The Truth About Vaccines

In the past decade, fueled especially by the recent pandemic, vaccines and their transparency have begun to be questioned in much higher amounts. However, to understand the truth about vaccines and what they do, we first need to understand where they came from, and why they were ever created in the first place. That's what the author of the article "Five surprising moments in vaccine history", Anna Rothschild set out to do. Using many experts in the field, who have studied human medicine for years, she began by asking them questions about when the use of vaccinations became a worldwide phenomenon. However, before vaccinations existed, people used a very unsettling method of immunizing themselves to diseases through a process called "variolation". It was done by taking the correct antibody of a certain disease, smallpox at first, and ingesting it into the body to allow one's immune system to beat it before the disease could one day totally infect the body. George Washington was so scared the British might use the smallpox disease as a weapon, that he made every soldier do this method of immunization before being allowed to fight. As this technique spread, smallpox quickly became much less dangerous to humans across the world, as this method became common knowledge by the late 1800s. 

As vaccine technology advanced, we began to see very interesting materials being used in them. Although the first vaccines are over 200 years old, vaccines since this time have taken on very challenging tasks, requiring extreme ingredients to be used. From a disease called "ditheria" very lethal in children, and almost incurable, a vaccine needed to be found. At first, this included tracheotomies, but these were not a very good option considering the effects it has on children. Then, a new technique was found, which involved giving doses of antitoxins to children affected by this disease. In 1894, this treatment was effective in the United States, however it was not technically a vaccine. Soon after this, it was found that vaccines could be used most effectively. In premise, vaccines were to be created with dead germ cells, which could be used to trigger an immune response to prematurely fight a disease in the body, before actually seeing the disease. While it may sound alarming, substances like aluminum and formaldehyde are commonly used in vaccines in very minute quantities to enhance their effectiveness.

In the last part of the video series, Rothschild begins to open up more transparently about the real safety of vaccines. To better explain this, she provides information from a direct interview with Dr. Fauci, a leading expert in the field of vaccines, and their so-called "importance". He explains the testing process and studies that go into vaccine development. He explains the process in a series of _ phases, with each requiring the participation and study of very few individuals to the latter stages requiring thousands of individuals. Typically, this final stage and the number of studied individuals depend on the actual risk of a person getting the disease out a certain amount of people. Basically, the more spreadable a disease is, the more people would be seen within the phases of that particular study. In recent years, people have become increasingly concerned about certain medical conditions that can be seen in years after getting a disease. For example, some anti-vax groups believe that the measles vaccine was a leading reason for autism in children, however, after multiple studies, this had no scientific evidence. 

Just like any medicine, there are always gonna be risks. However, usually, the risks of taking medicine outweigh the risk of getting a certain disease and your body not being able to fight it off. That is why the debates for vaccines have been so commonly debated in recent years. Using the critical thinking techniques learned in class, it's important to understand both sides of the story and be willing to accept that both have their own positives and negatives. Just like life, there are two sides to every story, and just because vaccines have been around for over 200 years, doesn't mean anybody should just trust them. I am vaxxed and have been since a young child, however I see the argument to not vaccinating your children. Personally, I would rather take the chances with a vaccine and its side effects, than the devastating effects of getting a certain disease I might not be able to fight. In conclusion, the vaccination debate involves a careful analysis but also a respect for scientific expertise. You must be able to recognize that while there are two sides to every story, not all sides are equally supported by evidence. The goal is to make choices that are best for individual and public health, based on the best available information, and that is why vaccines are so heavily favored in the scientific and medical world. 

Overall, it was interesting to learn about the vaccine history, as I never really thought about the vaccines that are in my body. Who would have ever guessed vaccines are where they are no considering where they once started.  I am a proponent of your body and your choice, and although it might sound like a negative, I don't think vaccines should be mandated. I was forced to obtain vaccines when I went to study in Europe, and although scary because of all of the debates over their safety, I had no real problem getting them. However, based on recent findings and studies, considering the danger of COVID-19 for some groups of people versus others, I do not feel that the vaccine should have been required for all. I know stories about people fired for not getting them, and I do feel this is a violation of rights, however, if my job depended on it, damn right I'd be first in line for one. I only feel this way because of a story that hit very close to home for me. One of my best friends' dad, who was forced to get the vaccine for work, died abruptly from complications of the heart, said to have been caused by the vaccine. Knowing what we now know about the disease, it is very possible he would've been very capable of fighting covid without it, and that is why I feel so unsettled by the need for such a thing to be forced upon a person with how quickly of a testing turn around it had.  

Although I know I will forever be someone who pushes vaccines on their kids, I do feel for the groups being called crazy because they feel the vaccines are harmful to our bodies. That is why I feel everybody needs to stand by what they believe and let the other side do what they want as well. Nobody should feel hateful for someone just because they choose to do something that does have inherent risks involved. For example just because you jump off a 100 ft cliff just because a lion is chasing you, doesn't mean you are any more in the right than the guy who stayed on top of the cliff to try to fight the lion because they know the jump is dangerous. Either way, you look at it, both sides have their risks, and that is the reality of anything in life. People just have to find a way to express their feelings without causing mass hysteria for one group or another.