Childhood Vaccination Research

When it comes to the health of children, we all want what we think is best for them. When deciding to vaccinate children, one major concern parents have is that if the vaccine is going to harm the health of the child. Childhood vaccines have been established and perfected for an exponential amount of time. Even though vaccinations have been around for a while, many people are still unsure about them. With this in mind, there are many questions about how vaccines work, what they are, and how they help eradicate diseases. Vaccines work by introducing a weakened version of the virus or bacteria into the body. In fact, Vaccines are introduced into the body via injection. When a child is injected with the virus, it is a live, weakened version of the virus. If the vaccine works correctly, the child will produce natural antibodies needed to fight off the virus. The vaccine teaches the child’s immune system how to fight off the virus, if the child were to ever come into contact with it again (“Mandatory Vaccinations”). Through the process
Lloyd Scott Clements who wrote “Childhood Infectious Diseases, Immunization Impacts” says, “Vaccines may be purified toxins, specific bacterial or viral proteins, genetically engineered pieces of the organism, or even whole killed bacteria. The vaccine mimics the diseasescasusing [sic] microorganism but does not cause the disease. The vaccine fools the immune system to produce the antibodies with little or no discomfort to the person. The immunity acquired may be life-long, or may need repeated vaccine boosters to maintain against measles, mumps, and rubella” (Clements2). Vaccines contain antigens and other substances such as preservatives, stabilizers, adjuvants, etc. each substance has its own purpose in the vaccine to help it function. The construction of vaccines can be a complex endeavor, but the idea behind them providing protection is