essay

Many childhood diseases can now be prevented through the use of vaccines.

Should parents be made by law to immunise their children against common diseases or should individuals have the right to choose not to immunise their children?

Vaccinations have been a medical breakthrough which has helped us to be immune against most diseases. While some think immunization should be compulsory by passing a law to support it, others are of the opinion that it should be a personal choice.

Opponents of immunization argue that vaccines are artificial ways of generating immunity against diseases. They believe that children should naturally acquire an antigen to which their bodies would produce antibodies and gain immunity against the disease. In addition, some vaccines provide immunity against diseases that are rare and their kids may not ever come in contact with such virus or bacteria. This would mean that some vaccines would be unneccessary. Furthermore, with vaccinations given at regular intervals, their children would fall sick until they develop the required amount of resistance against the antigen, which would only affect their child’s health negatively.

Proponents are of the view that, by passing a law every parent will be bound to immunize their children. This will help control the spread of the diseases especially among children going to childcare centers and schools. Vaccines will build their immunity and protect them from illnesses that otherwise could be easily acquired through contamination. Secondly, this would also mean that there would be less absentism from schools and extra-curricular activities. Moreover, working parents who are often unable to take leaves from their jobs to look after their sick children would also benefit.

To conclude, despite the advantages of immunization, I believe that vaccinating children is principally the decision of their parents. Parents whose children are vaccinated have nothing to fear as their children would not be severely affected while others will only be able to build their resistance to diseases.