The Controversies Surrounding Vaccinations

How would one feel if given the opportunity for a chance to increase their health from potential and existing diseases, viruses and illnesses? The gimmick? It’s exactly as introduced before; a chance. One would not know how their body would respond, but possibilities of how the medicine works and the ambiguity of what it causes and prevents. This is how most people in my community feel about receiving vaccinations. Some people believe that they are a part of the political agenda to control the population and others may believe it is a privilege Americans receive for almost free of cost that not only increases your health, but may put the country in debt. No matter the outcome, this is a national controversy that will continue to develop along with the study of medicine. To understand better, we will dive into the history, beneficial intentions, oppositions and the consequences of this dilemma.

The history of vaccinations date all the way back to smallpox in 1796. Dr. Edward Jenner used materials to make an immunity solution for humans. As technology and medicine increased over centuries, so did his cure which eventually led to the extermination of smallpox. (“The History of Vaccines,” 2021). Fast forward to today, scientists are able provide free vaccinations to citizens (some of which are required at birth by the government) which can be an indication to their success rates.

Secondly, to understand how vaccines relate to public health we must understand the intention of each vaccine. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2021), “vaccines are a preparation that is used to stimulate the body’s immune response against diseases”. Vaccines are a way to decrease the number of illnesses and deaths in the world. Public health officials have designed ways to ensure humanity is vaccinated during the most recent pandemic; CoVid19 also known as the Coronavirus. The Coronavirus is a virus that effects the respiratory system and may cause serious complications for those who have immunocompromised systems. (World Health Organization, 2022) Operations in place to ensure the safety and health of people, involve quarantining if they are in close proximity with someone exposed to the virus. This also includes vaccinated everyone. Also, public health officials have made receiving he vaccination not only free, but accessible to people at home, at work, where they learn, where they gather and sending reminders via social media outlets. 

Next, though intentions of health officials may be with the greater good of the human race, not everyone feels this way. My community consists of majority brown people. As a culture, we have not had the best of luck or outcome within the health system pertaining to vaccinations. In 1932, physicians from the Public Health Service conducted what was known as the Tuskegee Syphilis Study on 600 African American men with the promise of free health care. However, the participants were not informed of the treatment they were receiving but told it was to treat “bad blood” (Nix, 2017) which was a term used for a vague variety of ailments. Men were denied treatment for the effects of the experiment and many died. This is one of the examples that led to a large distrust in the health system. A lot of the information given about vaccines are too vague and contradicting and lead to some people not participating in them. In 1976, Madrigal. v Quilligan was a case that involved a Hispanic woman suing the hospital that performed an “unauthorized sterilization” on her after the birth of her second child. (Library of Congress, 2022) She signed paperwork while being heavily medicated and informed the health her baby would be at risks. If not due to fear or mistrust, some people reserve the right to dictate what happens to their bodies. This year, over 800 employees have been fired in Washington, D.C. for refusing the vaccination mandate. (Segraves, 2022)

On the contrary, there are a vast majority of people who believe in vaccinations and the agenda that public health officials are pushing to increase the number of Americans that are vaccinated each year. A lot of people get vaccinated to prevent illnesses from spreading and it allows them different opportunities amongst those who have not been. This year, those who were vaccinated were afforded the opportunity to travel internationally and attend public outings. This ultimately led to businesses requiring vaccination proof to participate in their establishments. Public health officials have created programs such as “Vaccinate in Confidence” as ways to promote the benefits of being vaccinated along with the development of the vaccination and its effectiveness. (CDC, 2022)

Lastly, the consequences of this issue will continue to develop a country that is divided and potentially more at risks. If people participate in vaccinations to increase their health and they work, they have now gained the opportunities to be amongst humanity and influence others to do so to increase the population and develop modern medicine for the future. This puts those who have different opinions to be more at risk. However, if those that have reservations about being vaccinated are right and are ultimately the majority, that leaves for a great amount of people to be deceased and a situation where scientists are forced to go back to the drawing board. Just like classism, racism and societal stature, this creates another divide between Americans where some groups are more privileged-or believe that they are-than others and therefore take measures into their own hands and used the privileges they have into their advantage.
References

Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Vaccinate in Confidence-Immunization: The Basics
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/imz-basics.htm
Nix, E. (2017, May). History Stories, Tuskegee Experiment: The Infamous Syphilis Study
Library of Congress, A Latinx Resource Guide: Civil Rights Cases and Event in the United States
https://guides.loc.gov/latinx-civil-rights/madrigal-v-quilligan
Segraves, M. (2022, January). NBC Washington, Coronavirus Pandemic: 800+ Employees Face Suspension, firing for failure to get vaccines
https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/coronavirus/local-impact/800-dc-employees-face-suspension-firing-for-failure-to-get-vaccines/2927222/
The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, The History of Vaccines: All Timelines Overview
https://www.historyofvaccines.org/timeline#EVT_covid-001
World Health Organization, Coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/covid-19-vaccines