Orenstein, W. A., & Ahmed, R. (2017). Simply put: vaccination saves lives. PNAS, 1(3): 1-3.
In their article, Orenstein and Ahmed emphasize the introduction and advancement of vaccines as a critical modern medical history achievement. Since the introduction of immunization programs, the United States and many countries have reduced the rate of disabilities, diseases, and deaths caused by various infectious diseases. A single birth cohort prevents over 20 million cases of illness and over 40,000 deaths. Vaccines have either eliminated diseases or reduced their prevalence by between 90 and 99%.
Besides saving lives, vaccines have had a positive impact on the economy. The USA’s economy has increased by about $69 billion following effective vaccination programs. Since vaccines are not 100% effective, the scholars recommend repeated vaccination and high levels of coverage.
Rogers, A., & Pilgrim, D. (1995). Paper One: Immunisation and its discontents: An examination of dissent from the UK mass childhood immunisation programme. Health Care Analysis, 3(2), 99-107.
The heated debate between opponents and proponents of mass childhood immunization (MCI) has become one of the salient modern heath care policy features. In the UK, government policies meant to facilitate MCI have crashed with conflicting individual and community perspectives. On the one hand, opponents of vaccination insist that vaccines protect the individual and others in the community through the concept of the “herd community.” Proponents also acknowledge that there are no perfect vaccines and thus encourage thorough research.
The proponents’ perspectives notwithstanding, dissenters argue that that the adverse effects of vaccination outweigh the positive. Opposition to vaccines began in Europe in the 19th century and was based on religious ground. Believers hold that vaccination interferes with the will of God. Some dissenters question the efficacy of vaccines, while others refuse vaccination for “rational reasons.” There are two groups of people who are likely to dissent MCI: people from low socioeconomic classes and those from the well-educated middle socioeconomic class.
Wakefield, A. J., Murch, S. H., Anthony, A., Linnell, J., Casson, D. M., Malik, M., … & Valentine, A. (1998). RETRACTED: Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children, The Lancet, Vol 1, No, 2, 637-641.
Wakefield et al. (1998) are arguably one of the most famous or infamous articles in the modern medical literature. This article is based on a study conducted on 12 children between the ages of 3 and 10 years old. The subjects, who had a history of normal development, experienced a loss of acquired skills such as language and were complaining of abdominal pain and diarrhoea. After multiple analyses, the scholars concluded that vaccinations caused the children’s complications.
Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination led to behavioral complications in children. The MMR vaccination caused other complications such as delirium, fever, and rash. On average, children experienced behavioral problems within 6.3 days from the time of vaccination. Overall, the article emphasizes that the cons of vaccinations far outweigh the pros.
Critique/ Contrast
The article Simply Put: Vaccination Saves Life is highly essential for this paper to evaluate the cons and pros of vaccination. Given that the article was published in 2017, it is recent enough. Therefore, it gleans information from multiple recent articles, a fact that further enhances its accuracy. The source is relevant since it relies on the topic; it emphasizes the pros of vaccination. Orenstein and Ahmed are both authoritative scholars credited with enhancing information in medicine through multiple publications. The source is both accurate and highly informative. The source relies on sources by the government and other credited scholars. It asserts that investing $34 billion in vaccination programs prevents multiple sources, affirming over 40,000 deaths, and $586 billion in illness costs. In “Understanding the host-pathogen interaction saves lives Lessons from Vaccines and Vaccinations,” Garon & Oreinstein emphasize that vaccines are the most successful and cost-effective tools employed to date. The World Health Organization estimates that mass children immunization against measles, tuberculosis, pertussis, diphtheria, and polio saves the lives of between two and three million children every year (Baker, 2015). Undoubtedly, the pros of vaccination outweigh the cons.
Contrary to Orenstein and Ahmed’s optimistic perspective on vaccination, Rodgers et al. (1995) admit that immunization can have both positive and negative impacts. Rodgers et al.’s article, though not recent, is both accurate and informative. Its credibility is further enhanced by the authors’ ability to provide a balanced account of vaccination’s pros and cons. One of the article’s primary themes that the side effects of vaccination can be adverse is further supported by Yung (2016). According to Yung (2016), some vaccines have side effects that range from mild to profound. In both sources, scholars urge scientists to leverage new immunological methods and technologies to mitigate these consequences. The side effects notwithstanding, there is a consensus that vaccination’s positive impacts outweigh the negative.
While Orenstein and Ahmed’s (2017) and Rodgers et al. (1995) respectively present an optimistic and neutral view on immunization, Wakefield et al. (1998) state that the cons of vaccination greatly outweigh the positives. More specifically, the source regards vaccination as a trigger for autism. While the source is not current, it is highly essential for this research. Although reputable scholars did the article, they used a flawed methodology that led to erroneous findings. Contrary to Wakefield’s sentiments, recent research does not find any link between measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination and autism. MMR vaccine neither increases the risk nor triggers autism in children (Hviid et al., 2020).
References
Baker, L. (2015). Vaccination saves lives-dare we allow the anti-vaccine lobbyists to prevent it?. SAMJ: South African Medical Journal, 105(11), 881-882.
Garon, J. R., & Orenstein, W. A. (2015). Understanding the host-pathogen interaction saves lives: lessons from vaccines and vaccinations. Current opinion in immunology, 36, 8-13.
Orenstein, W. A., & Ahmed, R. (2017). Simply put: vaccination saves lives. PNAS, 1(3): 1-3.
Rogers, A., & Pilgrim, D. (1995). Paper One: Immunisation and its discontents: An examination of dissent from the UK mass childhood immunisation program. Health Care Analysis, 3(2), 99-107.
Wakefield, A. J., Murch, S. H., Anthony, A., Linnell, J., Casson, D. M., Malik, M., & Valentine, A. (1998). RETRACTED: Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children, The Lancet, Vol 1, No, 2, 637-641.
Yung, C. F. (2016). Non-specific effects of childhood vaccines. The BMJ, doi: 2016;355:i5434.