The Choice to Vaccinate Your Child: Good or Bad?

Whether or not to vaccinate your child nowadays is a very pressing and demanding social issue.

An article from Forbes.com on February 1, 2015 presents the attached chart that states there were "84 cases of measles in 14 states and 1 outbreak representing 64% of cases that year." The overwhelming part of this is that the measles vaccine basically eliminated the disease in the year 2000 and in 2014 alone there were 644 reported cases of measles; leading up to be the most we've had in two decades; just in one year. Yes, I said the vaccine eliminated measles because, until people stopped vaccinating themselves, the outbreaks were triggered due to people traveling abroad and bringing it back home. Schools are now starting to send unvaccinated kids home, hoping to encourage parents to vaccinate their children or to homeschool them if they do not vaccinate.

Now I just want everyone to think back to history where there were no vaccinations. A time where people had absolutely no say if and when they and their children got sick. They had no vaccinations, and people died because of that. They were not as developed in the medicinal field as we are now. History does repeat itself, but it's worse when we have means to prevent it.

People against vaccines are adamant in the efforts of spreading misinformation (either that or they truly do not know) despite compelling and eye-opening scientific evidence explaining why vaccines are beneficial to our health.

Here are some common false claims about vaccinations:

• Vaccines cause Autism- Autism is something you are born with and no you do not always notice it right away that is why it is diagnosed in different stages of life.
• Natural immunity is all you need. It isn’t. Measles infects 90% of people exposed to it unless they are vaccinated.
• The preservative thimerosal in vaccines causes autism.- It doesn't
• A healthy lifestyle will prevent diseases like the measles- While a healthy lifestyle is always good, it does not solve every problem, maybe the common cold.

I am not here to tell you what is right and what's wrong. I am just here to express my opinion as well as the facts about the topics I write about. I would like to add that my opinions are based solely on facts. I would also like to ask you all to keep the comments clean and try not to tell others how to live their lives. It is okay to write why you agree or disagree with my stance or to provide me with some extra information that I can have for the future. Just simply be nice. If you cannot be mature adults, to me or to each other, I will remove your comment no questions asked. I am okay with a little debate here and there as well.

Thank you for reading my opinions column and I hope you all come back for more!