Should parents avoid vaccinating their children?

Should Parents avoid Vaccinating their Children?
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Abstract
Although vaccination has been considered to be an effective means of future disease prevention, some concerns have been raised regarding its safety. In some degree, parents have been reluctant to take their children for vaccination due to genuine factors. Factors such as fraud allegations in the pharmaceutical industry, injuries, and danger posed to the child’s health have been noted. Even though the emergence of evidence-based practice has been both dramatic and fast, just as unexpected, the key concepts in evidence-based practice in health have been adopted in other professions and disciplines with generic titles. Over the recent past, evidence-based advances have been developed in many other fields of health, comprising of evidence-based public health, dentistry, mental health, nursing, and physiotherapy. Evolution has not halted there: distinctively it would look like that the advancement derived from medicine is being promoted and assumed in more poles apart professional fields such as social work, management of human resources, education and probation.
Introduction
Vaccination has been deemed healthy by health experts around the world in an attempt to secure the health of children as they grow into adults. Despite this, there have been significant concerns regarding vaccination altogether. Many parents have become increasingly concerned regarding the side effects of vaccination and the long-term effects that it could bring to their children in the long run.

The controversy about pro-vaccination and anti-vaccination is a debate that has been going for sometime as some parents have been left wondering as to which direction to take regarding vaccination. The article gives reasons for parents not to take their children for vaccination. According to “National Immunization Survey” 0.7% of kids between the ages of 19 and thirty five months did not receive any kind of vaccination in the year 2003. But the statistics mask some of the lower vaccine uptake levels; approximately 90% of children of the same age, for instance received an MMR dose (“National, State, and Selected Local Area Vaccination Coverage Among Children Aged 19–35 Months — United States, 2013”, 2018).
Autism Controversy
Vaccination has been studied to cause autism in children. Studies have linked vaccination as one of the causes of autism in children due to the medicinal chemicals involved. Even though some studies have proven otherwise regarding this fact, there is cause for concern as the chemicals that are injected into the child’s body might trigger the disorder. A research study carried out at the “University of British Columbia” and the “University of Louisiana” indicated how aluminum might have a negative impact to the CNS (central nervous system). The research study specifically indicated the abnormal behavior of the aluminum particles in inducing the biological messages in the body. They can be induced from tissues, cells and various organs in the body, which might lead to autism in a child. The central nervous system might be affected by the aluminum adjuvants, which could lead to autism spectrum disorder. It is a reason that might force parents to abandon their plans of vaccinating children. Aluminum is a commonly used vaccine in many health institutions.
Fraud
The pharmaceutical industry has been engulfed in controversy regarding the fraud allegations that some parents have reported when vaccinating their children. Some health physicians do not do thorough research regarding the right vaccine to administer to the children when securing their future health. While this has been a past case reported, other cases involving unreliable research regarding vaccination has also come up in some quarters. Dr. Richard Horton, theeditor-in-chief of The Lancet, brought to the attention of the public the illegitimacy of vaccination (WORCESTER, 2012). He stated, “The case against science is straightforward: much of the scientific literature, perhaps half, may simply be untrue. Afflicted by studies with small sample sizes, tiny effects, invalid exploratory analyses, and flagrant conflicts of interest, together with an obsession for pursuing fashionable trends of dubious importance, science has taken a turn towards darkness” (Geier & Geier, 2006). His assertion came on the heels of many parent’s uncertainties regarding the vaccination process. Professor Lucija Tomljenovic also strengthen the fraud claims by uncovering many documents regarding the dangers that vaccination drugs caused to the children. The worst part of his recovery of the documents was that many health officials in the industry including the manufacturers of the vaccines knew about the danger that the vaccines pose to the lives of children. He handed the documents to the relevant authorities to try and restore order in the industry. The “Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization” wrote a statement regarding the issue that read, “Continuous efforts to withhold critical data on severe adverse reactions and contraindications to vaccinations to both parents and health practitioners in order to reach overall vaccination rates” (Geier & Geier, 2006).
The Vaccine Injury Act
It was an act that came into existence in the mid-1970s. The act was a case for concern to many people who felt that the health practitioners were being protected against health issues that might arise after vaccination. During this time, many parents filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of their children whom they believed that had been put under grievous danger during the vaccination process. Some adults also sued various health institutions that vaccinated them when they were younger with the belief that their rights were violated. Even though the national childhood vaccine injury act was enacted to exempt doctors and physicians of any wrongdoing, parents have felt that the act was solely enacted to allow medical practitioners to enjoy their freedom while the children were being exposed to grievous harm (Young, Geier & Geier, 2008). Under this act, the pharmaceutical companies have also been exempted from prosecutions related to vaccination issues. The taxpayers bare the sole responsibility for ensuring that the damages are paid and catered for when issues arise. Another fraud has been noted in the manner in which vaccine manufacturers are trying to market the flu vaccine. In most cases, they usually dupe those with little knowledge into believing that the flu vaccine can cure influenza. Influenza, in medicalresearch, is not the same as the flu, therefore, the flu vaccine does not entirely cure influenza but a small percentage of it when the vaccine is administered. It is a reason that should discourage many parents from taking their children for vaccination.
Ineffective Vaccines
Some cases of vaccine injury have been reported in the past, making vaccines to not be entirely safe. A good example of a vaccine that has been debated regarding its safety is the Gardasil. Some people have argued that it is one of the best vaccines in the market while others have argued that its benefits have been exaggerated for marketing purpose (Geier & Geier, 2008). In some quarters, some people have stated that the dangers of Gardasil have greatly been underestimated. Scientific research done found out that Gardasil caused a lot of deaths in the United States. Other vaccines such as the HPV vaccination have been identified as the main causes of autoimmune diseases such as ovarian failure and others. It is a primary reason for parents not to take their children for vaccination.
Vaccine Ingredients
Some of the ingredients used to manufacture the vaccines have been a cause for concern. Aluminum, for instance, has been linked to autism in children, which has elicited negative reactions in parents. The egg protein is also another ingredient that commonly exists in the yellow fever vaccines. The concern raised with this ingredient involves those children born with high cholesterol in the body. It is feared that the egg protein, which is rich in cholesterol could potentially harm the child or person suffering from diabetes or weight problems. It is a concern for parents who wish to take their children for vaccination.
Conclusion
Although vaccination has been considered to be an effective means of future disease prevention, some concerns have been raised regarding its safety. In some degree, parents have been reluctant to take their children for vaccination due to genuine factors. Factors such as fraud allegations in the pharmaceutical industry, injuries, and danger posed to the child’s health have been noted. The ingredient of the vaccine such as the egg protein has also been identified as another cause for concern.
References
Geier, D., & Geier, M. (2006). An Evaluation of the Effects of Thimerosal on Neurodevelopmental Disorders Reported Following DTP and Hib Vaccines in Comparison to DTPH Vaccine in the United States. Journal Of Toxicology And Environmental Health, Part A, 69(15), 1481-1495. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15287390500364556National, State, and Selected Local Area Vaccination Coverage Among Children Aged 19–35 Months — United States, 2013. (2018). Cdc.gov. Retrieved 1 February 2018, from https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6334a1.htm
WORCESTER, S. (2012). Many Kids Still Missing Out on Pneumococcal Vaccination. Family Practice News, 42(7), 28. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0300-7073(12)70333-x
Young, H., Geier, D., & Geier, M. (2008). Thimerosal exposure in infants and neurodevelopmental disorders: An assessment of computerized medical records in the Vaccine Safety Datalink. Journal Of The Neurological Sciences, 271(1-2), 110-118. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jns.2008.04.002