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Why You Should Vaccinate Your Children

Jameson G. Wilbur

Glen Allen High School

May 2015

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Introduction:

The shot heard round the world—vaccinations. Since Edward Jenner first created a

vaccine for polio more than two centuries ago, modern medicine has made continued

advancement into the prevention of disease. Today, with a single shot, life-threatening diseases

like measles, polio, and the flu, just to name a few, are preventable. Yet, there are those who

refuse to vaccinate. Some refuse out of misinformation, some because of indignant beliefs.

Regardless, ensuring a generation of health is dependent on the spread of education and

opportunity to vaccinate. All bias aside the question is clear: Why should you vaccinate your

kids?

How Vaccines Work:

There is a wealth of information available on the method through which vaccinations

create immunity. However, for the purposes of this discussion a detailed explanation is not

pertinent, and information readily available from the CDC provide an adequate explanation. In

short, “vaccines help develop immunity by imitating an infection” (Centers for Disease Control

and Prevention [CDC], 2013). Within the white blood cells there are several elements including

B-lymphocytes, T-lymphocytes, and macrophages. When the body encounters an unknown germ

T-lymphocytes go into action and fight against the infection and warn the body of the disease. As

a result, macrophages engulf the germs and use enzymes to digest them, leaving behind antigens

which are then attacked by antibodies produced by B-lymphocytes. The person is then at a much

lesser risk for a further encounter with the disease. As the CDC writes:

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The body keeps a few T-lymphocytes, called memory cells that go into action

quickly if the body encounters the same germ again. When the familiar antigens

are detected, B-lymphocytes produce antibodies to attack them.

Vaccinations work in a similar manner by mimicking an infection. However, the vaccine is

modified so that while it causes your body to produce T-lymphocytes and antibodies, it does not

cause illness (CDC, 2013).

History:

Vaccinations or the concept of engineering artificial immunity has been around for longer

than many people might think. Inoculation has been around since as early as 200 BC

(Smithsonian, 2015). Early humans in India and China began to notice that certain common

infections rarely reinfected a person after recovery. Healers began to try and prevent diseases by

purposefully scratching or injecting people with infected matter. However, these practices were

not without risk. While the ancient methods of inoculation were effective for the most part, with

smallpox especially there was still a significant risk of contracting the full blown disease

(Bungiro, 2015).

However, in the late 1700s a physician named Edward Jenner began to develop a keen

interest in the process of inoculation. One observation of Jenner’s was that milk maids, who

frequently contracted cowpox, contracted smallpox far less frequently. He thus theorized that

using cowpox as opposed to smallpox during the inoculation process would grant the same

immunity, while conferring significantly less risk. He tested his theory by inoculating a young

boy using a needle containing infected material from a milk maid who had contracted cowpox.

Jenner then subjected the boy to the variola virus, which causes smallpox, and to his surprise, the

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child did not contract the disease. Unconvinced he subjected the boy to the variola virus again,

and once again he did not contract the virus (Riedel, 2005).

Jenner’s breakthrough revolutionized the science of medicine, and interest in inoculation

and conferred immunity. The term vaccines was actually derived from the work of Edward

Jenner. Vaccine comes from the Latin word vaccinus roughly meaning “of the cow” as Jenner’s

original smallpox vaccine arose from his work with the cowpox vaccine. If he had instead been

working with sheep, vaccines today may well have been known as ovines. (Bungiro, 2015).

Jenner’s work was revolutionized by a scientist named Louis Pasteur began to investigate the

method by which the human body acquires immunity and contracts disease. Pasteur did work on

chickens, and then humans, and found that injecting a subject with dead virus matter was just as

effective against virulent agents as the live virus. According to Agnes Ullmann:

It is often said that English surgeon Edward Jenner discovered vaccination and

that Pasteur invented vaccines. Indeed, almost 90 years after Jenner initiated

immunization against smallpox, Pasteur developed another vaccine—the first

vaccine against rabies (Ullmann, 2014).

While the methods of inoculation have been around for centuries, Jenner is often known as the

father of vaccines. As Francis Galton put it, “in science credit goes to the man who convinces the

world, not the man whom the idea first occurs.”

The science of acquired immunity has made leaps and bounds since the time of Jenner

and Pasteur. Today we have vaccines for a variety of different ailments. The advancement of

availability has even led to the complex eradication of certain illnesses. In the United States,

smallpox and polio have been completely eradicated. However, in recent years many parents

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have opted against vaccination. For the most part the science behind vaccination given the risks

at hand is sound. Yet, parents still continue to not vaccinate their children.

Andrew Wakefield and MMR

Where there is smoke, there is usually a fire. The same can be said of the anti-vaccination

movement. This fire was provided by a bright young physician from the UK by the name of

Andrew Wakefield, a name that will forever live in infamy.

In 1998, Wakefield published a report in The Lancet regarding a serious of tests that he

and his team had conducted on a group of twelve children with gastrointestinal and

developmental issues. As a side note, he could not have published his report in a more

appropriately named medical journal, as a lancet is a surgical needle now associated with finger

pricks, which was used as an early tool for inoculation of patients. Wakefield and his team

examined the children following, “history of normal development followed by loss of acquired

skills, including language, together with diarrhea and abdominal pain” (Bellanti, 1998). The

patients’ medical records were examined, in addition to an array of tests including but not limited

to, “leocolonoscopy and biopsy sampling, magnetic-resonance imaging (MRI),

electroencephalography (EEG), and lumbar puncture.”

In eight of the twelve children, the intestinal abnormalities were linked to the Measles,

Mumps, and Rubella vaccination (MMR). Nine of the twelve children were diagnosed with

autism, and one with disintegrative psychosis (Bellanti, 1998). On the surface it would seem

difficult to link vaccination history to all of these ailments, however Wakefield justified his

findings as follows:

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One child (child four) had received monovalent measles vaccine at 15 months,

after which his development slowed (confirmed by professional assessors). No

association was made with the vaccine at this time. He received a dose of measles,

mumps, and rubella vaccine at age 4·5 years, the day after which his mother

described a striking deterioration in his behaviour that she did link with the

immunisation. Child nine received measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine at 16

months. At 18 months he developed recurrent antibiotic resistant otitis media and

the first behavioural symptoms, including disinterest in his sibling and lack of

play (Bellanti, 1998).

Rather intuitively these findings were rather alarming to parents.

However, the immediate risks that vaccinations purportedly posed to their children

compromised the foresight into the potential risks of their decision. Parents of this generation

were raised in an era where scientific advancement and knowledge were generally accepted.

These parents were vaccinated at a very young age, and as a result of vaccination commonality

this group did not experience firsthand the harm of not vaccinating one’s child. They did not

witness the crippling effects of polio, or the chilling breath of pertussis (Bungiro, 2015). As a

result they had no empirical foundations on which to base their decision on whether or not to

vaccinate their children other than this report published by Wakefield. Even though the article

was later retracted after claims of falsification of data were brought to light, the hysteria remains.

The Wakefield Effect is still alive and well in America.

Discrediting Wakefield and Other “Anti-Vaxxers”

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Rather intuitively, the report published by Dr. Wakefield’s jumpstarted what has come to

be known as the “Great Vaccination Scare.” Many parents began to opt out of what had been

routine vaccinations. Dr. David Tyring writes that the scare is especially alarming as, “the

purported link between vaccines and autism that initially caused parents to abandon vaccines

[has] been discredited” (Jesitus, 2015). In fact, it was found out that Dr. Wakefield was paid by

lawyers to advance his fraudulent claims so that they could sue vaccine manufacturers. As a

result he lost his medical license (Jesitus, 2015).

Furthermore the chance factor alone should be enough to discredit Wakefield’s research.

For example, as a man ages grows taller and goes through puberty he is likely to develop facial

hair, as well as hitting many growth spurts. These effects are just results of physiological

changes going on in the body. However, saying that significant growth in height causes beard

growth would be incorrect. Just as the two are associated chronologically does not mean one

causes the other. In The Oxford University Press, Drs. Jeffrey Gerber and Paul Offit address this

chance and association factor:

Because ~50,000 British children per month received the MMR vaccines between

ages 1 and 2 years—at a time when autism typically presents—coincidental

associations were inevitable. Indeed, given the prevalence of autism in England in

1998 of 1 in 200 children, ~25 per month would receive a diagnosis of the

disorder soon after receiving the MMR vaccine by chance alone (Gerber, 2009).

Obviously if vaccination and autism diagnoses occur at the same time frame, one could

draw an association between the two, however correlation does not equate to causation.

The timing of the two predisposes them to occur together.

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Gerber and Offit go on to criticize Wakefield for his complete disregard for the scientific

method. His experiment lacked a control, was incredibly too small-scale for the conclusions he

drew from his research, and lacked blinding and discretion when evaluating patient condition. In

fact, a study performed by a team led by Dr. M. Hornig found that, “the measles vaccine virus

genome was not detected more commonly in children with or without autism” (Gerber, 2009). In

short, the current medical consensus seems to be very clear that there is no substantive link

between vaccines and developmental disorders.

How to Deal with Anti-Vaxxers

For many people, healthcare professionals especially, the fact that the Wakefield Effect

remains prevalent even after its foundations have been discredited is maddening. Many of these

people attack those who do not vaccinate their children. More often than not, those who choose

not to vaccinate their children are met with belligerence. Their intelligence is insulted, science

and research is thrown in their face, and society addresses them with a certain degree of hostility

and rage.

However, while it is important that society works towards changing the perspective of

these anti-vaxxers, it is important to consider what belligerent argument actually accomplishes.

While a person may elicit scientific support and justification for their arguments, the problem

with anti-vaxxers runs deeper than misinformation, it is a result of the natural tendencies

synonymous with human nature.

When a person is engrossed in an argument tempers flare, nostrils tense, muscles

contract, the heart races; arguments elicit a very strong biological response. Historically and

biologically, this makes sense. In the days of the cavemen arguments often lead to violence, and

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life threatening situations and thus it would make sense to prime the body for action. While this

same threat is largely irrelevant today, biological mechanisms, unfortunately, take longer than

the age of civilized man to change. As a result today we suffer the consequences of an antiquated

design, as, “when faced with stress—an acute threat—our bodies enter fight-or-flight mode”

(Wolfson, 2013).

This fight or flight response is vitally important to understanding the mechanism of

argument. The common way of dealing with anti-vaxxers, assaulting them with so-called science

and reason does nothing more than place the person in a stressful situation, which in turn triggers

their fight or flight response. When a person is engaged in this response their biological

responses and drives are all focused on survival; they will either fight back, defending their

beliefs until out of breath, or avoid the conversation and flee all together. This does not make a

person ignorant, or irresponsible. This sentiment is a conglomerate of misinformation and

superfluous biological responses. There is nothing wrong with anti-vaxxers, they are simply

human.

However, too much is at stake to offer unconditional forgiveness to this group of people.

Just as the cavemen discovered fire, there exists a way to illuminate the anti-vaxxers’ misbeliefs.

“True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life,

ourselves, and the world around us.” Yes, Socrates himself is the solution to the vaccination

crisis. Socratic questioning, or questioning the foundation of one’s beliefs continually until they

unravel is the true solution. As these anti-vaxxers beliefs dissolve, they can be exposed to the

true wisdom of science. While Socrates meant for his method to encourage his pupils to always

be inquisitive of the world around him, everything must change and adapt to remain useful.

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Just how these principles can be applied to the anti-vaccination movement is vital to the

growth of a healthy society. The principles of this method are as follows:

Respond to all answers with a further question (that calls upon the respondent to

develop his/her thinking in a fuller and deeper way). Seek to understand, where

possible, the ultimate foundations for what is said or believed. Treat all assertions

as a connecting point to further thoughts. Treat all thoughts as in need of

development. Recognize that a thought can only exist fully in a network of

connected thoughts. Stimulate students, by your questions, to pursue those

connections. Recognize that all questions presuppose prior questions and all

thinking presupposes prior thinking. When raising questions, be open to the

questions they presuppose (Union University, 2015).

It would appear from those principles that the key to changing the minds of anti-vaxxers is not a

matter of seeking to disprove their beliefs by aggressively addressing them with science. Rather

it would seem the key it to inquire of them to explain their beliefs, and ask them to draw deeper

and deeper conclusions until they reach the point that they reach the realization that their beliefs

are unfounded. As the anti-vaccination movement grows, it will become more and more

important that society meets these misguided missionaries with calm questioning, and not

belligerence. Once these beliefs are exposed it is important to provide the anti-vaxxers with a

wealth of information for them to found sound beliefs.

Why You Should Vaccinate:

Chief Medical Correspondent for CNN Sanjay Gupta and one time candidate for Surgeon

General of the United States considers vaccines as vital to global progress. He writes that

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vaccines, “have prevented 6 million deaths every year worldwide and have fundamentally

changed modern medicine” (Gupta, 2015). The case for vaccinations is vast and expansive, yet

for many anti-vaxxers the science is not enough. Gupta goes on to write the following:

The benefit of vaccines is not a matter of opinion. It is a matter of fact.

Studies, including a meta-analysis of 1.2 million children this past December,

show no link between vaccines and autism. That is not a matter of opinion. It is a

matter of fact. That you are 100 times more likely to be struck by lightning than to

have a serious allergic reaction to the vaccine that protects you against measles is

not a matter of opinion. That is also a matter of fact. (Gupta, 2015)

Gupta is not alone. The CDC backed by a wealth of research warns parents that not vaccinating

their child is a great responsibility that a parent must bear. Vaccinations are not only safe and

effective, they save the lives of not only one’s own child but other children around them. Even

with the growth in vaccinations efficacy, there still are vaccine preventable diseases in the

United States. The CDC writes that, “some babies are too young to be completely vaccinated and

some people may not be able to receive certain vaccinations due to severe allergies, weakened

immune systems from conditions like leukemia, or other reasons” (CDC, 2015). In addition to

the health benefits, vaccinations also save families time and money by preventing the hefty

medical expenses that often accompany the treatment of these diseases. But, most importantly

vaccinations could create a better future by eradicating diseases that have plagued mankind for

generations (CDC, 2015).

Conclusion:

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It would appear that with the wealth of information regarding the safety and efficacy of

vaccination, any first-world educated country would never face such a scare threatening public

safety and the future of medicine. Yet, the anti-vaccine movement prevails. Today it has almost

morphed itself with parents touting the danger of injecting poison into ones children, and that

vaccines are a lie to produce a profit for vaccine manufacturers. Anyone with a basic

understanding should be able to deduce that attacking anti-vaxxers with the facts will simply not

work. When humans are questioned on their beliefs rather than allowing them to engage in

educated conversation, their fight or flight reflexes dig them into their beliefs. What then is the

missing link? Education—the savior of vaccinations. As a society, the United States needs to

begin educating people on the costs and benefits of vaccination in an unbiased, non-

argumentative way, so that healthcare can continue to progress.

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References:

(2013.) Should you get vaccinated? Piled Higher and Deeper Comics. Retrieved from

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_6QW9sNPEY

(2013) Understanding how vaccines work. Center for Disease Control. Retrieved from

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/patient-ed/conversations/downloads/vacsafe-

understand-color-office.pdf

(2015). If you choose not to vaccinate your child, understand the risks and responsibilities..

Center for Disease Control. Retrieved from

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/patient-ed/conversations/downloads/not-vacc-risks-

color-office.pdf

(2015) The Harm of Skipping Vaccinations or Delaying. New York State Department of Health.

Retrieved from

https://www.health.ny.gov/prevention/immunization/vaccine_safety/harm.htm

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your-child.html

(2015). The spirit and principles of socratic questioning. Center for Faculty Development. Union

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(2015). What ever happened to polio? History of Vaccines. Smithsonian National Museum of

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Bellanti, J., Colón, A., Sabra, A. & Wakefield, A. (1998.). Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia,

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