Should Children Be Required To Be Vaccinated?

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Disagreements about vaccinations have become increasingly prevalent in today's society. Our healthcare system continues to discover more about the world of medicine daily, and as advancements are made, citizens continue to become more and more concerned about whether or not children should be required to be vaccinated. Vaccinations are a huge scientific discovery that should not be wasted. Children should be required to be vaccinated, because vaccinations are a safe way to prevent disease, easily reduce deaths caused by serious illness, and are vital to supporting good health.

Vaccines provide a secure way to greatly reduce an individual's chances of contracting an illness. Although some people are concerned about vaccines being dangerous,
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Many people argue that vaccinations are risky, but this is an irrational fear, especially when considering the risks associated with the disease the vaccine in question is meant to prevent. According to Robyn Correll, "The worst side effect that most people will experience after being vaccinated is a sore arm or fever." Measles, on the other hand, kills an estimated 100,000+ people every year worldwide, mostly young children" (Correll). When taking this into consideration, it is evident that vaccinations are not nearly as dangerous as the diseases they are associated with. We can remember how vaccinations have helped prevent epidemics throughout history. For example, during the polio epidemic, many people, especially children, died or were seriously handicapped as a result of the disease. After the vaccinations became available, the epidemic quickly died away. The polio vaccination saved the lives of many children, and we can say the same about the vaccinations available today. Even if vaccines are not always entirely effective in preventing disease, they certainly reduce the spread of disease drastically. Even if a vaccinated individual contracts a disease, the vaccinations still help to reduce the symptoms of an illness. My family takes the flu shot every year, but a few years ago, my sister got it, despite the vaccination. However, the illness was much less serious than it could have been, and she recovered quickly. Many people have lost loved ones to serious diseases, and when considering that possible death is the alternative, vaccination seems to be the obvious