In a society that is always on the go, never seeking time to stop, personal health is a vital factor to most. There’s no time to pencil in a sick day. Vaccinations are imperative to our society in preventing the spread of deadly diseases, but to what extent does public welfare trump personal rights? Since the mid 1900’s, the US has been able to completely eradicate the effects of small pox, which was a major threat in the 1800’s. Widespread immunization efforts of highly effective vaccinations were administered, effectively suppressing its existence. Since 2006, the number of pediatricians who have experienced parents refusing vaccinations has seen a major increase. The anti-vaccination movement has recently swept the U.S. and threatens outbreak of life threatening illnesses. The root of this movement could be traced back to common misconceptions about the safety of vaccinations, as well as a host of other false beliefs. Vaccinations are a vital resource to our society that should be taken advantage of by each eligible individual. Advancements in society come from bettering our resources in a more effective way than before. To achieve this, we must refrain from moving backwards. Balancing the expression of person rights while preserving public safety introduces ethics to the conversation. Despite personal preference, all eligible individuals should receive vaccinations against major diseases for the better of society. 

Anti-vaccination movements began in 1852, when the British government introduced a compulsory vaccination to its’ citizens as the result of a smallpox epidemic. Those who would refute were subjected to fines and jail time. Ultimately, this lead to the anti-vaccination league, which was a small group of activists who eventually created an epidemic. These activists claimed that vaccinations were unnatural or unsafe, against God’s will, and that doctors could not be trusted for administering such a vile solution. These activists’ claims stand on grounds of false claims and rejected data as a result of fear towards their government. 

The most recent anti-vaccination movement in the United States is said to have sparked in 1982. A TV program began airing that linked DTP to neurological disorders. DTP refers to a combination vaccine that fights against three infectious diseases in humans: diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus. Diphtheria and pertussis are two deadly diseases that spread from person to person, while tetanus enters the body through open cuts and wounds. Data supporting this claim was publicized despite poor research. The media immediately took to the news, striking fear into many Americans, leaving them questioning their personal safety. The supportive data that was manipulated and released resulted in a major decline in childhood vaccinations, leading to the emergence of a fatal whooping cough outbreak. Nearly a decade later, scientists had finally worked to prove that the information was false, releasing new findings disproving the link of DTP to autism or seizures. In 1996, the US switched from the use of the DTP vaccine, to the DTaP vaccine. These vaccines fight the same three deadly diseases, but DTaP contains far less amounts of chemical additives, and has proven to be safer than the one used previously. 

Despite incredible amounts of scientifically proven data that vaccinations are a safe and effective resource in fighting against a number of deadly diseases, a percentage of the population repudiate the idea that vaccinations are a positive advancement in fighting disease. This creates a major issue concerning the general public since not all citizens are vaccine eligible. Herd immunity is an indirect form of protection from infectious disease that occurs when a high enough proportion of individuals are immune, which is why it’s important that vaccinations are administered widespread throughout the community. In spite of immunizations being viewed as a personal decision, it is a choice that has effects beyond the self, in turn effecting the public as a whole. The resulting debate is one of individual rights versus public safety. Scientists and researchers reference medical ethics in deciding a solution for these outbursts of anti-vaccination movements. Medical ethics are a system of moral principles that apply values in scientific research, and major factor in the anti-vaccination debate. It is widely argued whether not it is ethically ‘okay’ to mandate vaccinations. Is it an infringement of personal rights, and at what point does the health and safety of the public become more important than an individual’s rights? These are the questions scientists must ask themselves when arguing such a delicate point. The Harm Principle argues that one ought to prevent harm from occurring to others. Paternalism refers to the idea that sometimes action needs to be taken by the authorities to protect the health and welfare of people, even if it is against their will. In most states, children are required to obtain certain immunizations before attending school. This mandated act assures control of disease outbreaks within the school system since schools are a breeding ground for germs and bacteria, which is exactly why illness spreads so rapidly through school age kids. Action for disease prevention in this situation is necessary in protecting the public, and is currently one of the few situations in which certain vaccinations are mandated in the United States. Some groups have protested this requirement, claiming it a violation of personal rights, as well as an interruption to the child’s access to education. Referring to the harm principle and paternalism, medical ethics concur that these vaccine mandates are ethically correct in protecting the health of the public as a whole, seeing that immunizations effectively control disease outbreaks within school systems.

A common misconception is that vaccines are unsafe and ineffective. In the world of medicine, nothing has 100% effectiveness, but before being marketed, vaccines must endure a series of clinical trials and certification by the FDA (food and drug administration) proving that they work and are safe. A host of other organizations including the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (the CDC) are active in assisting. During this process, a control group and an experimental group are tested. One receiving a placebo (either an ineffective vaccine or a different type of vaccine) and the other receiving the real vaccine. The comparison must show that the original vaccine is effective for its intended purpose before ever being released. Clinical trials are conducted as well as laboratory studies and animal studies to evaluate the vaccines safety and effectiveness. Amongst the federal government, state, and local health departments, there is a shared responsibility of maintaining vaccine safety. Multiple systems have been established in order to monitor safety after licensing for public use; they take reports from the public and immediately act on any issues that may arise. Vaccines essentially teach your immune system by mimicking an infection. Extremely weakened strains of the virus are injected, causing your body to evoke immediate response. Human cells do not recognize that the virus is weakened, so white blood cells called ‘macrophages’ literally engulf the pathogens. Your body then produces antigens specific to the virus, eliminating it at a fast rate. After the infection is cleared, your body’s cells memorize the infection for future protection against the same disease.

Another common argument anti-vaxxers present is that vaccines contain chemicals. Generally, it’s argued that these chemicals are deadly toxins injected into your body. Though chemicals can be found in minute doses of certain vaccinations, they are routinely monitored and researched by various accredited organizations to keep the public safe. Chemicals in vaccinations are only found in trace amounts, while some are removed after production, never to be injected into the body. Chemicals found in vaccines include aluminum gels, or salts of aluminum, which promotes an early, more potent immune response to the vaccine. Antibiotics are found in trace amounts of some vaccines as well, to prevent the growth of bacteria during production and storage, but no vaccine produced in the United States contain penicillin. Formaldehyde is used to inactivate bacteria in a certain type of vaccine, but is removed from the vaccine before packaging. Preservatives and stabilizers are commonly added to help remain unchanged, and enhancers can be added to increase effectiveness. Each chemical or additive is added for a specific reason in order to make the vaccine be in the most effective form. Though some chemicals could be lethal if taken in high doses, the exposure does not compare to the lethal dose.

Immunity to a disease is attained through the existence of antibodies to that precise disease in a person’s system. Antibodies specialize in destroying disease carrying organisms, but immunity can be developed in two different ways. Active immunity is the result of exposure to an organism which in turn triggers the immune system to create antibodies specific to that disease. Active immunity can be the result of either natural immunity or vaccine induced immunity; natural immunity occurring by exposure to the disease resulting in infection of the disease (producing natural immunity after one infection), and vaccine-induced immunity occurring from the injection of weakened or dead form of the disease. Vaccine-induced immunity allows for the protection from the disease without actually contracting the disease, which is why being vaccinated against deadly diseases is so important. Giving the body a chance to build antibodies against the disease allows your immune system to fight the disease, preventing death in serious cases. 

The vaccine debate is no debate; protecting the health and safety of America is a number one priority to medical professionals, organizations, and the government.  There is a reason that the United States is the leading country in vaccination education. Maintaining the public as a priority, and having the best interest for all individuals. To eradicate the number of vaccine skeptics, proper education and complete abolition of the many vaccine myths is the first step. 
