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Jenna Gibson

Mrs. Jankowski

English 12A

February 21, 2017

Argumentative Research Paper

Have you ever been so completely ill that no matter the amount of medicine and doctors

you cant seem to get better? Or maybe it felt like the worst illness in the world, but was over in

a week. No one likes to be sick, and sometimes a head cold or stomach virus cannot be

prevented. However, choosing not to immunize your child could have far greater consequences

than you may know. You should vaccinate your children to maintain their health, protect others,

and save lives while helping vaccines improve.

When you vaccinate your children you are taking strides forward to maintain a healthy

life. Many children yearly are overwhelmed with sickness and often give up months, if not years,

of their precious life battling their illness. According to procon.org in 2012 major disease death

rates decreased by 99% due to vaccinations (8). The American Academy of Pediatrics also held

studies, and concluded to procon.org that most childhood vaccines are 90%-99% effective in

preventing disease(1). If parents would just choose to vaccinate they would prevent so much

pain for their children, and their wallets!

Vaccinating your child is a selfless act in many ways, the biggest being that you are

protecting the herd. Herd Immunity can be simply defined on procon.org as the amount of

protection a mostly vaccinated population gives to a non-vaccinated group. The term is used to

describe how if everyone, who is able, gets vaccinated then inevitably those who cannot be

vaccinated will be protected from any potential spreading of diseases. Unfortunately there are
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people who have suppressed immune systems or are even receiving chemotherapy, which kills

off the good cells and would make it deadly to inject vaccines (5). Therefore, vaccinating those

who are medically able helps everyone, and is an extraordinary way to look out for members of

your community!

CNN.com states that vaccines save 2.5 million children from preventable diseases yearly

(13). The Center of Disease Control released a statistic PDF showing that in the 20th century

530,217 children died from measles. Overall the total pre-vaccinated era estimated annual

morbidity was 5,378,304 (p4037). Since then all disease rates decreased at least >80% (p4037).

Vaccines are constantly improving, and each shot can be saving a life.

Some parents are often concerned about their children becoming autistic due to receiving

vaccinations. CNN released an article which states that 57% of parents say they have concerns

about autism (21). However there is no scientific link between autism and vaccinations due to

the fact that autism is a chromosomal disorder that mutates in the brain while in utero, at this

stage the child would not have had any type of immunizations done.

Religious families also like to exempt their children from vaccines according to their

beliefs. Since this is a real concern CNN.com gives facts such as 20 states allow philosophical

exemptions, and 48 states and the District of Columbia allow religious exemptions from

vaccines (8&9). Though this can be a real thing, many parents use it as an excuse to not get a

shot. Additionally CNN stated that out of the 96% of parents who believe in vaccines, only 70%

believe vaccines are necessary to protect the health of their children (18). Therefore religious

exemptions should be more looked into, and not abused by the general public that is refusing to

think through the ideology of a vaccination.

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Each person born is another chance of spreading disease and death, however they are also

being born into a world full of preventatives and advanced medicine. Therefore I charge you to

make a difference. Get vaccinated to look out for your own health, and give your community

herd immunity. All legally required vaccinations are for the sake of our lives, so dont take your

life for granted! Get vaccinated.

Work Cited:

Source 1:

Levs, Josh. The Unvaccinated, by the Numbers. CNN, Cable News Network, 4 Feb. 2015,

www.cnn.com/2015/02/03/health/the-unvaccinated/. Accessed 28 Feb. 2017.

Source 2:

NA. Vaccines ProCon.org. ProConorg Headlines, NA, Sept. 2016, vaccines.procon.org/.

Accessed 28 Feb. 2017.

Source 3:

CDC. Impact of Vaccines Universally Recommended for Children United States, 1990

1998. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, vol. 48, no. 12, 2 Apr. 1999, pp. 243248.,

www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4037.pdf. Accessed 28 Feb. 2017.