is a long, complex process, often lasting 10-15 years and involving a combination of public and private involvement" (Vaccine Development). Vaccinations are not created in a day and then sent out for public use. Scientists and researchers put years of development and testing into each vaccine to determine its effectiveness and safety. Often, vaccinations are not tested on humans until farther along in the development process, sometimes taking years to get to the testing stage, making unsafe vaccinations near impossible to release for public use. The 2015 CDC article states that the measles vaccine is effective to the point that one dose of the measles vaccine is about 93 percent effective at preventing measles if exposed to the virus and two doses brings the protection up to about 97 percent (Measles). The measles vaccination, like various other immunizations, comes in multiple doses called boosters. However, after only one dose of the measles vaccine, the vaccination is already 93 percent effective. This means, in theory, any person who has received the first dose of the immunization will only have a seven percent chance of contracting the measles; those are fairly promising odds. Vaccines are extremely effective at protecting individuals who chose to vaccinate …show more content…
In 2014, the CDC explained that vaccines contain weak antigens so they do not cause the disease but are strong enough to make the immune system produce antibodies which result in immunity (Why are Childhood). Children who receive vaccinations will likely not contract the disease because vaccinations are specifically created to contain the least amount of the virus or bacteria possible to prevent people from getting sick while still providing immunity. Because the vaccine only contains weak antigens, immunity through vaccinations is a much safer alternative to natural infection, the process of becoming immune to a disease after exposure to that specific virus. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services admits that doctors are not sure why, but approximately three percent of people who receive two doses of the measles vaccine can still contract the measles; those who are fully vaccinated, however, are more likely to have calmer illnesses and less likely to contaminate others (Frequently Asked). While no vaccination is 100 percent effective, all vaccines reduce the degree at which people are infected and contagious. When a vaccinated child happens to get sick, the sickness they experience will often be mild compared to what an unvaccinated individual would suffer from. Although the child might still be sick, the immunization they received could still be protecting the individual from dangerous symptoms