Childhood vaccinations have never been as good as they are today so I don't understand why parents are choosing to skip vaccinations for children.  Vaccines were created to stimulate antibody production and give a sense of immunity against most diseases. In the last twenty years there have been an increase in the number of parents choosing not to vaccinate their children because, they are scared of how these vaccines are made, and fear the most unlikely outcome is going to happen to their child (Bednarczyk). Vaccines are made of a small percentage of the dead or weakened virus so the body can build up immunity to the infecting organism. Due to this process those parents who are not vaccinating are second guessing the doctors and medical professionals who are pushing for vaccines because, in a small percentage of patients who are vaccinated the vaccine can actually cause the disease it is supposed to be protecting you against (Middleton). 

This specific area of research interests me because my aunt is a nurse practitioner and this is an issue she deals with everyday. I also want to go to medical school and this is one of the leading causes of childhood illnesses. I feel really strongly about this area of research because I know kids who were not vaccinated as children and some, were completely fine, but others had to be taken out of school every time some sort of illness or even just the common cold broke out. This in turn caused those children to miss days and sometimes even weeks of school. I have researched this topic before for a project back in high school, so I have some background on this topic. 

For my first source I used an article from the CDC, which lays out all the risks, and responsibilities of parents who choose not to vaccinate their children. This source outlines that is extremely important to let all medical professionals know about a child's vaccine status because there is a chance that the child could have a vaccine-preventable disease and usually they will take precautions like isolating the child ("If"). The article also lists the proper precautions to take when a vaccine preventable disease breaks out in the community. Those children who are not vaccinated will be asked to leave their schools, childcare facilities, and sometimes even organized activities. Those children may have to be isolated for several days or sometimes even several weeks, to ensure their safety ("If"). This article was written by the Center for Disease Control and is an extremely credible source. 

For my second article I used an observational study published in the medical journal "Vaccine" that researched the safety of modern day vaccines and the vaccination schedule as a whole. The article explains that a large majority of parents in the United States do vaccinate their children but for the small percentage that choose not to vaccinate or delay vaccinations, this study showed the potential danger facing the kids who were undervaccinated (Bednarczyk). Due to bias and some outliers the researchers concluded that the tests should be repeated like in any good experiment, but they felt confident in these results leading parents to believe it is better to vaccinate you children instead of putting them at risk (Bednarczyk). 

My third source was an article published in the "CURRENT: Diagnosis & Treatment" edition 4e that pulls all the information about routine childhood vaccinations. This article goes through every disease we are supposed to be vaccinated for ranging from the flu to HPV, and gives a detailed explanation of why we should be vaccinated, when we should be vaccinated and also reactions that could potentially occur (Middleton). This article gives all the statistics of who could potential be effected by each virus and the risks of not being vaccinated (Middleton). This article was written by two MDs with an M.P.H in epidemiology. 

This research question is arguable because its one of the leading controversial issues in childhood medicine, and some parents believe that they will always know what's best for their child. Most of my sources are in stasis and agree that it is important to vaccinate children not only completely but also on schedule. This is important because it backs up my own argument and will make it easier to prove my point. These sources shouldn't affect my own opinion if anything they strengthen my opinion that all children should be vaccinated. I don't think my research question is going to change.

