Introduction (Taliyah):
To Vax or Not to Vax? That is the question. According to the Oxford Dictionary, a vaccination is defined as “a substance used to stimulate the production of antibodies and provide immunity against one or several diseases.” Since the beginning of civilization, people have found methods of protecting themselves from various deadly diseases, and since the invention of the vaccine, the ethics of vaccination have been debated. Though vaccines bring injections to mind, numerous ancient methods introduced diseases to the body in small doses to prevent illness. One notable method in 15th-century China was grinding smallpox scabs and inhaling them in order to protect oneself7. In modern times however, with the increased use and popularity of vaccines, many controversies have arisen. The term “anti-vaxxer” represents those who are against vaccinations today.
History of Vaccination (Ellen) :
Ancient civilizations in Asia may have started inoculating against diseases like smallpox as early as the year 200 BC.7 One common early method of inoculation against smallpox involved grinding up and inhaling smallpox scabs7. The first successful vaccine injection was also a smallpox injection, developed by Edward Jenner in 17966. A method called variolation, which involved scraping infected materials across the skin, was also used against smallpox8. From then on, vaccine development exploded throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The development of viral tissue culture methods led to the famous Salk and Sabin Polio vaccines. The Salk Polio vaccine was a high point for the role of vaccination in public life, as thousands were saved from the disease. According to contemporary research, nearly 200 million illnesses, and approximately 450,000 deaths have been prevented in the US alone between 1963 and 20155.
Despite this, anti-vaccine movements have existed as long as vaccination itself. Anti-vaccine movements thrived in England starting in 1837, when the government made smallpox inoculation mandatory3. The Anti Vaccination Society of America was founded in 18793, and the following years featured controversies and safety concerns about a variety of vaccines in a variety of stages of development. Even as vaccines continue to get safer and more precise, however, the modern anti-vaccine movement has re-emerged with a vengeance. Most notably, modern anti-vaccine advocates are concerned about vaccines causing autism-spectrum disorders in children. This idea came from an article printed in the British Medical Journal in 1998, which was denounced the very next month by the journal as “an elaborate fraud”2. The doctor responsible for the study had committed massive ethical violations and printed information the journal later said was incorrect, and lost his license to practice medicine in the UK. Nonetheless, the idea remained planted in the mind of the public.
Public Risks and Herd Immunity (Aaliyah):
One of the most prominent issues that affects the general public is the crisis that is non-vaccinated individuals contracting a disease and spreading it to the vaccinated community. Once a non-vaccinated person contracts a disease it allows for it to be spread among the general population. The public risk that not being vaccinated brings is something that is unprecedented because of the nature of herd immunity. Herd immunity occurs when a majority of the population is vaccinated. It stops the extreme spread of a disease or illness by stopping the transmission between a large group evidentially protecting the individuals that are not vaccinated from acquiring the disease. The only flaw that herd immunity has is the fact that around 90% to 95% of the population has to be vaccinated to properly protect everyone. Another big issue is that not everybody has the capability of getting their vaccinations due to insufficient funds or health reasons. Many of the prominent medical journals support getting vaccinated and offer free vaccinations if individuals are not able to afford it.
Celebrity Influence (Leo):
Vaccinations and the debate on whether or not to get them has been around for awhile and a huge factor in shifting opinions has been celebrities. Starting back in 1777, George Washington gave an order to have his men get the variolation for smallpox which helped the colonies win the war9. At this time, Benjamin Franklin was also a promoter of variolation because he lost a child to smallpox, and did whatever he could to make sure families didn’t suffer10. Some other notable celebrities who promote the use of vaccines are Elvis Presley, who publicly received the Salk vaccination against polio to show his support of the vaccine, Seth McFarlane, who has been on twitter recently promoting immunization, and even Donald Trump, who has recently shown his support of immunization. However, with a long, growing list of supporters, there is another growing list of celebrities who are opposed to vaccinations. Some of these include Jim Carrey, who wrote in The Huffington Post that vaccines aren’t fully researched and could be potentially dangerous, Robert F. Kennedy, who is the chair of the Children’s Health Defense, and Jenny McCarthy, who for the last decade has voiced her concerns for vaccines and how they supposedly caused her son’s autism10. Celebrities, regardless of their stance, have a huge influence on the public, especially in the age of social media. Chris Altman, a pharmacist from Harrisburg, states “Celebrities have a strong influence just in general, it seems to me that they’re using those platforms to then push out their personal views on health care.”10
Why people don’t get vaccinated (Claire):
Ever since the first smallpox vaccine people have been against it. In the beginning parents were concerned about putting a needle in their children as it was a new thing to happen, now parents are still against vaccines, but not because it is a new concept. The four main reasons why people are against vaccines are for safety concerns, religious beliefs, philosophical reasons, or personal reasons11. In current society many parents believe that vaccines lead to many health issues, which they heard about from either the media or another parent. Andrew Wakefield lead to many parents not vaccinating their kids when he falsely linked vaccines to autism. Once his findings were published, it lead to dramatically higher rates of parents not vaccinating their children12.
Conclusion (Taliyah):
Taking into account the information provided by those interviewed and the sources used in this video, it’s easy to tell that vaccines are still highly controversial and the controversy is only growing. Public discussion of these issues is necessary to dispel misinformation and ensure the safety and comfort of the general public.
Works Cited:
1: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3136032/
3: https://www.historyofvaccines.org/content/articles/history-anti-vaccination-movements
4: https://measlesrubellainitiative.org/anti-vaccination-movement/
5: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170303163208.htm
6: https://www.immune.org.nz/vaccines/vaccine-development/brief-history-vaccination
7: https://www.historyofvaccines.org/timeline#EVT_1
8: https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/full/10.1377/hlthaff.24.3.611
9: https://www.historyofvaccines.org/content/blog/vaccine-celebrities
11: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15568260
12: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4869767/
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