Vaccinations are necessary

Thank you for accepting and good luck. I will post my sources at the end. I would like to start off by talking about different types of vaccination, their ingredients, and how they are administered/ work. There are a few different types of vaccines. There are attenuated (live virus), inactive, subunit, toxoid, and conjugate vaccines. Each serves a different purpose and is extremely beneficial. The attenuated vaccine contains microbes of a certain disease or bacteria that has been weakened in a lab so the disease is strong enough so the body can fight back, but not so strong any damage is done. These vaccines are the closest to natural infection so they are able to essentially teach the body how to overcome it. Though these vaccines are extremely effective, there is the slight chance (as with anything) that the microbe will mutate and cause disease. These anomalies generally occur in people with extremely weak immune systems. In a healthy person, the body learns how to fight the disease but doesn't get sick. Inactive vaccines are created by using heat and chemicals to destroy the microbes. These vaccines are not as strong as live vaccines but they work better for those with weaker immune systems. Because they elicit a weaker immune response, these shots are administered over a period of time with several boosters. They don't require refrigeration so they can be shipped anywhere, essentially. Subunit vaccines only contain certain antigens of a microbe, the ones that will cause the strongest immune reaction. As it does not contain the whole microbe, there is a severely decreased chance of a complication. Recombinant subunit vaccines were created and tested to treat hepatitis B. Scientists testing this vaccine inserted specific antigens into bakers bread and the yeast reproduced the antigens allowing them to collect more. Doctors and scientists are currently testing similar techniques to treat hepatitis C. Toxoid vaccines are used when a toxic bacteria is concerned. When the body is introduced to the toxoid created in a lab (harmless to the body) it learns to fight it off, creating an immune response. The body produces antigens that lock onto and block the toxoid. These vaccines have been used to treat diphtheria and tetanus. Conjugate vaccines are used to fight against bacterium with a polysaccharide coating. Many harmful bacteria have this coating, and the immune system, especially those of infants and young children, do not recognize it immediately, allowing the body to become sick. These vaccines are administered in small doses so the immature immune system becomes familiar with these bacteria and learns to fight it. When being made, scientists use antigens and microbes of the bacteria that the body will recognize and be able to fight. Haemophilus influenza type B (Hib) is a conjugate vaccine. Many people have recently been refusing to get their children, or themselves, vaccinated. Their theories about vaccines are wrong. For example, many people believe that if other people are getting vaccinated, then they don't need to be. Skipping vaccinations can put children or babies at risk for possibly fatal diseases. In order for vaccines to work, there needs to be a certain number of people vaccinated. Scientists estimate that, "Unfortunately, the level of immunization required to prevent diseases such as measles from spreading from child to child is high as 95 percent." (Thomas Saari, M.d., Wisconsin Medical School) With many people refusing to vaccinate themselves and their children, there is not enough people vaccinated to provide "herd immunity." Approximately 80% of elementary school children are vaccinated. Though many people believe that because major likenesses are rarely seen in America anymore we don't need vaccines, that is a very dangerous misconception. Though for the most part major disease such as polio are not seen anymore, many America communities still have outbreaks of disease such as pertussis and other respiratory diseases. The goal of vaccinatons is to prevent the spread of infectious diseases such as measles and mumps. They protect the public health. When vaccines first became prevalent we saw the eradication of disease like polio. Vaccinations provided protect against diseases that can lead to other serious health complications, and even death. These diseases include rotavirus, hep B, pneumococcal, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, hep A, varicella, meningococcal, and influenza. As with any medication, vaccinations can cause a minor reaction like redness or soreness or a low grade fever. None of these side effects result in long term damage, only discomfort for a few days. Professionals have stated that "the proven preventive benefits of vaccines far outweigh the risks of the minimal side effects associated with them." Vaccinations have been proven to be 90-100% of infections, and people who are 100% immune protect those with weaker systems. Many say that because we have eradicated many disease through vaccines, there is no need for immunizations. This misconception can cost lives, as those diseases are gone because of immunizations. Another myth people have about vaccines is that there is a connection between vaccinations and autism. People say the MMR vaccine contains thimerosal, a chemical that causes the brain disorder. In fact, the MMR virus has never contained thimerosal, and neither have the vaccines for chicken pox or inactive polio. If these vaccines were not administered we would see a rise in diseases that can be contagious and fatal. Though you say you receive vaccines and still get sick afterwards there is no way you do. It is impossible. Let's take the flu virus for example. The flu vaccine is an inactive immunization, so there are antigens from the virus in it. The sick feeling you may get after a shot is only the body fighting the vaccine after being introduced to it. That feeling is only your immune system growing stronger and protecting you but also the people you sit next to and the person you see on the bus or the person who gives you change at a convenience store. Vaccinations are necessary. They may seem like they do nothing because we do not see diseases like polio anymore but we don't see those anymore because we have vaccines. If we didn't have vaccines, we would see an uncontrollable rise in disease and death.