Speech- Kaitlyn Nunnelley

Vaccines. A modern miracle. Before we’re 6 years old it’s recommended that we get 28 doses of 10 different vaccines, vaccines that protect us and the people surrounding us from deadly diseases. The first instance of vaccine use in the United States was in 1721 when Cotton Mather encouraged smallpox vaccination in response to an outbreak. Vaccination like we practice today started when Edward Jenner created the first smallpox vaccine using cowpox and vaccinating an 8-year-old boy in 1796. Vaccination has been around for forever, so why not make it mandatory?

         All 50 states require vaccination for children entering public school. In 1855 the first U.S. state law mandating vaccinations for schoolchildren was passed. No mandatory federal vaccination laws exist as of now, but why? The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that 732,000 American children were saved from death and 322 million cases of childhood illnesses were prevented between 1994 and 2014 due to vaccination.  

         The American Academy of Pediatrics states that “most childhood vaccines are 90 to 99% effective in preventing disease.” Vaccines save 2 and a half million children from preventable diseases every year, which is about 285 kids saved every hour.

         Many organizations that are dedicated to human safety and life protection state that vaccines are safe; CDC, Food and Drug Administration, Institute of Medicine, American Medical Association, UNICEF, US Department of Heath and Human Services, World Health Organization, and countless others. Some people say that companies like the CDC or FDA shouldn’t be trusted to make and regulate safe vaccines because their primary goal is selling drugs and making a profit. Why would they clear these vaccines if they kill people or don’t help? What would be the point in that? The WHO (World Health Organization) states, “vaccines are very safe” and Human Services states, “vaccines are some of the safest medical products available.”

         “Vaccines contain harmful ingredients” fact or myth? Aluminum is used in some vaccines and excess aluminum in human bodies can cause neurological harm. This is true but children are exposed to more aluminum in breast milk and infant formula than in vaccines. So if you restrict your child from vaccines because of the level of aluminum, why not restrict them from their food and sustenance in their early life? Children are exposed to more bacteria, viruses, toxins, and other harmful materials in one day of normal activity than are in vaccines. So why not protect them from these harmful substances that they’ll encounter anyways with the vaccines they need to fight it off? The FDA requires 10 or more years of testing for all vaccines before they are licensed. The vaccines given to us are safe and extreme cautions are taken so that they are.

         According to the CDC, all vaccines carry a risk of a life-threatening allergic reaction, anaphylaxis. Adverse reactions to the vaccines are extremely rare. However, the most common one is anaphylaxis but it occurs in “one per several hundred thousand to one per million vaccines.” “The MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccines does not cause autism…the MMR and DTaP do not cause Type 1 diabetes. And the flu vaccines does not cause Bell’s palsy, and it does not trigger episodes of asthma.” It’s all in the facts; vaccines do more help than hurt.

         Obviously vaccines save lives, but they also save parents time and money. Vaccines cost less in time and money than it does to have a sick child or pay for treatment or care for disability. Kids under 5 years old with the flu are contagious for about 8 days, and it costs parents an average of 222 to 1456$ in wages and 300 to 400$ in medical expenses according to a CDC study.

         Chicken pox, diphtheria, hib (type of influenza), hep A and B, flu, measles, mumps, pertussis, polio, rotavirus, rubella, and tetanus are all diseases we get vaccinated for, diseases you can die from. Diseases such as small pox and polio have nearly disappeared because of immunizations.

         Vaccines have saved billions of dollars and prevented millions of illnesses and thousands of deaths. In no way do the cons out way the pros. Making vaccines mandatory can save so many lives and end problems before they start. Without these vaccines the people around you can get sick and even die. Protect yourself and the people around you. Our modern miracles can help everyone and anyone.

        

          

Sources

"Vaccines ProCon.org." ProConorg Headlines. ProCon.org, 5 Sept. 2014. Web. 11 Dec. 2014.

Szabo, Liz. "CDC: Vaccines Save Lives." Www.usatoday.com. USA Today, 24 Apr. 2014. Web. 14 Dec. 2014.

Which Side Are You On? Dir. Lynn Hermstad. Perf. Lisa Masterson, Jillian Michaels. Stage 30, Paramount Pictures, 2011. Documentary.

Dochterman, Darryl. "Mandatory Vaccines- Pro or Con." Personal interview. 12 Dec. 2014.