Why vaccines are the safest and most reliable method of protecting children against viral diseases?

Prior to the discoveries of vaccines, many lives were lost to diseases that could be prevented. The loss of many lives, especially children under the age of five years prompted many people to invest resources into seeking alternatives. Such efforts led to the discovery of vaccines which had the capability of providing immunity against specific diseases once administered. Since their discovery, vaccines have been used to protect human beings from various diseases, resulting in increased survival rates among children ( Damm, Schubert, & von, 2011 ). Despite their advantages, many people are not convinced of their efficiency. They believe that vaccines have adverse side effects on people and might even lead to their deaths. This paper is aimed at providing much-needed advice to a friend whose son is set to receive some vaccines. 

Vaccines work in a specific way, thereby protecting the body from contracting the diseases that it is vaccinated against. Vaccinations essentially prepare the body to fight various illnesses. The body has the natural ability to protect itself against diseases as it releases antibodies which repel any antigen or diseases that enter the body. A person’s immune system produces millions of antibodies every day which help it fight off antigens even in circumstances where a person cannot feel the effects of the disease that has entered their body ( Kufel, Williams, & Weber, 2017 ). However, there are instances where the body is attacked by antigens that are new to the immune system. Such antigens may include those of the measles virus or polio. A new invader requires that the body takes time to study the new antigen to produce the appropriate response. Unfortunately, the time taken by the immune system is enough for the invading diseases to attack the immune system leading to adverse effects such as death or permanent disability. Vaccination mainly takes place when weakened antibodies are introduced into a person’s body, prompting the immune system to release antibodies and fight off the weak antibodies ( Kufel et al., 2017 ). Once the threat has passed, the immune system can retain the memory of the antigens and be able to provide the right response anytime there is an attack of the same nature. 

Many differences exist between traditional and modern methods of vaccine creation. Traditional methods are majorly centered on creating vaccines out of dead or weakened antigens which present some side effects to a patient. The production of vaccines through the use of biotechnology techniques enables the production of vaccines that are synthetic ( Emergex Vaccines, 2019 ). Synthetic vaccines are not created from dead antigens meaning that they are safe and with fewer effects on patients. Modern techniques enable the creation of vaccines with the ability to counter various viruses within one viral family. For example, currently used vaccines have the ability to protecting the body against both the Zika and Dengue viruses ( Emergex Vaccines, 2019) . On the other hand, traditional methods of vaccine creation could only produce vaccines to tackle a specific virus. Additionally, biotechnology techniques enable the creation of vaccines within a shorter period compared to traditional methods. This means that more and quality vaccines can be produced to counter any threat that may arise. Another difference that exists between biotechnology techniques and traditional methods is that biotechnology techniques can produce vaccines that do not require refrigeration thus reducing the cost of storage and transportation. It is evident that scientific research and technology has led to the development of more effective vaccines. 

It is evident that vaccination has helped save millions of lives in the United States. Through vaccinations, most children can survive their first five years after birth which was a rare occurrence before the introduction of vaccines. Millions of children in the United States are vaccinated against many diseases ( Kufel et al., 2017) . Some of those diseases include; 

Diphtheria 

Chickenpox 

Polio 

Mumps 

Rotavirus 

Pneumococcal disease 

Whooping cough 

Measles 

Hib 

Hepatitis A and B 

The Flu 

Tetanus 

Thanks to the availability of vaccines to the above diseases, most Americans have forgotten that some of these diseases actually exist. The efficiency of the vaccines has protected American children from diseases for many years, creating generations of active and healthy individuals who can contribute to nation building without any health concerns ( Kufel et al., 2017) . All the relevant health bodies in the country must, therefore, encourage more research to come up with more vaccines to other diseases still challenging Americans. 

The introduction of vaccinations has dramatically affected the frequency with which some diseases occur. Since the discovery of vaccinations, many diseases were tackled, and some of them went close to being extinct. An observation of the diseases reveal that most of the illnesses rarely occur and once there is an outbreak, they are promptly dealt with through the vaccination of people. Over the past 100 years, the frequency of diseases such as Hepatitis A and B to occur has greatly reduced, thanks to vaccinations ( Kufel et al., 2017) . Efforts have also been put to develop vaccines to other diseases that are currently threatening the lives of many people around the globe such as HIV and AIDS. Once such efforts bear fruits, the world will be a lot safer and people healthier. 

Despite the importance of vaccinations, some people are worried about subjecting their children to vaccinations. Parents'worries are based on misconceptions and false scientific findings. Most people who fear vaccination believe that vaccines are not necessary and people can avoid diseases by merely maintaining high sanitation standards ( World Health Organization, 2019 ). Such people also believe that vaccination does not prevent diseases but increases the probability of contracting them. Furthermore, people that do not believe in the efficiency of vaccinations think that there are specific vaccines that can lead to the death of their children. As a result, every parent must be on the lookout to prevent their children from being introduced to the vaccines. Such misconceptions have led to the unnecessary deaths of many children in the United States and around the world. It must be understood that every vaccine is safe for except when stated otherwise by healthcare professionals. 

In summation, this paper aimed to provide a new perspective on vaccination to a friend who is afraid of subjecting their children to vaccination. It is vital to understand that vaccinations essentially prepare the body to fight various illnesses. With the availability of better methods of producing vaccines, children can be protected from diseases without suffering the side effects of the vaccines. The advice that I can provide to my friend is that vaccines are the safest and most reliable method of protecting children against viral diseases that may significantly affect them if not treated. 

References 

Damm, K., Schubert, J. M., & von, d. S. (2011). Promoting vaccinations - an analysis of measures taken by German statutory health insurers.  Health Economics Review, 1 (1), 1-6. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/2191-1991-1-16 

Emergex Vaccines. (2019). Technology . Retrieved from https://emergexvaccines.com/technology/advantages-over-traditional-vaccines/ 

Kufel, W. D., Williams, D. M., & Weber, D. J. (2017). Improving immunization practices in United States hospitals and health systems.  International Journal of Health Governance, 22 (3), 199-211. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IJHG-06-2017-0028 

World Health Organization (WHO). (2019). Six common misconceptions about immunization . Retrieved from https://www.who.int/vaccine_safety/initiative/detection/immunization_misconceptions/e/