A History of Vaccines

The Discovery of Vaccines

Vaccines are a very important part in keeping our children healthy by providing immunity to deadly vaccines. A doctor from England by the name of Edward Jenner discovered vaccines in 1796. He noticed that people who were immune to smallpox were previously infected by cowpox. After this observation was made, Jenner took a sample of a cowpox sore from a milkmaid and injected it into a boy. The result was that the boy was then immune to smallpox just as Jenner suspected. Vaccination then replaced the prior method of preventing smallpox, which was variolation. This was a method in which a person who did not have smallpox sniffed the contents of a smallpox sore. This method was used in many different countries and did have a lower death rate than someone who got smallpox naturally.

The Impact of Vaccination

        In 1980 the world was officially eradicated of smallpox. This saved many lives and prevented many diseases. Since the first vaccine was founded many others have been discovered for other diseases and have had great success rates. Though they are very beneficial to us, they are not a bullet proof shield. Some people are allergic to certain ingredients in them and some people suffer from side effects that range from minor to severe. Since the side effects are usually minor in most cases, vaccines pros outweigh the cons. Overall vaccines are in a positive light and are a requirement for children to enter school, unless a religious, medical, or philosophical reasons depending on the state.

        Vaccines are administered for many different diseases such as mumps, measles, and polio. These are given to children at a very young age. Having a large population of people vaccinated in a community can develop herd immunity. Herd immunity is when enough people are vaccinated to prevent a disease from spreading or having an outbreak. This is very beneficial for those who cannot get the vaccine due to medical reasons such as allergies because they will have a less likely hood of coming in contact with the disease. An HPV vaccine is offered and has been proven to be very successful, and low risk. It can prevent things such as cervical cancer in women.

Research Studies

        Many studies have tested vaccines and all of them have shown that they are an important part in keeping your children healthy. However, many studies have delved deeper to understand why some parents choose not to vaccinate in our modern day. Studies show that the HPV vaccine has an effectiveness of almost 100 percent, but parents still choose not to give their children the vaccine. Many parents fear potential unknowns that could result in the future since the vaccine is relatively new. Others fear that their child will get the more severe side effects that are potential and choose not to vaccinate their children with the HPV vaccine. An issue that lies in parent's decision making is the accessibility of false information that is easily accessible on the internet. Rumors and other claims that have little to no evidence influence peoples choices, combined with a lack of information provided by schools have decreased the vaccination rate in the United States.

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