The current fight over vaccines is getting pretty silly. No, it wouldn’t surprise me if, at some point, there was a component to vaccines that triggered autism, but how many more countless lives have they saved? Where would we be without vaccines for measles, malaria, flu, etc? (Well, we’d have a less-populated world, that’s for damn sure!) It’s a little scary to see people out there out-right rejecting all sorts of vaccines, simply because there’s a fear that someone might have a remote chance of having an adverse reaction.
Of course, there are other, stupid, controversies over vaccines. Like the one recommended to girls that can help prevent cervical cancer. (Thought to be caused by the human papillomavirus.) In this day and age, where girls are becoming sexually active younger and younger, one would think parents might want to better protect their children. Instead, mothers and fathers claim they are somehow giving their kids a golden ticket to have sex, simply by giving them the vaccine. (Which, is incredibly poor logic.)
On the other hand, why not let people decide for themselves whether or not to get vaccinated? Survival of the fittest, right? If people are so convinced that vaccines are so evil, fine, let them not accept the vaccines. I’m not convinced I want to see their genes passed down to the next generation, anyways.
I think there are some vaccines that have way too many side effects to justify taking the vaccination, like the ones being used by the military to prevent anthrax and a miriad of other diseases. I do, however, feel that there are some vaccines (measles, mumps, smallpox, etc) that still have a place in society to be taken. I, myself, am not a huge believer in the flu vaccinations handed out each year. The one time I took the shot, I got the flu. Whether it be coincidence or not, experience can play a huge role in who believes in vaccines and who doesn’t. I do know that I’ve not been sick with the flu since, and I’ve never taken another flu shot.