Written by Laura J. (KIS'19)
Edited by Sarah O. (KIS'19)
━━ March 30, 2018 ━━
Recently, in January 2018, Influenza Virus A has been a major issue in Korea. Many students and workers had to stay home for days. Some people with severe symptoms were even isolated in a hospital. To prevent themselves from getting the Influenza Virus A, many went to nearby medical centers or hospitals to get vaccinated.
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The Side Effects of Vaccination
Realizing how quickly viruses spread, scientists have been inventing vaccines to strengthen the immune system to prevent such diseases. The most effective vaccine so far created for preventing Influenza Virus A is called “Fluarix Tetra.” “Fluarix Tetra” is just one example of known vaccines in the world to prevent particular viruses and diseases. If such vaccines are so beneficial, are there no risks? Although you may have been assured that vaccines are safe and necessary to prevent diseases, it is also important to be aware of the side effects.
According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), vaccines are usually tested and are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for safety before released to drug stores. The FDA goes through the rigorous process for several years, answering is the vaccine itself safe, what amount of vaccine is the most effective when injected, and how immune systems react to the vaccine. The FDA reviews the results carefully, makes sure vaccines are qualified, and licenses the vaccine to be sold.
The CDC also announced publicly that most of the side effects that may occur due to the vaccines are minor and go away in short period of time. These common symptoms include:
Pain, redness, swelling, or itching at injection site
Fatigue
Headache
Nausea
Dizziness or fainting (Usually among the adolescents)
Fever
Mild rash
However, some of the unusual conditions many people may consider include:
Serious allergic reactions
Difficulty breathing
Hoarseness
Hives
Paleness
A fast heart beat
Autism
Autism is a definite possible effect of vaccination. What do you think it is: a fact or a myth? It is a myth. People, especially the parents, commonly think of autism when they are told to come up with any possible negative effects of vaccinations. As the autism rate has dramatically increased in the past 20 years, concerns about the relationship between autism and vaccines have also risen. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network, data collected from children born in 1992, 1 child out of 150 children showed symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). However, from children born in 2004, 1 out of 68 children turned out to have autism. This has raised the parents’ concerns. Yet, scientists have not found a link between the two. The rate of ASD has increased, which made parents worry about the correlation between autism and vaccines. This motivated the scientists over the world researched more than 20 studies focused on Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccines and ASDs. However, scientists and health experts proved there is no association between autism and vaccines.
Although serious side effects have occurred, the possibilities are rare. Also, if any side effects had appeared, people are encouraged to report to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), which take care of sides effects of the vaccines. The FDA thoroughly goes through each individual report for possible side effect patterns. If patterns are found, the FDA analyze each pattern carefully and decide whether the vaccine is safe or not and if further inspect and research is needed for any improvements.
Find out what the Institute of Medicine (IOM) says about the safety of vaccines:
“…the IOM committee finds no evidence that the schedule is unsafe. The committee’s review did not reveal an evidence base suggesting that the U.S. childhood immunization schedule is linked to autoimmune diseases, asthma, hypersensitivity, seizures, child developmental disorders, learning or developmental disorders, or attention deficit or disruptive disorders.”
In fact, the benefits of vaccination outweigh the side effects. So what are the benefits? What makes people to get vaccinated? Vaccination is primarily used to prevent diseases and virus to save lives. Studies of experts in the United States have proved the rate of disease has been decreased dramatically, thanks to the vaccines.
Source: The Impact of Vaccines in the United States
Vaccination increases immunization overall, of individuals and of the community. People usually get vaccinated in early childhood, to protect themselves from measles, chicken pox, and other diseases as shown above in the table. The effects are long-term. As people get older or travel around the world, like South America or Africa regions, they get additional vaccines for the diseases they may encounter as adolescents or adults.
Vaccination not only prevents oneself from diseases but also the community as a whole. When enough people are vaccinated, it makes harder for diseases or virus to spread. This reduces the possibility of people, especially those who did not get vaccinated, getting affected by such virus and getting ill. This will lead to a safer and healthier community for people to live. Such effect is known as a herd immunity. If a high proportion of people in a community get vaccinated, herd immunity will effectively be able to protect people from getting infected by contagious diseases. People who usually benefit from the herd immunity are infants who are too young to get vaccinated, patients who are already suffering from other diseases- the vaccine and his or her medication may interfere- and people who have problems with their immune systems. The herd immunity has been supported by the measles outbreak in UK and pertussis outbreak in the US. In both countries, low immunization rate led to an increase in the number of people getting measles and pertussis, respectively in the UK and the US.
Although there may be minor side effects of vaccination, many health associated experts recommend people get vaccinated. Science and technology are still in the process of development and scientists are constantly studying to make sure vaccines are safe to use. Also, every human being has the right to live a healthy life and vaccine is so far one of the best ways to enhance the immune system to prevent diseases ahead of time. As you have read, the side effects of vaccination are rare and minor. So do not hesitate to get vaccinated. Get vaccinated to be prepared to fight back any symptoms of diseases or virus!
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Bibliography:
- "Attention Parents: Get Trustworthy Information About Vaccines." Vaccine.com. N. p., 2018. Web. 1 Feb. 2018.
- "Side Effects | Immunize For Good." Immunizeforgood.com. N. p., 2018. Web. 1 Feb. 2018.
- "The Trouble With Vaccines (And What You Can Do About It)." Medical Secrets. N. p., 2017. Web. 6 Feb. 2018.
- "Vaccine Safety | Vaccines.Gov." Vaccines.gov. N. p., 2018. Web. 1 Feb. 2018.
- "What Is Herd Immunity? - Vaccinestoday." VaccinesToday. N. p., 2015. Web. 6 Feb. 2018.
- "Why Vaccinate? | History Of Vaccines." Historyofvaccines.org. N. p., 2015. Web. 6 Feb. 2018.
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