While there are many controversial topics discussed in todays society that I do not have enough knowledge of to form an educated opinion, the topic of vaccinating children caught my attention. Why should all children be vaccinated? My major in nursing has me interested in this topic because much of my job will be giving vaccinations to patients and I want to be educated on both sides of the argument on why or why not receive a vaccine. My parents chose to vaccinate all their children except the influenza vaccine. While I did receive it some years, they did not feel it was a priority. I never questioned the fact that I did not receive the vaccine every year until CVS created such a large campaign about "Free flu shots". I want to understand why people feel it is so imperative that flu shots be given or why they are so opposed. During my research so far, I have found that while addressing children vaccinations, the influenza virus creates the most controversy. The only qualifications I have to address the topic of vaccinations would be the few articles I have come across during my research process. 

The first article I found focuses primarily on vaccination of children in childcare in Connecticut. Connecticut was one of 2 states that required specific requirements for vaccinations of children going into child care facilities. The article explains the benefits of vacations specifically the influenza vaccination through statics and graphs throughout the article. Connecticut used to be one of the states with the highest percentages of hospital from the influenza virus, which changed once influenza vaccine laws were put in place. CDC (Center for Disease control and prevention) published the article making the credibility strong because the CDC is a US government organization from the Department of Health and Human Services. The article is factually based on statistics of research and is biased because it is a government run organization. 

The second article states a claim that says "Annual influenza vaccination should be recommended to all children from 6 months to 3 years of age" (Finn et al. 224). The article addresses the fact that the influenza vaccine has been available for many years but not taken advantage of in children. Children under the age of 3 have a high risk of hospitalization if the influenza virus is contracted. Disadvantages and advantages of the vaccine are addressed in the article such as even if you receive the vaccine you can still get the flu virus but chances of it working are 70-80 percent. The authors in the article are part of the Summits of Independent European vaccination experts, and it is stated that no pharmaceutical company had any part in the interpretation of data in the article. 

Furthermore, the third article argues a different aspect of the controversial topic by researching the psychological effects of receiving the influenza vaccine or not. The article addresses 37 different studies done that reveal that the 2009 influenza outbreak and the social perception of getting vaccinated are reasons for either choosing to receive or not receive the vaccine. The article addresses both sides of the argument and explains the thought process people have been decided to receive the vaccine or not. The four authors of the article are all psychology experts or work for the center of disease control. Since the article was created through a research process of searching over 5000 articles, the article is not biased by one point of view. Since the article comes from the book "Vaccine" and the editor and chief of the book, "studies the immunogenetics of vaccine response in adults and children", this makes the article a creditable source. 

After further research, I have revised my research question to specifically address the influenza vaccine in children and adults because the argument of vaccinating children does not seem to have solid reasoning behind it. The topic of in influenza vaccine is relevant since it is an epidemic in our country. My research question is arguable because the effectiveness of the vaccine is not guaranteed and it is also not guaranteed that you will contract the virus every year. My opinions on the topic have changed based on the fact that there is so much research being done on the vaccine and how it helps to control the influenza epidemic in our country. Throughout my research, I will continue to built a educated opinion and take a stand on the topic. 

