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Samuel Halleck
Professor Leslie Drake
Research Technique
23 March 2016
Are the Effects of Immunizations More Beneficial or Detrimental to Our Society?
Abstract
This bibliographic essay can be used in the research and understanding of the research
question over the risks and benefits of immunizations amongst our society. Vaccinations continue
to advance and change every day and the risks have been decreasing over the last few decades.
Because vaccinations are administered daily, it is important to educate our society over the
effects, good and bad, that they can cause on their body. Most importantly, our society should be
aware of the impact not immunizing can cause on our community. This paper contains articles
that not only explain the risks and benefits of immunizations, but also articles that include:
examples of ingredients that are controversially spoken to be related to vaccinations, the current
research we have over autism and down syndrome and how they are related to these
vaccinations, and information over what immunizations are and how they work. This essay
includes multiple types of sources, including journal articles written by students and professors
from the universities of Yale and Harvard. These sources look to show the importance of
vaccinations and how they relate to the everyday living of individuals in our society. Sources
contain information that are on a scholarly level but are easily comprehensible for the general
public readers.

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Introduction
Immunizations have been a widely controversial topic for many generations. In todays
society, vaccinations are a requirement for many children to be accepted into schools and
daycare. The intended purpose of this paper is to bring awareness of vaccinations; what their
purpose is, how they are used, and where they have come from. This paper discusses the
background and history of immunizations, where they came from, and how they have adapted
into what they are today. This paper also discusses both the beneficial and detrimental effects of
vaccinations and gives scholarly and general readers a better understanding of the active purpose
vaccinations encompass. Research over immunizations is important because it addresses the risks
and benefits of being an anti-vaccination individual versus the risks and benefits of being
vaccinated. Unlike other biased articles, this paper discusses in an objective manner the options
of both vaccination and non-vaccination.
Vaccines; What are they and where have they evolved from
In the article Vaccines how and why they work published by Georgina Casey in
February 2016; Casey explains the use of vaccinations and how our bodies response with our
immune system. Casey is a senior lecturer at the University of Auckland in the School of Clinical
Sciences. The purpose of this article is objective without bias in the teaching of vaccinations and
how they work. The intended audience of this article is general because it expresses the good
vaccinations do and how they work. In this article Casey describes some of the background of
vaccinations and how they have adapted to where they are today. Casey expresses how

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vaccinations can be divided into two broad categories; the live attenuated vaccines and the nonliving vaccines that contain adjuvants to stimulate the immune system.
The French microbiologist, Louis Pasteur, known for his discovery of the principles of
vaccination, discovered the method of attenuation of live pathogens in 1881. By exposing
pathogens to elevated temperatures or other environmental changes, they can be rendered
harmless to vaccines recipients but still trigger an immune response. Early success was seen
against anthrax and rabies in the 1880s. Since the 1960s, live attenuated vaccines have been
developed against polio, measles, rubella, chicken pox and vast majority of other bacterial or
viral pathogens (Casey, pg 22).
Non-living vaccines for typhoid, cholera, influenza and the plague, as well as early
pertussis vaccines use inactive whole organisms to trigger immune reactions. The toxins are
weakened by treating with aluminum salts before injection. Other non-living vaccines are
constructed from extracts of pathogens, specific proteins from pathogen cell membranes, or
purified and recombinant proteins that are sometimes joined to other vectors to ensure immune
responses. Triggering a sufficiently vigorous response to ensure long-lasting immunity is also
difficult with non-living vaccines, so other substances may be added to the vaccines to stimulate
immune activity (Casey, pg 23)
The human immune system is divided into two branches; the innate and acquired. The
innate immunity is the bodys first defense against invading pathogens. Innate immunity has
evolved over millions of years and, unlike acquired immunity, is identical in all humans. The
acquired immune system comprises B- and T-lymphocytes, which adapt to protect against
specific invading pathogens. In recent decades, it has become recognized that acquired immunity
is driven and directed by innate immune responses (Casey, pg 20).

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Variolation (the use of smallpox scabs from infected individuals to inoculate healthy
individuals) was probably originally used in China or India in the 11th century and moved to
Europe via the Middle East and Turkey. In the 18th century English scientist Edward Jenner,
observed that milkmaids who had had cowpox did not get smallpox, which led to the first
empirical use of vaccines, long before and understanding of microbiology or immunology.
Smallpox, which killed one third of its victims, caused more than 300 million deaths in the early
half of the 20th century alone, was officially proclaimed eliminated from the world in 1979.
While the extinction of smallpox is a major accomplishment for global health and vaccination,
there remain numerous infectious diseases that are susceptible to vaccines but continue to kill in
large. There are vaccines today that exist for numerous diseases including tetanus, whooping
cough and polio. Some vaccines are effective and enduring with a single dose, while some
require repeated administration, and may lose effectiveness over time. In recent years, the use of
vaccines in preventing autoimmune disorders has become increasingly popular. (Casey, pg 20).
The Benefits of Vaccinations

Over the last few decades, vaccinations have become a widely researched topic due to the
substantial amounts of controversy behind it. Many researchers have published articles over the
advances vaccinations have made and how they positively affect our society. The advances in
vaccinations have led to eliminating diseases such as small pox. They have also set a reduction of
deaths by diseases, such as measles.
In the article Case studies in childhood vaccination published by Carolyn Driver on
March 16th 2015; Driver discusses the routine immunization schedule recommended by

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healthcare professionals. Driver has served as a nurse for many years. The intended audience of
this article is for scholars. The objective of this paper is to inform health care professionals over
the importance of keeping vaccinations up to date for the health of their patients. Vaccinations
are only administered to children of appropriate age after being review by doctors and health
care specialists. The ingredients in vaccines are safe in the amounts used. Elements such as
thimerosal, formaldehyde, and aluminum, can be harmful in large doses but they are not used in
harmful quantities in vaccines. Vaccinations and clean water have made the biggest impact on
public health during the 20th century (Driver, 122).
The web article Vaccine Safety: The Facts by the Healthy Children Magazine from the
American Academy of Pediatrics, they discuss the beneficial effects that vaccinations withhold.
The working rate of most childhood vaccines are 90% to 99% effective in preventing diseases.
This makes many vaccinations important because they could make a potential effort on saving
childrens lives. If a vaccinated child does get the disease, the symptoms are usually less serious
than in a child who hasnt been vaccinated. There may be minimal side effects, such as swelling
around the administered area, but these side effects display no harm. The safety of vaccinations
has been a major topic in this research. All vaccines must be tested by the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA). The FDA does not allow vaccines to be administered unless it has been
proven to be safe and effective in children. The data also gets reviewed by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American
Academy of Family Physicians before a vaccine is medically recommended to be given to a
child. Pediatricians believe that children should receive all recommended childhood vaccines. In
todays society, vaccinations are a requirement for many kids to attend school and daycare. In the
United States vaccines have protected children and continue to protect them from numerous

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amounts of diseases, although in many parts of the world vaccine-preventable disease are still
ordinary. Since diseases can be brought into the United States by Americans who travel outside
of the country it is important for children to be vaccinated for the sake of their health.
Vaccinations decrease the potential risk for the generations to come.
In the article Delayed Vaccination and Related Predictors among Infants published by
authors Poorolajal, Khazaei, Kousehlou, Bathaei, and Zahiri in October 2012; they conducted a
study over the evaluation of delayed vaccination during the infancy period and determine the
predictors effecting vaccination delay. These are all professors of the Hamaden University of
Medical Sciences. The intended audience of this article is scholarly. In their study they find that
vaccination coverage of infants was under 99.4% for all vaccines. However, 42% to 67.6% of
infants received vaccine with delay. This issue indicates that a delay in time is very problematic
to be resolved in any given situation even in areas with nearly full vaccination coverage and may
require a major effort to be corrected. This study evaluated the effect of some factors on delayed
vaccinations. Vaccinations should not be delayed because it leaves children vulnerable and
susceptible to disease.
The Detriments to Vaccinations
Over time, our society has forced the administration of vaccinations to children. Our
society has become so adapted to the coercion of our government and the effectiveness of
vaccinations that they tend to forget about the risks that vaccinations can impose on the health of
children. One of the leading factors causing parents to become skeptical about vaccinating their
children based on the rare and dangerous disease they could obtain because of vaccines. The next
few articles within this paper discuss studies over the commonly controversial diseases.

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In the article Understanding Vaccines: A Public Imperative published by Ross

Federman on December 12th 2014; Federman discusses the anti-vaccination movement how he
believes it is one of the most mind-boggling situations facing doctors, biomedical researchers,
nurses, and almost any other health care professional. Federman is a graduate from the School of
Arts and Sciences, Biological & Biomedical Sciences, Immunobiology Graduate Program from
Yale University. Federman wrote this article with a biased subjective tone. One of the most
detrimental factors in not vaccinating children is that they, as well as everyone around them,
suddenly becomes so much more susceptible to disease. The anti-vaccination movement
introduces a dangerous paradigm where opting out no longer affects the particular parents and
children in question, but their friends, family, neighbors, and in all reality the greater portion of
the human population than one may realize.
In this article Federman discusses how in a day and age where ideas and opinions spread
from a computer screen to tablet to smartphone like wildfire, and where self-publishing has
become a daily routine, the anti-vaccination movement has been and is still being fueled on a
regular basis by outspoken celebrities whose children suffer from autism and a growing number
of naturalists who believe that mankind was simply not meant to meddle in the affairs of our
environment, and thus how we are affected by disease. The idea of celebrities publicizing
information that they have not researched could put detrimental risks on our society as a whole.
In the article Autism and Vaccination The Current Evidence published by authors
Lisa Miller and Joni Reynolds on March 16th 2009; they develop a study to review relevant
background literature regarding the evidence linking thimerosal-containing vaccines and the
measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine to autism. Within this study, they come to the conclusion
that rigorous scientific studies have not identified links between autism and either thimerosal-

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containing vaccine or the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines. The intended audience of for
this article is scholarly. The authors of this article are both health care professionals making them
qualified to do research in this field. Lisa Miller, MD, MSPH, is the Disease Control and
Environmental Epidemiology Division director, and Joni Reynold, RN, MSN, is the
Immunization Program Director, for the Colorado Department of Public Health and
Environment.
Vaccinations: Benefits versus Detriments
The emotion over vaccinations comes down to two broad categories. Some people
believe that vaccinations are the obvious choice because of the benefits they have on their
children and community as a whole. Others feel the use of vaccinations should be a matter of
choice, and that the government nor medical professionals should have the authority to push the
use of vaccinations on them.
In the article Why We Still Got to Get Folks to Take Their Shots published by Ben
Balding on April 27th 2006; Balding discusses his research over vaccination and their role on our
society. In our society today, vaccinations are a matter of when and not a matter of what if. The
use of vaccinations has become widely used because of the medical advances it has achieved
over the last few decades. Because of success and the mandatory nature of vaccination, most
people would probably not consider vaccination an optional method of medical treatment. For
most parents, the decision to vaccinate is equivalent to the decision to feed ones child.
Typically, a doctor informs parents of the school vaccination schedule and the parents consent to
having their children vaccinated (Balding, 2). Author Balding is a graduate from Harvard Law
School making him qualified to do academic research over this topic. The intended audience of
this paper is for scholarly readers.

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In the article Risk Communication, Values Clarification and Vaccination Decisions

published authors Holly Witteman, Selma Chipenda-Dansokho, Nicole Exe, and Brian J.
Zikmund-Fisher on May 20th 2015; They express the risks of letting individuals have the right to
be able to decide on vaccinations themselves. A risk this imposes on our society is that a lot of
individuals do not fully inform themselves over vaccinations and what they are consented to
inject into their infants body. When presented with such risk tradeoffs, people often make choices
that fail to align with available scientific evidence and/or with their own values (Witteman, 2).
The intended audience of this article is scholarly. All of the authors of this article work as health
care professionals in their specific fields for different departments of medicine.
The web article Benefits vs Risks by Immunizeforgood.com, they discuss the benefits
compared to the risks within immunizing children. Within our society today vaccination is not
just a personal choice, it is a requirement. The vaccinated community helps to protect those who
are not vaccinated, a concept known as herd community or community immunity. Simply
put, when a person is vaccinated, they prevent disease from being spread to others in the
community, this grouping includes babies too young to receive vaccinations, unvaccinated
children and adults, pregnant women, and even the elderly. Individuals today believe that the
government should not be able to intervene in personal medical choices. Medical decisions for
children should be left to the parents or caregivers.
The web article Should Any Vaccines Be Required for Children? by ProCon.org,
discusses how if we give government the power to make medical decisions for us, we in essence
accept that the state owns our bodies. A lot of individuals who choose to not vaccinate have a
mindset focused on themselves and their family. The choice to not immunize one child, could
have harmful effects on a whole community. This article also talks about the risks and benefits of

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immunizations. Children are exposed to more aluminum in breast milk and infant formula than
they are exposed to in vaccines (Vaccines.procon.org). This article is intended for general
audience. The author of the web article leaves footnotes after every citation from references to
well know medical professionals.
In the article Promoting Childhood Immunizations published by Victoria on February
10th 2015; Anderson elaborates over vaccinations and the common questions associated with
them. The main reasons individuals in our society choose not to vaccinate is because of the
diseases that are said to be obtained by vaccines. Certain ingredients within vaccines, such as
thimerosal and certain types of adjuvants such as aluminum can have potential life threatening
reactions if given to high of a dose. Thimerosal is a mercury-based preservative used to prevent
contamination of vaccines. Based on concerns that this preservative may contribute to
neurological disorders such as autism, since 2001 it has been removed entirely or is in minute
amounts in multiple-dose influenza vaccines (Anderson, 6). Vaccines can cause serious and
sometimes fatal side effects. According to the CDC, all vaccines carry a risk of a life-threatening
allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) in about one per million children. The intended audience of this
article is for scholarly readers. Author Anderson is a well-respected nurse practitioner. She
graduated from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in May 1993.
In the article Risk of Anaphylaxis after Vaccinations in children and adults by McNeil,
M. M., Weintraub, E. S., Duffy, J., Sukumaran, L., Jacobsen, S. J., Klein, N. P., and DeStefano,
F, they discuss the potentially life threatening allergic reaction called Anaphylaxis. Prior to this
study, the risk of anaphylaxis after vaccination was not well described in adults or with newer
vaccines in children. They sought to estimate the occurrences of anaphylaxis after vaccines and
described the demographic and clinical characteristics of the confirmed cases. The results of their

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study concluded that 22 confirmed vaccine-triggered anaphylaxis cases occurred after

25,173,965 vaccines doses were administered. The intended audience of this article is scholarly
because it is research used for health care professionals. The purpose of this article is objective in
showing the rate of the disease anaphylaxis which rarely occurs after vaccination use. All of
these authors are well-known health care professionals who hold qualifications to do research in
this intended area.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the purpose of this paper was to overlook vaccinations and determine the
rate of benefits over detriments in immunizations. This paper has consulted numerous scholarly
articles in which scientific studies have shown that the detriments of vaccinations are widely
controversial. In order to stay on the path to an immunized society, vaccinations must be
administered. By the supporting evidence in these articles, the conclusion of this paper is that the
administration of vaccinations have minimal to no risk of harming children. However, the risks
not immunizing children can cause on a community as a whole are substantial.

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Works Cited
Anderson, Victoria. "Promoting Childhood Immunizations." The Journal for Nurse Practitioners
11.1 (2015): 1-10. Web.
Balding, Ben. "Why We Still Got To Get Folks To Take Their Shots." LEDA at Harvard Law
School (2006): 1-36. Web.
Casey, Georgina. "Vaccines - How and Why They Work." Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand 22.1
(2016): 20-24. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.
Driver, Carolyn. "Case Studies in Childhood Vaccination." Nurse Prescribing 13.3 (2015): 12228. Web.
Federman, Ross S. "Understanding Vaccines: A Public Imperative." Yale Journal of Biology and
Medicine 84.4 (2014): 417-22. Web.
"Immunize For Good | Respect the Facts. Protect Your Child. Immunize for Good." Immunize
for Good. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.
Mcneil, Michael M., Eric S. Weintraub, Jonathan Duffy, Lakshmi Sukumaran, Steven J.
Jacobsen, Nicola P. Klein, Simon J. Hambidge, Grace M. Lee, Lisa A. Jackson, Stephanie
A. Irving, Jennifer P. King, Elyse O. Kharbanda, Robert A. Bednarczyk, and Frank
Destefano. "Risk of Anaphylaxis after Vaccination in Children and Adults." Journal of
Allergy and Clinical Immunology 137.3 (2016): 868-78. Web.
Miller, Lisa, MD, and Joni Reynolds, RN. "Autism and Vaccination - The Current Evidence."
Journals for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing 14.3 (2009): 166-72. Web.

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Poorolajal, J., S. Khazaei, Z. Kousehlou, SJ Bathaei, and A. Zahiri. "Delayed Vaccination and
Related Predictors among Infants." Iranian Journal of Public Health 41.10 (2012): 65-71.
Web.
"Vaccines ProCon.org." ProConorg Headlines. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.
"Vaccine Safety: The Facts." HealthyChildren.org. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.
Witteman, Holly O., Selma Chipenda Dansokho, Nicole Exe, Audrey Dupuis, Thierry
Provencher, and Brian J. Zikmund-Fisher. "Risk Communication, Values Clarification,
and Vaccination Decisions." Risk Analysis (2015): 1-26. Web.