Vaccinations Vaccines are among the best inventions of the 20th century. Vaccines have saved numerous lives and kept a good deal of people out of the hospital with sickness. It is estimated that around 750,000 lives have been saved in the last 20 years alone. Vaccines have even completely eliminated some diseases. For years vaccinations have prevented disease, keeping our nation healthy; parents that ignore vaccines are bringing back disease. Avoiding vaccination is detrimental to the individual and the society as a whole. “The more vaccinated sheep there are, the safer an unvaccinated one is” (Allen 136). Choosing to vaccinate a child will not only save them, but it can also save other lives. Over half a million cases of measles from 1958-1962, the vaccine was licensed in 1963, only 81 cases reported in the U.S. by 2000 (Allen 136). The positive effects of vaccinations …show more content…
Vaccines were the best selling new pharmaceutical item in 2000, generating more than $450 million that year (Fisher 130). The money generated from vaccination is tremendous for our government, but this is not the main purpose of vaccination; the main purpose of vaccination is to keep our citizens alive and disease free. People also believe that mandatory vaccinations are not helpful to society; they believe that people should always have a choice whether or not to do something. “There is nothing that causes a crisis of trust in government more than when the people live in fear of a law that forces them to risk their lives or the lives of their children without their consent” (Fisher 132). Although it is understanding to want total control over what goes into your body, something as helpful as vaccinations should not be optional. The arguments against vaccinations can be convincing, but knowing the facts and the benefits of them far outweighs any negative argument against