I’m sure everyone has heard the horror stories of someone’s child getting extremely sick or even dying 'from vaccines.' Or, getting Autism from vaccines. I’m sure we all remember Jenny Mccarthy screaming from the rooftops that her child's Autism was a direct result of a vaccination.
There is no data to support the link between vaccines and autism. Dr. Andrew Wakefield was the one who made the claim in 1998 in a paper that was later discredited, and he has since lost his license to practice medicine.
Researchers have studied thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative, which anti-vaxxers claim is the cause of autism, to see if it had any relation to autism and what do you know? That came out to be negative as well.
So, what are the real side effects of vaccines? Let’s look at what the experts have to say. According to NHS Choices, vaccines are among the safest medicines and the benefits of vaccinations far outweigh the risk of side effects.
Cons include redness and swelling around the injection site, and younger children may be irritable or may run a slight fever. And rare side effects include: allergic reactions ranging from rashes to anaphylaxis.
The pros are that your child is protected against fatal diseases and illnesses.
If it wasn't obvious already, having a vaccination is much safer than not having one. Duh.
"They're not 100% effective in every child, but they're the best defense against the epidemics that used to kill or permanently disable millions of children and adults.” (Benefits and Risks of Vaccination, July 2016)
But you should always talk to your doctor and refer to the literature from doctors, the Centers for Disease control, The Department of Health and Human Services, etc.
I am so tired of hearing anti-vaxxers scream about the horrors of vaccines. Or hearing celebs say their child’s problem was caused by vaccines.
If you still don’t want to vaccinate your child, fine. But if your reasoning is anything less than a well informed, educated decision then you need to re-evaluate.
Diseases that were once eradicated are back and they won’t just disappear. Your child may truly be at risk of dying from one of these diseases before they are even old enough to be vaccinated.
Your choice to vaccinate may be yours but it also impacts my kids and everyone else’s as well. Our vaccination strategy is community immunity. This is what protects the little ones who haven’t been vaccinated yet, those who are immuno-compromised and cannot receive all vaccines, and the elderly who may not have been vaccinated due to age.
I hear celebs speak out against vaccines, and I read articles shared all the time about the horror stories of 'deaths by vaccines,' and I'll never say the death of a child isn't a tragedy, but not vaccinating does not guarantee your child's life.
It just guarantees them risk to diseases they have no reason to be susceptible to, and it leaves my kids vulnerable before I even get the chance to make that decision for them.