Pros And Cons Of Immunization

Immunization is the process of preventing one from contracting a disease using vaccines or serums. Vaccines fall into the category of active immunization (Hinman). They are made from either the actual organism or a close relative of the organism that causes the disease that the vaccine is meant to prevent. The organism is made inactive by a variety of processes, including heating, treating with agents, or exposing to ultraviolet or gamma radiation (Spier 2016). This ensures that the body will be able to form the antibodies necessary to prevent the disease, without actually contracting it. Once a person receives a vaccine, the microorganism is engulfed by a macrophage- dendritic cell, whose job is to trap and break up foreign substances into smaller particles. The molecules are then released to the exposed, outer part of the cell. From there,

One of the biggest questions that has come up in the years of widespread vaccine usage and enforcement is: how much individual suffering justifies a social gain? (Spier 2018). Studies in recent years make it clear that the number of people protected from disease as a result of vaccination far outnumber those who have experienced any adverse reactions. For instance, in 1952, there were 57,879 cases of polio in the United States. In 1961, just six years after the vaccine was put into use, there were only 1,312 cases, and now the disease is completely eradicated (Kluger 41). Nevertheless, people argue that there have been severe reactions to the polio vaccine. Upon investigation, the reaction of paralysis after receiving the Sabin polio vaccine was found to occur in only one in every 2.7 million people (Hinman). Unfortunately, the unlikely prospect of having a medical reaction to a vaccine is enough to scare them out of receiving the vaccine— a vaccine that would be protecting them from even worse