The Controversies that Surround Vaccination - Essay Example

The Controversies That Surround Vaccination Smallpox eradication has been the most considerable and critical feat within the medical industry in the US. This deadly contagious disease is estimated to have claimed more lives than any other disease within the medical history of America; almost three hundred million individuals have fallen victim of this Dracula disease within the 20th century. According to Willrich, the disease is known to have killed around thirty percent of the entire population of infected people. “Historically, smallpox killed 25 to 30 percent of all those whom it infected” (Willrich, 4). Since 1972, there has been no urgent need to carry out vaccinations against the disease by the United States due to its considerable eradication. However, it is extremely disappointing as regards the way in which this disease had been dealt with in the United States. The US Supreme Court had given the Us Health Department a lot of power in a bid to eradicate it (Willrich, 3). Police and health officers went about raiding homes and carrying out forceful vaccination of individuals, who had not been vaccinated as well as evicting those who would be found already infected with the deadly virus. With all these under consideration, it could be appropriate to understand the horror that might come with the possibility of another smallpox outbreak. Having been the last born in a family of four, I have heard several scary stories concerning the nationwide forceful vaccination exercise that took place here in America. My eldest brother, aged 9 during the period of the exercise, turns out to be a living testimony of the scare that the entire exercise came with. He suffered from post traumatic stress disorder and since then, he has never recovered from it despite my mother’s relentless efforts to fight it. This in turn threw my mother into a hopeless state and since 2006; she began her journey of seeking for legal justice against the perpetrators of the law that accords individuals the freedom of choice. From one court room to another, mother has struggled to fight for justice but in almost every case, it is often ruled that the medical practitioners at that time had been accorded power by the Supreme Court to perform the exercise so as to ensure the well being of every individual (Willrich, 2). Although the decision by the Supreme Court had later been revoked, the case perpetrators would only be considered guilty if they would continue with the exercise after the revocation. Willrich tells us that, “it would be unconstitutional and go beyond the pale for the health officials to forcibly vaccinate anyone because that is not within their power” (Willrich, 2). However, the then medical officials were acting under the powers of the Supreme Court. My mother still cries foul and seeks for compensation that would aid in treating my brother; in my opinion, however, it had been the most phenomenal thing to have been done by the authorities since the disease had threatened to destroy the livelihood of all Americans. The only problem had been the fact that the force used had been extremely overwhelming to the victims involved (including my brother). A more civilized approach would have been appropriate e.g. taking the individual families through counseling concerning the significance of vaccines to everyone’s well being. Vaccination risks While this exercise has resulted to a virtual eradication of deadly host diseases e.g. whooping cough, measles, diphtheria and polio, it still remains a controversial issue to a few people. Individuals have often weighed the preventive vaccination risk against the risk of deadly host diseases. While still recovering from the vaccination scare, a biochemist known as Nicholas Chadwick rose against all scientists to note that certain vaccines (specifically MMR vaccines) could be responsible for autism in children. This finding caused a lot of tension as well as mistrust within the public towards the vaccines. He explained that these vaccines might have certain harmful proteins that would leak from the victims’ gut into their bloodstream and finally to the brain thus resulting to the disorder (Sharon, 4). This statement has since resulted to creations of several other findings, some of which are aimed at supporting it while others dispute it. My main focus will not be on the findings. I would like to focus on the common citizens at homes. Most parents have now hesitated in ensuring that their children have taken the vaccine thus resulting to a slight rise in the diseases. The MMR vaccines may have been used for a lengthy period of time. Whether it could be true that it is responsible for autism or not, fear for its side effects has been taken overboard. After all, not all the children who got the vaccines contracted autism. David Greene, in his interviews with psychologists, shows that in order to make individuals to consume water that has been recycled from sewages, it is better to recycle it and let it flow back to the streams so that they can be able to consume it thinking that it is in its natural form (Spiegel, August 16, 2011). In view of this, the scientist ought to stop disapproving an already proclaimed idea. Chadwick’s idea has already gained ground in the psychological minds of the public. Basing on Greene’s conclusions, it would, therefore, be appropriate for the scientists to try and find a way of playing with the public’s psychology in order to make them use the vaccines in the prevention of these deadly diseases. Nobody would like to witness a repeat of what happened back in history. To many, it was and still is a horrible nightmare that need not recur. To ensure that all this does not recur, there will be a need for support from all the responsible groups. These groups may involve the government, the scientists as well as the entire public. It is not appropriate to overlook all the claims made against these vaccines hence, while the scientists look for ways of psychologically changing the perspective of the public, it may be extremely significant for the governments within every state or nation to ensure that the grievances of the victims are considered. Scientists, on the other hand, ought to stop making use of healthy children to conduct their researches. Laurie Udeskie highlights the case of a woman whose child is said to have contracted the disorder after getting the vaccine during the scientific experiment. Though she was compensated, the innocent child contracted the disorder. “ in february 1994, when porter was four months old, he went through a wellness exam, which included a routine DPT, a combination vaccine against diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus. About 14hours later, his mother says, she found the infant unconscious, his head flopping to the side (Laurie, May 10, 2011). The innocent child will have to live with this disorder for the entire part of his life although the parents had been compensated. Works cited “Analysis Finds Evidence of Autism in Many Vaccine Injury Cases”. Web 16, May 2012. . Begley, Sharon. "Anatomy of a Scare." The Daily Beast. Newsweek/Daily Beast, 20 Feb. 2009. Web. 16 May 2012. . "How The 'Pox' Epidemic Changed Vaccination Rules | KQED Public Media for Northern CA." KQED Public Media. Web. 16 May 2012. . "Secrets of the MMR Scare." Secrets of the MMR Scare. Web. 16 May 2012. . Spiegel, Alix. "Why Cleaned Wastewater Stays Dirty In Our Minds." NPR. NPR, 16 Aug. 2011. Web. 16 May 2012. . Read More