The average human lifespan has varied within the past centuries. According to the NIH (National Institute on Aging) , the life expectancy increase that we see today is viewed as being an enormous achievement. Not many years ago, people were living on average up until the 50th year, where as now the average lifespan in some places has reached 83 years. They state that one of the reasons why we have seen this increase in average lifespan is due to the different death reasons and the shift in illnesses.
With time we have not only advanced as a society evolutionarily but we have also advanced scientifically. Over the years we have developed vaccinations and have imposed immunization for children entering the school system and even for some jobs. Overall it seems as though health is becoming a trending topic, this being something that should have happened years ago. Now a day, there has been an increase in the media to be more conscious of what you put into your body and how you care for it. Not only has there been an obvious peek in the media in the interest of eating healthy, exercising, and leading a certain type of lifestyle but there has also been a peek in life spans.
If crazes like healthy eating, exercising, and leading a certain lifestyle have only recently become a large part of our society then how has the lifespan range increased so much but it also seems as though families are still choosing not to vaccinate their children. Vaccination’s are, according to Medicinenet, when you are injected with a very small amount of a certain virus or disease in order to help your body fight it off and build immunity to it. The immunity we have developed as a society to diseases is possibly to blame; or at least partially, for the increase on average lifespan. On the aspect of scientific improvement, it is stated by the NY Times that drugs and antibiotics have been very helpful in survival when it comes to health and lifespan. Drugs and antibiotics have fought against disorders and illnesses that would have been deadly if it was not for our advancing scientific knowledge. Dr. Vijg from the NY Times article states that drugs and antibiotics repair damage momentarily but in life each moment counts. Seeing this information, a question that comes to mind is if parents and society know that vaccinations and drugs are helpful not only for their child but also for society and its survival as a whole then why is it allowed for some children to willingly opt out of getting them based on religion. We monitor and mandate so many things to be done in order to be able to go to school yet this is something that is respected out of religious values for certain people. Children who are not vaccinated should not be allowed to be in school with other children because they risk bringing in something that one child may react negatively to. Surely the pros outweigh the cons in all aspects. It makes a child stronger and more immune to disease and it makes our society evolutionarily stronger as well.
