Michelle Harris - Vaccines: The Truth Behind the Debates

FOREWORD

P eople often want to do whatever they can to live healthy lives, but this is frequently easier said than done. For example, experts suggest minimizing stress as it takes a long-term toll on the body and mind. However, in an era where young adults must balance school attendance, extracurricular and social activities, and several hours of homework each night, stress is virtually unavoidable. Socioeconomic factors also come into play, which can prevent someone from making good health choices even when they are aware of what the consequences will be.

Other times, however, the problem is misinformation. The media frequently reports watered-down versions of scientific findings, distorting the message and causing confusion. Sometimes multiple conflicting results are reported, leaving people to wonder whether a simple action such as eating dark chocolate is helpful, harmful, or has no effect on their health at all. In such an environment, many people ignore all health news and decide for themselves what the best course of action is. This has led to dangerous trends such as the recent anti-vaccination movement.

The titles in the Nutrition and Health series aim to give young adults the information they need to take charge of their health. Factual, unbiased text presents all sides of current health issues with the understanding that everyone is different and knows their own body and health needs best. Readers also gain insight into important nutrition topics, such as whether a vegetarian diet is right for them, which foods may improve or exacerbate any existing health issues, and precautions they can take to prevent the spread of foodborne illnesses.

Annotated quotes from medical experts provide accurate and accessible explanations of challenging concepts, as well as different points of view on controversial issues. Additional books and websites are listed, giving readers a starting point from which to delve deeper into specific topics that are of interest to them. Full-color photographs, fact boxes, and enlightening charts are presented alongside the informative text to give young adults a clearer picture of todays most pressing health concerns.

With so much complicated and conflicting information about nutrition and health available on social media and in the news, it can be hard for all peoplebut especially for young adultsto make smart choices about their health. However, this series presents an accessible approach to health education that makes the work of staying healthy seem much less intimidating.

Introduction

THE BEST DEFENSE IS A STRONG OFFENSE

I nfectious diseases have been one of the greatest threats to human life throughout historyfrom the deadly smallpox virus, which arrived in the Americas in 1520 and killed millions, to the 1918 flu pandemic, which killed at least 50 million people worldwide. However, the frequency and impact of such infectious disease outbreaks has dropped dramatical ly in the past few decades. This is due in part to the development and distribution of immunity-boosting substances called vaccines. Typical ly delivered via injection, vaccines help prevent the spread of disease by rousing a persons immune system into action without actually making them sick. Vaccination has helped reduce the number of cases of dread ed diseases such as rubella, diphtheria, and whooping cough, as well as the paralyzing disease polio, which has been declared eradicated in the United States and in several other developed countries. The once-feared smallpox was defeated by vaccination; it was declared completely eradicat ed by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1980 following a global vaccination campaign.

Vaccination has been so effective, in fact, that entire generations of Americans have grown up without any firsthand knowledge of the terror and heartache that some of these diseases caused. Most kids and parents in the United States now treat getting their shots as a routine part of growing up, similar to going to the dentist or getting a drivers license. According to the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH), a nonprofit organization that works to make vaccination available to low- income people around the world, Only 50 years after vaccination became a standard rite of passage for children, it was taken for granted that a child born in the developed world would grow up without fear from the

Some politicians, such as Kentucky senator Rand Paul, consider vaccination to be a parents personal choice. In 2015, he made unproven claims that children have developed mental disorders after receiving some vaccines to back up his position that there should be no laws requiring children to get vaccinated.

In recent years, though, the wisdom of vaccination has been openly questioned, especially in the United States. Some parents and pediatricians argue that U.S. immunization programs, which now provide vaccines for 16 different diseases, have become too hard on kids. People who hold this view believe the vaccinations are given too close together and should be spread out more. Other critics say that government requirements regarding vaccination are an attack on their personal freedoms. Meanwhile, growing numbers of parents and politicians have claimed that vaccination is a key factor in the rise in autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and other childhood developmental disorders.

Many scientists, doctors, and policymakers have reacted to these complaints with a mixture of anger and frustration. They continue to defend vaccines as one of the greatest and most beneficial tools of modern medicine. In their view, attacks on immunization programs are based on fear and ignorance, not accurate science. They also worry that as growing numbers of Americans choose not to vaccinate their children, the vulnerability to dangerous outbreaks of disease will grow. Their assurances, though, have failed to comfort critics. In fact, the debate over vaccination seems to grow more heated with each passing year.