Childhood Vaccinations Essay
"Prevention is better than cure." This common statement could not relate any better than it does with the controversy surrounding the morality, effectiveness, and safety of childhood immunizations. The major argument is whether or not laws should be established to declare vaccination mandatory for all children. "The US food and Drug administration (FDA) regulates all vaccines to ensure safety and effectiveness," (ProCon.org, 2012) therefor there should not be any reason to risk the health of any child. Vaccinating our children not only ensures their safety but also that of their future to come. The first major concern parents have when it comes to childhood vaccinations is that of the health and safety of their children. Some parents...show more content...
When children who have been vaccinated do contract a disease, despite being vaccinated against it, they usually have milder symptoms with less serious complications than an un–vaccinated child that gets the same disease. It is true that some children who receive vaccinations may still become ill when exposed to other disease–ridden children. Research shows that 70–90% of the entire population must be vaccinated to attain "herd immunity", "the resistance of a group to attack by a disease to which a large proportion of the members are immune." (Farlex, 2012) When herd immunity is accomplished the spread of the disease can be averted throughout. If all parents were to take proper responsibilities and keep their children's immunizations up–to–date, herd immunity would be achieved against all 16 of the major life threatening diseases. Parents need to realize that the risks of not being vaccinated greatly compensate the minimal risks associated with vaccination. Diseases such as measles and mumps are entirely preventable, and if are not prevented can cause permanent disability and death. A little over a decade ago a measles outbreak amongst unvaccinated children in Philadelphia resulted in seven deaths. It is also known that children who become infected with mumps become permanently deaf. What many parents do not realize is that an outbreak can be totally
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Children and the Internet
Many children nowadays use, or at least have access to the internet. But most people are blinded by all the benefits of the internet, and fail to notice any of the problems that can come from overuse. Since the internet is a new technology, not many studies have been done to determine how beneficial or detrimental it can be to children. Although the internet may have many benefits to children, it can also be very harmful to them.
One of the most obvious problems with children using the internet is the chance of getting addicted. Internet addiction is a serious thing, but hasn't drawn much attention due to the fact that it is a newer problem in society. Children that have grown up...show more content... Parents can't tell what information their children have been accessing, and there is no way to censor all vulgar material from their computer. Not only is it difficult to monitor what information children access on the internet, but whom they talk with as well. There are often stories in the news about people getting arrested for trying to meet with underage children whom they met on the internet. Even if a child has good intentions, they can always come across the wrong type of people, while parents are practically helpless.
Possibly one of the things that can be the most detrimental to a child's future is their loss of social interaction. Chatting over the internet can slowly begin to replace the important interaction with friends and family. Many children go straight to their room once the get home from school, and only come out to eat and use the restroom. Eventually the children grow apart from their friends because they would rather chat on the internet than go out on a Friday night. Even though going out on Friday nights may not be the best way for a child to spend their time, face to face interaction with other people is something essential for all children to be comfortable with. If a child loses these social skills because of the internet, it can be very harmful for their future. How will they expect to make a good impression during a Get
