The Risks and Benefits of Vaccinations

This week the Disability Living blog is discussing vaccinations. Most people would agree that vaccines are medical advancements that have been world changing and have spared the lives of an untold number of people. Still, there has been much controversy over the risks of vaccines. Do the risks of vaccines outweigh the benefits? Read on to develop your opinion.

The benefits of vaccinations

Vaccines have many benefits. Most importantly, they help people not to develop infectious diseases and illness, and sometimes they even save lives. In some cases, the widespread use of vaccinations has caused infectious diseases to disappear. For example, polio is a disease that used to claim the lives of thousands. Now, because of vaccines, polio is virtually extinct. A major factor in this extinction of polio is the fact that a great number of people have been vaccinated against it. In general, it may be safe to say that vaccines are a major benefit to society. However, there are some unpleasant side effects that can accompany vaccines.

Do vaccines have any risks?

It’s clear that vaccines have many benefits. But what are their risks/side effects? Here are a few of the risks and side effects that can come with being vaccinated:

– Many vaccinations have side effects, such as swelling, pain, redness, etc.
– Some people who are vaccinated experience nausea, headaches, and fevers.

Read more about the risks of being vaccinated at http://www.webmd.com/lifetime-of-vaccines/benefits-risks and http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/vaccinations/Pages/benefits-and-risks.aspx.

It’s worth noting that some individuals are simply not able to be vaccinated.

Vaccines: do the benefits outweigh the risks?

Some people are adamantly against vaccines. However, probably the majority of medical doctors believe that the benefits of vaccines far outweigh the risks. What do you believe? Should all individuals who are able be vaccinated? Why or why not? We are interested in knowing your opinion, so leave a comment on this Disability Living blog post today. Thanks for your feedback!