The Impact of the Anti-Vaccination Movement On the 10th of September 2016, 54 cases of American citizens having measles, a dangerous yet preventable disease, had been reported. The cause of the disease is only partially due to the Morbillivirus measles virus, and the rest of the blame falls on the anti-vaccination movement. There are those who claim this anti-vaccination propaganda presents a serious threat to our society. Diseases that the scientific community had greatly diminished or completely eliminated are on the rise once more. This movement not only endangers the lives of the youth of our nation, but also damages the psyche of those who have been diagnosed with any of the Autism Spectrum disorders, and promotes scientific illiteracy.
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People who often state “my kid, my choice” need to know that if their child gets a disease, they can still spread it to a child who was vaccinated. The article “Refusing to Vaccinate isn’t just a Personal Choice” written by Justin Fox for the Chicago Tribune states “When these diseases run rampant, even those who have been vaccinated aren 't entirely safe. Vaccines succeed in large part because they make diseases so rare, not because everyone who gets one becomes completely immune. When vaccination rates fall, non-vaccinators not only expose their children to greater risk but they endanger lots of other people too” (Fox, 2015, paragraph 7). This is also known as heard immunity. Every disease has its own reproduction number, and when that number is not met, the disease will …show more content…
Equally important to this is the statement made by Justin Fox, “The belief in a link between the MMR vaccine and autism… (Was proposed by)…a British doctor who has since lost his medical license” (Fox, 2015, Paragraph 1). Furthermore the amount of credible medical professionals, government organizations, and scientists who claim there is no relationship between the two appears to outweigh the opposition heavily. According to one government operated organization “Some people have had concerns that ASD might be linked to the vaccines children receive, but studies have shown that there is no link between receiving vaccines and developing ASD. In 2011, an Institute of Medicine (IOM) report on eight vaccines given to children and adults found that with rare exceptions, these vaccines are very safe” The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2015). In addition to this information, the text continues to say “A 2013 CDC study added to the research showing that vaccines do not cause ASD. The study looked at the number of antigens (substances in vaccines that cause the body’s immune system to produce disease-fighting antibodies) from vaccines during the first two years of life. The results showed that the total amount of antigen from vaccines received was the same between children with ASD and those that did
People who often state “my kid, my choice” need to know that if their child gets a disease, they can still spread it to a child who was vaccinated. The article “Refusing to Vaccinate isn’t just a Personal Choice” written by Justin Fox for the Chicago Tribune states “When these diseases run rampant, even those who have been vaccinated aren 't entirely safe. Vaccines succeed in large part because they make diseases so rare, not because everyone who gets one becomes completely immune. When vaccination rates fall, non-vaccinators not only expose their children to greater risk but they endanger lots of other people too” (Fox, 2015, paragraph 7). This is also known as heard immunity. Every disease has its own reproduction number, and when that number is not met, the disease will …show more content…
Equally important to this is the statement made by Justin Fox, “The belief in a link between the MMR vaccine and autism… (Was proposed by)…a British doctor who has since lost his medical license” (Fox, 2015, Paragraph 1). Furthermore the amount of credible medical professionals, government organizations, and scientists who claim there is no relationship between the two appears to outweigh the opposition heavily. According to one government operated organization “Some people have had concerns that ASD might be linked to the vaccines children receive, but studies have shown that there is no link between receiving vaccines and developing ASD. In 2011, an Institute of Medicine (IOM) report on eight vaccines given to children and adults found that with rare exceptions, these vaccines are very safe” The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2015). In addition to this information, the text continues to say “A 2013 CDC study added to the research showing that vaccines do not cause ASD. The study looked at the number of antigens (substances in vaccines that cause the body’s immune system to produce disease-fighting antibodies) from vaccines during the first two years of life. The results showed that the total amount of antigen from vaccines received was the same between children with ASD and those that did