Vaccination refers to the process of administering an antigenic substance to trigger a person’s immune system to establish an adaptive immunity to the respective disease-causing organisms (Roberts and Harford 623). Vaccines prevent against infectious diseases. Every child must be vaccinated to increase their immunity against infectious diseases. There are four types of vaccines. First, toxoid vaccines have toxins made by the virus, and they establish immunity to the harmful effects likely to arise from infection other than to the infection itself. Secondly, like-virus vaccines utilize the attenuated form of the virus. Thirdly, inactivated vaccines are manufactured from protein or other segments from a virus (Roberts and Harford 625). Lastly, biosynthetic vaccines have manmade materials that are identical to sections of the bacteria or virus. These variations in vaccines have different effects on the body. Vaccinating your child is a requirement. Nonetheless, some parents believe that certain vaccines are toxic and may cause their child to develop Autism.
A medical investigative team report led by A. Wakefield indicated that measles mumps rubella (MMR) vaccine could be one cause of autism spectrum disorder (Rabinowitz et al. 1). This report led to a decline in the uptake of MMR vaccine in most countries due to increased anxiety in parents. Additionally, the association between mercury toxicity and developmental disorders as a result of thimerosal (preservative used in some vaccines) has intensified and cemented the worry among parents. Ideally, parents identify initial behavioral symptoms of autism at 12-15 months when MMR vaccine is administered for the first time (Rabinowitz et al. 1). Further, one in every three children suffers from autism disorder and signs of regression in social skills and language are evident. According to investigation by neurologists, there exists no organic etiology. The short-term association of autism with immunization indicates that there is a great connection between vaccination and the disorder.
For subsequent siblings, the recurrence risk of autism exceeds 5% to 8% (Roberts and Harford 628). Therefore, as parents continue to worry about the connection between vaccination and autism, there also exists a greater risk in case children do not receive timely vaccination. Currently, 15% of the total number of children are under-immunized owing to the skeptical attitudes of their parents in regards to the utility and safety of vaccinations (Roberts and Harford 629). Surprisingly, parents who embrace the issue of vaccination are more probable to take childhood vulnerability and to expect feeling regret in case their children in turn become infected with the diseases for which vaccination is offered. Other factors that play a major role in determining whether vaccination should be administered are socio-economic status, education, magnitude of the household, and race. The increased skepticism has raised an alarm on all public-health officials who have in turn worked extremely hard to overpower all the allegations and reduce anxiety among parents (Roberts and Harford 629).
In 2017, the Pew Research Center published a survey indicating that 82% of Americans had accepted administration of combined vaccines for mumps, rubella, and measles for every student in public schools (Rabinowitz et al. 1). For instance, the rates of vaccination in wealthy areas like Orange County are slightly lower than average. Additionally, about 40% parents of most children whose age is less than four years maintain that the possibility of side effects arising from standard vaccinations are high or medium. Unfortunately, President Donald Trump has supported the anti-vaccination idea, which ultimately justifies the reasons for resistance by most citizens. Consequently, many children have fallen sick and died due to the great negligence and lack of alternatives to solve the vaccination crisis (Smith).