Educate Yourself on Vaccines

Should new parents vaccinate their children as infants? This question has been very controversial in the past because of the wide spread belief that vaccines cause autism and other immune and neurological disorders. Nevertheless all parents in the United States are faced with this decision, so it then becomes their responsibility to make the best decision for their little one. Advocates of vaccines tend to blindly accept them all with little concern about side effects because after all they are effective at their intended purpose, to prevent disease. Anti-vaccination people tend to completely refuse vaccines all together because they are fearful of having a life altering adverse reaction happen to their child. I intend to inform new parents of a third side, researching each vaccine for themselves and deciding which vaccines to accept and which vaccines to refuse. Not all vaccines are created equal and some are just not necessary. However refusing them all can be just as dangerous as having an adverse reaction, if to many people refuse vaccines epidemics of the preventable diseases are likely to happen. These two opposing views are in some ways right, this is why it is so important to make an informed decision on what vaccines to get to best protect their little one.

Although both refusing and accepting all vaccines can be very dangerous in their own right, there are some vaccines people should receive and there are some people should steer away from. Some vaccines can cause more harm than good when they are not necessary. Chickenpox and the flu shot are some examples of vaccines that are not necessary and only raise the possibility of having an adverse reaction. Vaccines can be used for financial gain by policy makers and as a result a vaccine may not have the proper test results before given to the public. The rota virus vaccine is another example of how policy makers can influence a vaccine negatively causing a serious increase in adverse reactions. Alternatively, vaccines do serve a very important purpose, and that is to prevent disease.  Polios drastic disappearance is comparable to smallpox, and is very good evidence of how vaccines can have positive effects such as wiping out devastating diseases. However, in many cases of refusal to vaccinate today there are reports of measles outbreaks, a disease that is other wise preventable with a vaccine. Some may argue that there are enough people around that vaccinate and this alone will protect from an epidemic. The reality is more and more people are refusing vaccines and there is no way to know who has been vaccinated and who has not on a daily basis. Some may also argue the risk of an adverse reaction is just to great and the side effects too dangerous. The truth is only less than 1% of people have an adverse event, and most are mild fevers or drowsiness, not life threatening (CDC).By exploring these ideas with my readers I hope to educate them on just how important proper research is to making this very important decision.

Works Cited

Cave, Stephanie, and Deborah R. Mitchell. What Your Doctor May Not Tell You about Children's Vaccinations. New York: Wellness Central, 2010. Print.

Link, Kurt. "The Current Controversy: In Perspective." The Vaccine Controversy: The History, Use, and Safety of Vaccinations. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2005. 38-40. Print.

"History of Vaccine Safety." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 08 Feb. 2011. Web. 12 Oct. 2014.

Coming to a Conclusion

After completing my synthesis paper on the topic of vaccines, I was very surprised to find that with a little organization I am able to tackle a daunting writing task with relative ease. I learned that by completing the process of analyzing and synthesizing I was able to really understand the intentions of each writer and their stand points on the topic. I found this process to be very beneficial to forming informed decisions that can be applied to any topic. I discovered I was able to understand and apply the process of synthesizing to my own writing even though it took a few drafts to get it completely, and I will be able to confidently incorporate these techniques into many other classes.

I struggled most with condensing my summaries and really understanding how to analyze. Eventually I was able to get a hold of the broader picture of each book which put both books into perspective and allowed me to successfully summarize and analyze in a reasonable amount of words. Next time I take on a synthesis paper I will be sure to first really understand the writing rhetorically because if i would have done that first in this paper it would have saved me allot of rewriting. I really began to understand my writing style during this paper and found I must make enough time to throw away my first draft and start again, because I almost always must first get all the words out before I can organize them.

Vaccination for or against?

After having my first child I was presented with the very important question of whether I was going to vaccinate or not.  My initial reaction to vaccinating my child was in opposition, but I then began to think these medicines are in use for a reason and I should probably know these reasons. Being from a family that was against vaccinating I suddenly was forced to make my own decision on the matter. I wanted to know what the big deal was about vaccinating children. Whenever I would ask my mom what was wrong with vaccines she would always tell me it was because they contained mercury. This might have been true 23 years ago but I thought surely they had removed this ingredient by now. I decided to do some research on the current controversies of vaccination to make an up to date decision on the matter, after all it is my job to protect my baby I needed to know what the best way of doing that would be.

I decided to begin my research by familiarizing myself with the current concerns about vaccines. I chose a text titled “What Your Doctor May Not Tell You about Children’s Vaccinations” By Stephanie Cave M.D., because it seemed to be exactly what I was looking for. Cave begins by explaining that some people are more prone to adverse reactions because of genetic make-up, social environment and medical history. Most of the adverse effects of vaccines are caused by the other ingredients such as aluminum salts benzethonium chloride, ethylene glycol, formaldehyde, gelatin, neomycin, phenol, streptomycin, and thimerosal. “ Since the introduction of mass immunization in the 1950’s there has been an increase in immune system and neurological disorders” (Cave 23). She states “there is much scientists don’t know about how vaccines work on a cellular and molecular level” (23). According to the CDC, FDA, and AAP vaccines are safe and “reflect the best available science”. But the truth is there is very little research on the adverse effects of vaccines because the US government does not recognize that there is any, attributing the reports of adverse effects to coincidence and refusing to fund any studies. I found this information perplexing because, how can they say it is safe without having any scientific evidence to back it up?

I decided to look further into the controversy to gain a little more incite about vaccines. I chose a book titled “The Vaccine Controversy” By Kurt Link M.D. and found the chapter labeled “The Current Controversy in Perspective”. Link began by stating that “vaccines work and are proven by epidemiological studies, clinical trials and the recurrence of a disease when a vaccine is discontinued” (39). He acknowledges that no vaccine works 100% of the time. Link then points out that autism presents itself at the same age children get vaccinated and asks if this is casualty of coincidence? Link points out that currently there are no thimerosal (mercury) containing vaccines available in the US, which is linked to cause autism. He then makes the observation, that parents today do not have to deal with the devastating effects of the diseases these vaccines prevent leaving the vaccine itself open to scrutinization. Link closes with the question, “How many infections or deaths prevented justify a death from a vaccine?” (40). I found myself rethinking my own stand point on vaccines after I read this. Naturally I would not want my child to have an adverse reaction, however I really would not want my child to contract a preventable disease because of the small chance they might have a negative reaction.

I then wanted to find out more about how common adverse reactions were, so did an advanced search using the phrase “frequency of adverse reactions to vaccines”. I then selected a module from the World Health Organization (WHO). I found a comprehensive chart that highlighted the occurrence of adverse reactions are less than 1% of all people vaccinated, and were mostly allergic reactions that were not fatal. I also observed that although the frequency of an adverse reaction might be minute, the correlating loss of confidence in the vaccine causes less people to get the vaccine. This in turn is followed by an outbreak of the disease. So the chance of suffering an adverse reaction is less than the chance you will get struck by lightning, and not getting vaccinated actually contributes to an outbreak, getting vaccinated is looking to the smarter option.

Referring back to the first text, I am left questioning what the government is contributing to the safety of vaccines. I found an article titled “History of Vaccine safety” Published by the Center for Disease Control (CDC). This article highlighted the history and protocol of vaccine safety. In response to a lawsuit against the DTP vaccine in the 1970’s the US congress passed the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act (NCVIA). This act coordinates the Department of Health and Human Services, the Center for Disease Control, the Food and Drug Administration and other organizations to share their research among each other, allowing for better research on the adverse effects of each vaccine. Thorough research is conducted consisting of animal testing, volunteer testing of a few hundred to eventually a few thousand. These studies may take up to 10 years before they are submitted to the FDA for licensing. After the vaccine has been approved and licensed for public use the manufacture must continue to submit samples of each lot to the FDA for testing. In the last 10 years the FDA has only recalled 3 lots due to mislabeling, contamination, and a manufacturing problem. If an adverse reaction is suspected, the CDC and FDA established the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) which is a database dedicated to receiving the adverse effect to be determined as “true” or coincidence. It seems to me the safety of any given vaccine is of the up most importance to the government, according to the CDCs information.

After conducting my own research on the topic of vaccinations, my original opposition has begun to sway more towards the pro side of the argument. I now understand the fears of adverse reactions being life threatening and in some cases crippling. However these cases are very rare and mostly effect people that have preexisting medical conditions. The fear of autism has been laid to rest after the discovery of the removal of mercury from vaccines. Being faced with the thought that my abstaining from vaccination might actually cause more harm than I am avoiding leads me to believe that vaccinating my child is no more dangerous than driving down the street with her in the car. I will still have to give it a little more thought before I rush off to the doctors but now I feel pretty well informed on the safety of vaccines.

 

Works Cited

 

Cave, Stephanie, and Deborah R. Mitchell. What Your Doctor May Not Tell You about Children's Vaccinations. New York: Wellness Central, 2010. Print.

Link, Kurt. "The Current Controversy: In Perspective." The Vaccine Controversy: The History, Use, and Safety of Vaccinations. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2005. 38-40. Print.

"World Vaccine Safety in Immunization Programmes." MODULE 1 – Vaccine Safety in Immunization Programmes. World Health Organization, n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2014. <http://vaccine-safety-training.org/vaccine-safety-in-immunization-programmes.html>.

"History of Vaccine Safety." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 08 Feb. 2011. Web. 12 Oct. 2014.

 

"The Internet and its Effects" Reflection

Before I learned how to write a response essay I lacked the ability to question an authors intentions or presentations of  ideas. When ever I would read an article I would just tend to agree or disagree and move on with my day, not to give it a second thought. After writing a summery and response essay I developed the skills to analyze writings and dive deeper into the content, along with the ability to question the authors credibility and execution of reaching their target audience. I found the this process hard to grasp at first but after keeping at it and looking at it from different points of view it became easier to understand. I learned how to be a better writer by analyzing a published authors work and thinking like a reader to develop a stronger method to reach my target audiences in the future. As a student I learned I must completely throw myself into an assignment to fully grasp the methods and benefit from them.

I really struggled to start my essay because I had a really hard time separating my own opinions of the ideas in the article from how well I thought the author reached their target audience and articulating it. I overcame this challenge by reading the article several times and separating each sentence and analyzing it. I found this made it less overwhelming than just reading the article over and over again. Next time I write a summery and response article I will be sure to use this method earlier in the writing process to bypass the initial overwhelming reading portion. I hope to be able to read and analyze more easily with practice and time.

"All there is to thinking... is seeing something noticeable, which makes you see something you weren't noticing, which makes you see something which isn't even visible."- Norman Maclean

When I first started this assignment I doubted my ability to see the methods an author uses to reach their audience and decide if they were successful or not. After I applied myself and altered my way of thinking I discovered an ability I didn't even know I possessed. I was able to read a published author and remove myself from the target audience to really look at the methods used to reach them. This new found understanding gives me the potential to be an exceptional writer because I now know how to see my essay through the readers point of view which will allow me to play to my readers questions and opinions.

What Is The Matter With Parents Today?

In Amy Goldwassers article "What Is The Matter With Kids Today?" She basically states, the internet is feared by parents and authorities to be dumbing down the teen population, but in actuality the internet making teens today voluntary writers, critics and researchers. I remember (not too long ago) my uncle asked me a question I did not know the answer to, I responded by telling he to look it up on the internet. He then told me he did not use the internet and didn't trust anything he found on it. This statement dumbfounded me. How could he totally reject this amazing tool I had used with success countless times? I believed the internet was such a useful tool to find information in an instant and could not understand why he would disregard it so quickly. Being form the pre-internet generation he had no idea what this newfangled contraption could be used for so he threw out the concept completely. Teens today have grown up completely in an era of instant information and regard it as an acceptable means of research. I can personally relate to this article because I have seen first had how beneficial the internet can be as a tool for communication and learning, and I have observed how many people of older generations just don't get it. I think when people try to understand the effects the internet is having on teens today they should first understand the internet and its many applications, and only then conduct a survey that is relevant to the current applications of its use.

This I Believe

Everybody has something they need to get done before they can relax, most of the time it is a lot of something’s. Working, going to school, caring for your children, all contributes to their fair share of chores that must be done.             

I believe you should enjoy life as it happens. There will always be something to do, someone to call, dinner to be made and the house to be cleaned. Life is impossible to catch up on. This idea is what keeps our days busy and our lives moving forward. But we shouldn’t let our ever growing work load get in the way of those irreplaceable family moments.

I came to my belief after I had my daughter. As a new mom (and a person in love with a routine) I was always struggling to put my life in neat manageable boxes. Everything had a time, place and a deadline. Coming from a less than cleanly environment growing up, cleaning was always number one on the priority list and took up most of my time at home. Brightly colored and noisy toys were my best friend for entertaining my daughter while I attempted to blitz clean my house, do my homework and just catch up on life. I had babysitters for work and school and rattles and crawl mats for home. By the time I was done with all the tasks for just one day, my daughter was asleep in bed, exhausted from a full day with someone else.

When I finally felt like I had successfully managed my life, I had a startling revelation, at six months old my daughters babysitter informed me she was officially scooting around. Where had I been for this? I thought I had more time to enjoy the infant days. I realized in trying to take care of my child I had effectively missed out on her early days. They really do grow so fast. As I watched her scoot around the living room floor I realized I will never get those tiny baby cuddles back again and the days that mommy is her entire world were over. It seemed like the very next day she was full on crawling. Then feeding herself and attempting to walk along the perimeter of the couch and there was no stopping her. I had become a stranger to my own daughter and it broke my heart.

Life refuses to wait for you to catch up. There will always be something that needs done, but at what cost? I realized to be the mom I wanted to be I had to do just that, be a mom. I had to get down and play with her and have squawking contests across the house. I had to read her Good Night Moon and eat the baby fruity poofs. I learned work can wait till work time and a few dishes never hurt anyone. My baby will eventually grow into a little girl, and then want nothing to do with me as a teenager, eventually become a woman with her own kids. My time with her is short but I intend to live in every moment with her and be her teacher along the way.

Four Words

The Four words I would use to best describe my self are:

Handy: Give me a tool and I can fix it! I regularly fix mine and other peoples car, ripped shirt or camping         tent. I recently fixed a Coleman instant tents broken hinge by manufacturing a new one out a few craps of       metal.

Crafty: I am very excited for my wedding, mostly because I will get to make all of the wedding decorations. I   have already made all of the red neck wine glasses form a mason jar and a candle stick.

Reliable: I am always the person my family turns to if they need anything. I will go pick you up, watch your       kids or help you move. I feel like everyone needs that someone to help them.

Respectful: I am really big on , only take one piece of meat at someones inner, don't interrupt when others       are taking and always say  "please" and "thank you". I notice so often that people now-a-days are so rude     when talking to other people.

 
I think these quality's of mine will help me develop in my writing in there own ways. I can always seem to solve a problem no matter the difficulty. My handiness will help me to always be able to answer the question. I am always looking for new and different ways of doing and creating things. Being crafty will help the creative process of writing by constantly having new ideas. I will always do what I say I'm going to do by the time I said I would do it. This reliability will help me set deadlines to ensure my writing is complete. I believe my respectful nature will develop my style of writing, I will be able to get my point across with out ranting or sounding to preachy. I will be able to shape my voice in my writing using my own unique skills.

One Minute Revelation

I realized today in my being thrown into yet another task to serve someone else's purpose that it is ok...

Even though I unwillingly went to pick up my sister from school because my mom simply didn't want to, it was ok. In the very least I was the one that stepped up and was there for my sister when she needed me. It is these simple tasks that, albeit throw off my day, stick with my young sister and show her that, I am all ways there for her. Not just because I tell her but I also because I show her.