Herd immunity is a vital component of society. Essentially, herd immunity protects those who cannot receive vaccines, due to illness or other medical conditions. In an article written for the British Medical Journal, science editor Abi Berger emphasizes the importance of herd immunity, “. . . enough parents decide not to have their children vaccinated, more cases will start to appear, and the whole population is at risk.” The more people vaccinated, the stronger the herd becomes. This means that those parents who neglect to vaccinate are endangering the population. Berger supports this by emphasizing the importance of herd immunity when she sates that if parents make the decision to stop vaccination, childhood diseases will spread, creating
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For now, only those who cannot be vaccinated or have received no vaccinations are at risk. A rising number of parents who believe that they know more than doctors are causing more Americans to become sick. Frequent updates in medical and scientific advancements often lead to misleading information, which can create false beliefs. In 1998, Dr. Andrew Wakefield published falsified research in an article, “Ileal-Lymphoid-Nodular Hyperplasia, Non-specific Colitis, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder in Children,” which discussed a link between MMR, the bowels, and autism (Wakefield’s Article Linking. . . 1). At the time, his article was groundbreaking. However, in 2001, the Institute of Medicine reevaluated the evidence and “. . .concluded that the evidence favors the rejection of a . . . relationship” (Destefano and Thompson 1). Subsequently, Wakefield lost his medical license in 2010.The General Medical Council (GMC) annotate that the study was not morally appropriate since it mislead parents in their efforts to fight vaccination. Even though Wakefield and his research were widely disproven, there are those who still use his research as evidence against vaccination (Wakefield’s Article Linking. . .1). In an interview with local Registered Nurse, Stephanie Bennett, BSN, she notes that she does not “. . .believe this [Wakefield’s falsified research] changed anyone’s opinion on the
For now, only those who cannot be vaccinated or have received no vaccinations are at risk. A rising number of parents who believe that they know more than doctors are causing more Americans to become sick. Frequent updates in medical and scientific advancements often lead to misleading information, which can create false beliefs. In 1998, Dr. Andrew Wakefield published falsified research in an article, “Ileal-Lymphoid-Nodular Hyperplasia, Non-specific Colitis, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder in Children,” which discussed a link between MMR, the bowels, and autism (Wakefield’s Article Linking. . . 1). At the time, his article was groundbreaking. However, in 2001, the Institute of Medicine reevaluated the evidence and “. . .concluded that the evidence favors the rejection of a . . . relationship” (Destefano and Thompson 1). Subsequently, Wakefield lost his medical license in 2010.The General Medical Council (GMC) annotate that the study was not morally appropriate since it mislead parents in their efforts to fight vaccination. Even though Wakefield and his research were widely disproven, there are those who still use his research as evidence against vaccination (Wakefield’s Article Linking. . .1). In an interview with local Registered Nurse, Stephanie Bennett, BSN, she notes that she does not “. . .believe this [Wakefield’s falsified research] changed anyone’s opinion on the