TO VACCINATE or not to VACCINATE
Research Report
May 15, 2016
Introduction to Biology, Sci 120
Research Project Number 25011100
Prepared by: Tamiko Morris
Vaccinations are important for individuals especially the young, elderly, and also the healthy. It is important to be vaccinated especially if traveling. There are numerous vaccines out there. There are some positive reasons for getting vaccinated as well as negative ones. This paper will discuss both and let the reader decide which is the best option.
Now let’s discuss the background of vaccines. Humans have benefited from use of vaccines for over nearly two centuries. The first vaccine was created by Edward Jenner who developed a vaccine for small pox around 1790. He had a theory that “people who got cowpox could not get small pox.” Small pox is a highly infectious disease caused by the pox virus. Vaccines are at an all-time high. There are so many bacteria, viruses, bacteria, and parasites that can cause disease and illnesses.
There are numerous types of vaccines for diseases. Live attenuated vaccines actually have a living bacterium in them, but cannot cause harm. Inactivated vaccines are no longer living. Subunits vaccines only include part of microbe rather than the whole microbe to stimulate the immune system. A toxoid vaccine is treated with chemicals or heat and is no longer harmful.
Some people disagree with vaccines. They feel that they amoral, “they are taking away our rights to be free, and some are downright dangerous” (ProCon.org). Here are some examples of why they feel that way. Vaccines can cause serious and sometimes fatal side effects. Certain vaccinations side effects can cause seizures, anaphylaxis, coma, permanent brain damage, and bowel obstruction, to name a few(Procon.org). However, these instances are very rare. Also there are some vaccines that can cause autism (Autism Research group,2012). Researchers are currently investigating the link between vaccinations to autism...