The ability to vaccinate children to prevent disease is, without a doubt, one of the greatest medical breakthroughs to be achieved by mankind. According to a study at the Pediatric Academic Society, child vaccinations have prevented about 10.5 million cases of infectious disease and have saved about 33,000 lives per year since they were implemented. These vaccinations are now required for a child to attend a state public school. However, many parents believe that immunization should not be mandatory to enroll their children in public schools due to the fact that some parents hold religious beliefs that their children cannot be vaccinated or are subjecting their children to perilous circumstances when vaccinating their children. Although many people are under the assumption that vaccinating children should not be required, the reality is that they should be required to not only maintain a healthy ecosystem in which disease is not a factor, but also because the advantages and benefits that are produced from child vaccination greatly outweigh the detriments that come as well.

The task of getting vaccinated is something that most of us, if not all of us, have undertaken over the course of our lives. It is likely that we all have memories of going to the doctor, having them give us a shot and crying, but getting a lollipop or a sticker in the end. These shots are filled with a vaccine for a particular strain of disease, except the strain of disease is weakened to allow our immune systems to create antibodies for them, preventing later disease. Although we dreaded getting them, they are an essential part of keeping children healthy and breathing. Many parents, however, believe that these shots are dangerous and the substance within brings the risk of their child contracting autism after getting a vaccination.

As with everything in the world, there are always risks. Randomness is a fundamental constant in the universe and no one can be completely sure about anything for something can possibly go wrong in all situations. It is argued that since vaccines sometimes can cause brain inflammation that vaccines are a direct link to autism and brain damage. However, researchers at both the Center for Disease Control and John Hopkins University of Public health reject the idea that vaccinations cause autism and go as far as to say that “ [the] theory of vaccine-related causation is scientifically unsupportable.” Many researchers have ruled out that vaccinations have a link with children developing autism or suffering from brain damage and refute the idea that vaccinations have anything to do with the diagnosis of autism. Although many professionals agree that vaccinations have no relation to autism or brain damage, the belief that they do continues to turn parents away from vaccination along with their religious beliefs.

Religion has played a vital role in society since the beginning of time and it is estimated that 84 percent of the world population is involved with some kind of faith (Jennifer Harper). Faith is something that is regularly practiced and studied by many people in the world. This being said, some religions prevent certain parents to vaccinate their children because of the belief that “disease is a naturally occurring thing and humans have no right interfering with it.” However, many religious parents still choose to vaccinate their children for the sake of keeping their kids well and maintaining a safe environment because no single individual should have the right to jeopardize the health of the general public just to satisfy their own personal beliefs.

Many people only take the initiative to do something if they are directly being affected by something or are almost assuredly going to be affected by something. A large number of people are under the assumption that getting a vaccination is unnecessary due to the fact that the risk of getting infected is so small. However, that is far from the truth. Although the chance for infection was small because of vaccinations, in 2014, the CDC reported the largest measles outbreak in 18 years affecting 129 people in 13 states across the nation (Bernstein,). This could not have been anticipated because there had not been nearly as many reported cases since 1996, but it came as a surprise and devastated the lives of many people and many families. A devastation that could have been entirely prevented had the affected people gotten the vaccinations that would have prevented their illness.

The economy is something that we all rely on because that is what controls how much we make and how hard it is to get by. Vaccines are a major contributor to our healthy economy as they produce significant positive benefits for our economy. According to a study by the CDC, for every $1 spent on vaccination related procedures, the public saves $6.30 worth of medical fees that would be saved from treating those who got infected from not getting a vaccine. Getting a vaccination could not only save your life, but could also save you a large sum of money as well.

Vaccination is a massive innovation achieved by mankind and should not be overlooked. These simple injections have the potential to save tens of thousands of lives every single year and make the world a safer place in general to be in. Vaccinations are able to create an environment where children are not susceptible to the diseases that would have taken many lives in the previous decades and will allow them to blossom to their full potential. It is important that vaccinations are required because children are the future and protecting the future of humanity should be the prime concern of people today. They may cost some money and the risk to be infected may be low to start with, however, the chance should not be taken since there are human lives on the line, particularly the lives of our future.