Are vaccines a safe way to prevent disease or a dangerous unnatural practice with unhealthy side effects? Although there may be many people who think vaccines are harmful, they have been proven time and again to be safe and reliable. Vaccines help make the world better, don’t cause unwanted side effects, and save countless lives. Surely, vaccines are safe to use and a good way to prevent diseases.
Despite the thought that vaccines have unhealthy side effects, they don’t cause harm. Although some have claimed that vaccines cause autism, the two haven’t been linked, and through much testing, it has been proven that vaccines don’t cause autism. Ellen Clayton, MD, JD, Professor of Pediatrics and Law at Vanderbilt Law School and co-author of the report "Committee to Review Adverse Effects of Vaccines" stated "The MMR vaccine does not cause autism… The MMR and DTaP do not cause Type 1 diabetes. And the killed flu vaccine does not cause Bell’s palsy, and it does not trigger episodes of asthma" (ProCon.org n.p.). Also, some sources referenced by those who are against vaccinations are one-sided and only provide information that supports their opinions, like vaxtruth.org. Furthermore, The US Department of Health and Human Services said: "Vaccines are some of the safest medical products available" (ProCon.org n.p.). Hense, vaccines are safe to use.
Additionally, vaccines can benefit society. One way they can do this is by protecting future generations by wiping out fatal diseases so that they won’t have to deal with them. By getting vaccinated now, we can make the world better in the future, since vaccine-preventable diseases haven’t been totally eradicated. In addition, vaccinated mothers can protect their unborn children from diseases that could cause birth defects or other problems. Also, getting vaccines can save time and money. It has been estimated that $1.38 trillion have been saved in twenty years because of people getting vaccinated. The World Health Organization said: “In India, for example, the introduction of childhood rotavirus vaccination is projected to save nearly US$ 21 million in treatment costs per year” (World Health Organization n.p.). As well as this, children under five with the flu cost their parents an average of eleven to seventy-three hours of wages. Those resources could be used for other things to make the world a better and safer place for all of us to live. Furthermore, vaccines are required for children to go to school and get an education. Certainly, vaccines make our world and the people who live in it happier and healthier.
Lastly, vaccines save countless lives. For example, about 285 children are saved by vaccinations every hour, and 322 million children were protected from diseases in twenty years. Moreover, vaccinated people protect those who are not in a condition to be able to be vaccinated, like someone with cancer, or someone too old or young to get a vaccine. If 92%-94% of people in a community are vaccinated, then they will prevent an outbreak of a disease if a few people get it. The American Academy of Pediatrics said: “Most childhood vaccines are 90%-99% effective in preventing disease” (ProCon.org n.p.), so they are obviously a reliable way to save lives and keep children safe. For these reasons, vaccines save lives and protect everyone.
Obviously, vaccines are a safe way to prevent diseases. This evidence shows that they can help benefit society, don’t have unhealthy side effects, and save lives. Without vaccines, the world would surely be a much unhealthier place.