The big question on many parents’ minds is whether to get their children vaccinated. I can remember having the same discussion many years ago when our children were at the age to be vaccinated. Having read some of the many articles telling of the possible complications and even death associated with the vaccines, of which there are many, I was forced to make a decision about my children’s health. They were born prior to the information age, which limited our sources of ideas and opinions. Sometimes one must make decisions based on whom one believes. When I say who, I am referring to the medical, the corporate, the media and the underground communities. I think it is important to realize that these four entities sometimes purposely blur the lines to further their cause and make our work as parents even more difficult.
The truly difficult reality of this dilemma is that all sides are somewhat correct. With this in mind, let’s take a look at a few situations that support my idea. I wonder what percentage of the population is allergic to peanuts. There are some individuals who, left untreated, will die from exposure to a savory legume. A friend of mine carries two injections of allergy medication with him at all times in case he is stung by a bee. If I place a cream on my lips with sulfa drug in it, two hours later I will have what many refer to as a panic attack. These are just a few examples of the allergic reactions that can occur in everyday-life. Now consider these vaccinations which carry many different substances that may cause some kind of negative reaction to the recipient. Yes, there will be some consequences to these shots! Will every single person who is vaccinated react in the exact same way? No! Will there be reactions that we cannot even predict or understand? Yes! If you would like to read the data on this, go to;
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00046738.htm
Sometimes the good of the many outweighs the good of the few. This is a powerful statement and I sometimes think it applies and sometimes it does not. Of course, there is the other version, Sometimes the good of the few outweighs the good of the many which is a little more difficult to defend. Should you get your child vaccinated? Yes, for the simple reason: you are not alone in this war against germs! If one lived in a shack in the middle of the tundra, vaccinations would be of little consequence, but to live in a crowded urban environment is another completely different issue. Another point one must deal with is the statistical data. Which is more statistically probable, that your child has a negative reaction to a vaccination or that he or she contracts polio or measles or any of a multitude of diseases we now vaccinate against? I think you will find that the chance of getting one of these afflictions will be a much higher probability than a reaction from the vaccine. But, the final decision is yours as the parent. If you choose to keep the child unvaccinated, your child will not be allowed to attend public school. It makes perfect sense to have your child inoculated when you put hundreds and sometimes thousands of hygiene-challenged youths together in a relatively small place.
Yes, the world is becoming a more and more complex system forcing us to deal with increasingly difficult ideas and concepts, but there is a considerable amount of good out there. We have fewer deaths from these old-world diseases than ever before and some of them are close to being 100% eliminated. So suck it up parents, and make the difficult decision with the awareness that there may be consequences for extremely small number of children. Chances are better that you are struck by lightning than to have a negative effect from a shot. And look at this from the other side of the table: What if your child is infected and gets polio from a child whose parents refused to vaccinate? Then it takes on a whole different appearance!
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