If ever there was a more angrily debated topic, it pales in comparison to the vaccination debate. The science supports both beliefs, for and against. Talk to any mother, father, grandparent or caregiver about vaccinations and you are apt to be vehemently bombarded with information supporting one side or the other. The debate however, is not the focus here. Vaccinations, though able to cause possibly dangerous side effects, are relatively safe and effective. The argument could also work in regards to the diseases themselves. Measles for example, for a majority of the population, is a mild illness that can be treated at home. While for others, it causes deadly complications such as pneumonia. The focus here should be on ensuring that parents and caregivers are educated and comfortable with the decisions they make regarding immunizing their children or wards.
To show the effectiveness of routine vaccination, let’s look at one of the most deadly diseases in history. Beginning in 10,000 BC, smallpox claimed 400,000 lives in the 18th century and another 300-400 million in the 20th century. (Stefan Riedel, 2005) In 1798, Edward Jenner created a vaccination designed to prevent transmission and infection of smallpox. (Vaccines, 2013) By 1979, with routine vaccination, smallpox was eradicated from the world. That is astonishing! This proves the effectiveness of these inoculations.
Now, on the other side of the coin, we have the possible side effects caused by one or more of these vaccinations. These range from the very minor and common (headache, tenderness at injection site, fever) to the very rare and dangerous (seizures, coma, death). With the smallpox vaccination, for example, side effects include dangerous skin infections, Post-vicinal encephalitis and myopericarditis. All of which are potentially fatal.
What about the complications or “side effects” of the smallpox disease? Well, we know for sure that one complication was death. That was a serious complication and the risk of death from smallpox was about 40-60% of everyone infected. Aside from the obvious, smallpox can possibly cause complications similar to the vaccine given to prevent the disease. Encephalitis, skin infection and blindness are among a small few.
So what does this all mean? It means that while both scenarios have possibly dire outcomes, it is up to you, as a parent, to educate yourself on the choices you are making for your children. Risks and benefits of both diseases and inoculations should be weighed and an informed decision made. This is the key. My wife and I made our decision to delay and even avoid certain vaccinations this way. At the end of the day, you know what is best for your child. You owe it to them to do your due diligence when it comes to vaccinations.
