A few words about vaccines

As a fairly new parent, the issue of vaccines is one that I have spent many hours thinking about.  After all, as person who tries to remain as informed as possible about such things, i've read numerous articles and anecdotal stories of the apparent dangers of vaccines.

So naturally, when it was time to give my son his vaccines I was admittedly apprehensive.  But as I read more into the issues surrounding people's objections to vaccines, several facts were immutable in the face of what I have to come realize is a lot of misinformation.

As with any drug or medication, vaccines have possible side effects but these are actually very rare.  And despite what conspiracy theorist and alarmist would have you believe there is no government cover up of such cases.  In fact, in cases where it can be shown that someone has been injured or harmed by vaccines, compensation can be sought through the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.  On the other hand, some groups and individuals have used the existence of this program as proof that vaccines are harmful.

The reality is that vaccines overall are very safe for the most part.  In fact, the chances of being injured or killed by a vaccine are far less than the chances of being injured or killed in a car accident.  But how many people who oppose vaccines use a car everyday?  The fear of vaccines is grossly disproportionate to the actual danger they pose as a result of misinformation and anecdotal situations.

Our generation is so far removed from the time when horrible grotesque diseases like small pox crippled and killed large numbers of people especially children.  If you want a little reminder of how devastating these diseases were, then just Google images of smallpox and see for yourself what we fortunately don't have to face now.  

It is nothing less than brash ignorance to call vaccines ineffective or to exaggerate the occurrence of their side effects in the face of all the historical evidence to the contrary.  So many people take for granted the fact that these infectious diseases aren't seen on the scale that they once were.   

The simple fact that parents today have the luxury of refusing vaccinations is the very real result of the implementation and use of vaccines for the past 100 years.  However, this trend of non-vaccination is dangerous because several diseases not seen in this country in half a century are starting to re-emerge as a result. History shows that outbreaks of diseases that had been nearly eliminated always follows reductions in vaccinations.

My intent here is not to swing away at people who have very real concerns over the safety, overuse, and effectiveness of vaccines.  No, my sole purpose is to remind people of what we may have forgotten about humans and disease.  A lot of parents today have never seen a baby actually suffering from smallpox., which because of vaccines has basically been eliminated from our little piece of the world.  The pictures I have seen are horrific.  

So while I support strict regulation to ensure vaccines are as safe as possible and used the safest way possible, I would like to remind my parental peers who strictly oppose vaccines that many of their own childhood's were safeguarded against many diseases because of the required use and effectiveness of vaccines.