Should Parents Vaccinate Their Children? Vaccinating children is a big issue in today’s society. Many parents are unsure of whether to vaccinate their children and if the vaccinations their children receive are safe and will protect them. Though there are pros and cons to vaccinating children, parents should vaccinate their children because often, vaccines do more good than harm and that they do help protect from dangerous diseases. Children have weaker immune systems than adults and vaccines help keep children safe. A vaccine is a substance that is used to control the production of antibodies in the body. Vaccines are created using parts of a microbe that have been weakened to the point where they no longer cause a disease to spread. Vaccines …show more content…
Pathogens first move past the skin and enter the immune system. The immune system consists of cells, tissues, and organs that work together to fight off pathogens. The immune system has different responses to these pathogens depending on how they enter the body. For example, if pathogens enter through the digestive tracts, stomach acid will try to destroy the pathogen before it harms the body. If pathogens enter through the respiratory system, the body will often respond with a cough or sneeze to try to force the pathogens out of the system. Epithelial cells covered in a layer of mucus will block the transport of pathogen into deeper cells if the invaders get past the initial defenses. The body takes time to learn how to fight off a specific microbe, and in the meantime, you may find yourself sick because your immune system has yet to figure out how to defend …show more content…
Vaccines can cause dangerous side effects to children if unaware of what the child is allergic to. All vaccines carry anaphylaxis, which is a deadly allergic reaction to one per million children. Common side effects are fevers or a rash near the injected area. Serious side effects include seizures, brain damage, and even death. Sometimes parents only have one vaccination done at a time, so that if there is a reaction, they know which vaccine caused the reaction. Vaccines also contain harmful ingredients, such as thimerosal, which is an organic mercury compound found in flu shots. Some scientists believe this causes autism. Aluminum in vaccines can cause neurological disorders. Formaldehyde is a carcinogen found in some vaccines that can cause cardiac impairment, central nervous system depression, comas, and even death. Some people believe that vaccinating children is unnatural and natural immunity is more effective for fighting off diseases. Often natural immunity is better than a vaccine, which injects pathogens to create an immunity to diseases. The last con to vaccinating children is that pharmaceutical companies should not be trusted to make and regulate safe vaccines. For example, a vaccination for Lyme disease was sold for 4 years before lawsuits were filed saying that it caused autoimmune