To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate - Essay Example The cost of saving a life by preventing the occurrence of a condition such as tetanus and other preventable such as pertussis through vaccination is lower as compared to curing the condition. With this in mind, it is, therefore, vital to vaccinate children rather than spend tones of cash and other resources treating or attempting to cure a condition (Bloom et al, 2003). Statistics support this with facts, such as, child immunization saves roughly $5 and $11 in direct and social cost respectively (National Institute of allergy and Infectious Diseases, 2010). In addition, vaccines keep the body’s immune system alert in order to fight diseases and pathogens. In light of this fact, should a child be vaccinated and infected with a highly infectious disease, the child is less susceptible to the condition worsening. This is, in addition to having a reduced, incubation and contagious period. In turn, this protects those around the child from catching the infections by blocking the period and, at times, the child may not be contagious at all. Thus, this acts as â€Å"herd immunity† where the society protects everyone from infections by acting as barriers to transmission. Vaccination also helps children concerning overall mental and cognitive wellbeing. This is due to their susceptibility to brain damage stemming from common health conditions such as influenza. Due to vaccination, brain damage is avoided leading to a normal life for the child. In this regard, the overall quality of life is improved by eliminating threats from one’s body and environment. These include disease with high fatality rates, such as meningitis and those that lead to disability or impairment such as polio. On the other hand, vaccination should not be performed on children for a number of both valid and invalid reasons. Concerning valid reasons, the use of living organisms, despite being impaired or weakened, may