Vaccinations have been blamed for everything from mercury poisoning to autism. Even with study after scientifically peer-reviewed study showing that these fears are unfounded, a growing number of people are still reluctant to receive a vaccine or allow their children to receive one. However, as any doctor will tell you, routine vaccination is absolutely crucial for long-term health and even survival.
Why Vaccines are So Important
Vaccines provide critical protection and immunity that our immune systems can’t safely develop on their own. As with any medical treatment, they come with a minuscule risk, but the benefits far outweigh the potential cost. Let’s take a look at why vaccines are so important for yourself and your children:
- Protect yourself and your loved ones
- Boost herd immunity
- Protect future generations
- Confidence in safety
1) Protect Yourself and Your Loved Ones
The protection a vaccine offers doesn’t just apply to you. If your loved ones are exposed to a disease they have been vaccinated against, they will display barely any symptoms or, more commonly, none at all. Their immunity will protect them. This is especially critical in cases like the measles, which carries an alarmingly high mortality rate, particularly among unvaccinated children. The brief discomfort associated with vaccination is more than worth a lifetime of protection against dangerous diseases.
2) Boost Herd Immunity
One common argument against vaccines is that you or your loved ones are perfectly healthy and/or have your own methods of protection against disease. While this is already questionable at best, particularly for deadly sicknesses, assume for a moment that it’s true. Not everyone in the world is as healthy or naturally immune to diseases as you might be. In fact, people such as the immunocompromised, pregnant women, and some cancer patients can’t receive immunization shots or take other drastic measures to protect themselves. These people depend on a principle known as herd immunity. Simply defined, herd immunity states that if enough people are vaccinated against a particular sickness, the disease can’t spread as quickly or at all and the more vulnerable people are thus safe. The growing number of people who refuse to vaccinate are decreasing the protection offered by herd immunity and, consequently, may actually be contributing to the spread of fully preventable diseases.
3) Protect Future Generations
Vaccines have been shown to contribute to massive drops in communicable diseases, most notably a particular strain of the flu virus. Some sicknesses are even on the verge of extinction due to increased immunization. Vaccinating yourself and your children will contribute to this effort and continue helping to control the spread of dangerous sicknesses, thus protecting the next generation from potentially deadly disease. Choosing whether or not to vaccinate affects more than just yourself and your immediate family–you could literally be partially deciding whether a disease continues to spread or not.
4) Confidence in Safety
Vaccines are arguably one of the most remarkable medical procedures ever invented. Scientists are constantly working to improve the formulas and make them even safer, further reducing the chance of a severe allergic reaction and causing the already drastically low numbers of reported vaccine injuries to drop even further. When it comes to staying healthy and promoting health for others, both present and future, vaccines are an incredibly safe and effective choice.
Pro Tip: As with any kind of medical procedure, vaccines carry a tiny amount of risk. However, history has shown that this risk pales in comparison to the risk of dying from one of the hundreds of diseases vaccines protect you against. If you’re worried about safety, you’re much better off being vaccinated.
The Benefits of Vaccines
As an unfortunately increasing number of Americans refuse vaccination, preventable diseases are on the rise again. The best way to combat this problem is through simply receiving your routine recommended vaccinations and allowing your children to do the same. Protect yourself and save your child’s life through this revolutionary procedure.
Connect with us to learn more about why vaccination can save many lives other than your own.
