Will They, Won’t They – Immunization Edition

If you’ve ever dipped your toe into the vaccination debate you are bound to find some highly impassioned arguments. Each side will call out logical fallacies and pull out research to prove their points. In this blog, we will talk about the objections that are given over getting your child vaccinated.

Parents who chose to not get their children vaccinated will cite research that shows that vaccines have a higher chance of not helping your child become immunized but will instead infect the child.

They will also point out that illnesses that have been wiped out by vaccinations were already in decline by the time the vaccine was invented. For example, polio was already in vast decline because of better hygiene and understanding of how illnesses spread before the vaccine was made public. They will point out that vaccines not only have trace amounts of the bacteria or virus but will also have toxins like formaldehyde or mercury.

But probably the most talked about aspect of vaccine objections is the subject of autism.

In its shortest form, the argument is that vaccines cause autism. Parents may even know a couple who had a happy and healthy child who was vaccinated and changed drastically after the injection. The child has now been diagnosed with autism. While there are many different studies that have shown that there is no direct correlation between vaccinations and autism, this fear has kept many parents from choosing to get their child vaccinated. The theory behind vaccinations is that they are perfectly safe and will help your child from getting a terrible illness. However, many parents are not willing to risk the livelihood of their child on a theory.

Every parent loves their child and wants the best for them. When it comes to vaccines, you need to make the best decision for your child. Talk to your friends, talk to your doctor, talk to your partner, do your research, be informed. We are in no way trying to pose an opinion in the blog and just want to look at this issue. We care about the health and wellness of all of our clients and hope to help you find the best healthcare for your needs.

Immunizations & What They’re For

Immunizations have caused quite a stir in the last past and in some circles are still a point of contention.

An immunization is actually the end product but is synonymous with a vaccine. A vaccine usually comes in the form of an injection that includes small amounts of a bacteria, virus or lab-based protein. The idea behind vaccinations is that when a small amount of this harmful bacteria or virus is injected, the body’s immune system is triggered. It starts to create antibodies that will fight off whatever was in the injection. That way if the person should come in contact with a full-blown strain of the disease the body is more prepared to fight it off or completely keep the body from being overwhelmed by the illness.

The majority of people who are given vaccines are children from the ages of 0-6.

During that time, most children will receive a vaccine for Hepatitis B, Rotavirus, Diptheria, Tetanus, Pertussis, Haemophilus influenza type B, Pneumococcal, Poliovirus, Influenza, Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Chickenpox, and Hepatitis A. The reason that these are given to children is because there was a period of time not that long ago when thousands of children would suffer or die from these diseases each year. With the invention of the vaccine for these infections, many of them have become obsolete like the mumps, smallpox or polio. Another reason why these vaccines are recommended is that it is more cost effective to prevent a disease than to treat it. Most of these are highly infectious diseases and to treat a mass amount of people infected by these is very expensive.

While many of you may be aware of the mechanics of immunizations you may have also heard that there is a movement of people who do not want to give their children vaccines. To read more about this topic, please read our next blog “Will They, Won’t They.”

At Bernardini & Donovan, we are dedicated to giving you more information about your health and your health care. If you have any questions about your health care insurance please feel free to call us.

Tag: Immunization