Vaccination debate Essay Example for Free

Vaccination debate Essay People ought to have a right not to vaccinate their kids, even if refusal to do so puts one’s own kids at risk, along with other people’s children. Do you agree? Childhood immunisation must be one of the most significant public health advances in medical history. Thanks to vaccines, children and teens that have been immunised would not have to experience the abhorrent epidemics like polio, mumps, measles and smallpox the older generations did. While it is safe to assume vaccines are here to stay, critics have presented damning yet unverified accounts of the ineffectiveness and harmful side effects of vaccinations urging parents to second guess their choice to immunise their child. The act of immunisation itself is the process of equipping one’s immune system with an immunological memory by introducing a weakened foreign molecule to the body that orchestrates an immune response that the body later uses to protect itself against an attack by said foreign molecule. Immunisation has been under constant fire since its inception in the late 1700’s with the introduction of the smallpox vaccine. People believed that the smallpox vaccine could literally turn vaccinated people into cows because the vaccination for smallpox was inducted from cows (William and Gunn, 2004): There was a famous Gilray cartoon [of vaccinated people sprouting cow heads in] 1804, which I always interpreted as people just being concerned about the source or purity of the vaccine. But they weren’t. They were concerned that they or their children would actually turn into cows. (Melnick, 2011) This proves that people’s views in regards to the ineffectiveness of immunisa tion are not always logical thus bringing to light the question of whether or not parents should be allowed to decide to or not to vaccinate their children, bearing in mind parental and social responsibilities. Parents should have the right to be aware of all the risks and advantages involved and understand for themselves that the pros far exceed the cons. People tend to be misled, in the scurry to do the best for their children, by other parents and antivaccine activists who base their beliefs on unproven, board dismissed studies and theories. One such theory brought to life by a British gastroenterologist Andrew Wakefield who claimed to have discovered a strong co relationship between the MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) Vaccine and autism: Wakefield based his conclusions on a case  study of a dozen children who’d been brought to his clinic at the Royal Free Hospital in London. Almost immediately, Wakefield’s research methods and his interpretations, which had been published in the medical journal The Lancet, came under fire. Wakefield’s response was to appeal to the public rather than to his colleagues: The medical establishment was so determined to discredit him, he said, because he threatened their hegemony by taking parents’ concerns seriously. The media took the bait, and despite Wakefield’s lack of proof and his track record of dubious assertions and unverified lab results, they began churning out stories about how a maverick doctor was trying to protect innocent children from corrupt politicians and a rapacious pharmaceutical industry. Within months, vaccination rates across Western Europe began to fall. (Mnookin, 2011) Wakefield’s research was based on a very minuscule percentage of the entire population thus rendering unreliable. Despite the G.M.C’s (General Medical Council) dismissal of his studies, Wakefield utilised the media to manipulate paranoid, confused, gullible parents into depriving their children of the MMR vaccine. As a result, incident rates for two out of the three diseases increased significantly in the UK rising from 56 confirmed cases in 1998 to 449 cases within the first five months of the year 2006 with the first death since 1992. (Asaria and MacMohan, 2006) Since the wake of Wakefield’s MMR-Autism theory, issues have been raised linking thimerosal (a preservative containing ethyl mercury) to the cause of autism. Mercury is a known neurological hazard but the quantity of mercury present in vaccines then were ‘around 50micrograms 0.5 per-ml dose’ (Biba, 2009) which was ‘far short of toxic.’ Although the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) and the American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) publicly suggested the subtraction of a mercury-based preservative called thimerosal from childhood shots in 1999 (Mnookin, 2011), the CDC has found no relationship between the MMR vaccine and autism after conducting scientific studies. (CDC Factsheet, 2004) (Melnick, 2011)Unsatisfied with the provided information parents tend to overlook proven statistics and rather look to their inner circles or celebrities with no knowledge of the background science, that have been given inappropriate media attention and ‘who have no new or credible data, and for which their assumptions and hypotheses have  been discredited.’ (Poland, 2011) They risk contracting a vaccine preventable disease to avoid a different health issue they believe the vaccinations themselves will cause proving to be a dire lose-lose situation. ‘Such individuals are denialists at best and dangerous at worst.’ In addition to the autism scare, parents also worry about a concept known as ‘immuno- overload.’ This is when some believe, the injection of multiple immunogens (foreign agents) in one vaccine or even spread out, may overwhelm the immune system of a toddler/child. (Hilton, Petticrew and Hunt, 2006). This however isn’t accurate: Children are given vaccines at a young age because this is when they are most vulnerable to certain diseases. Newborn babies are immune to some diseases because they have antibodies given to them from their mothers. However, this immunity only lasts a few months. Further, most young children do not have maternal immunity to diphtheria, whooping cough, polio, tetanus, hepatitis B, or Hib. If a child is not vaccinated and is exposed to a disease, the childs body may not be strong enough to fight the disease. An infant’s immune system is more than ready to respond to the very small number of weakened and killed infectious agents (antige ns) in vaccines. (CDC FAQ) Parents are drawing their own conclusions of the importance of immunisation. They presume certain vaccines are no longer necessary because there is no longer a threat. This is absolutely bogus. It is because of the vaccines the diseases that once swept out children and adults alike in the millions, are now invisible. If even a few parents stop vaccinating their children these diseases could resurface. (Biba, 2009) This generation of the pre-Wakefield, dubious parents, who have mostly been immunised themselves, have not witnessed the true calamity of the diseases the vaccines they withhold from their children, prevent. They have a diminished sense of urgency for vaccination. (Hilton, Petticrew and Hunt, 2006) Instead they choose to believe ‘†¦anti-vaccine books claim that all shots are bad, the diseases arent really anything to fear, and as long as you live a natural and healthy lifestyle, you dont have to worry. I think this is a very irresponsible approach to the vaccine issue. Vaccines are beneficial in ridding our population of both serious and non-serious diseases.’(Sears, 2011) Parents ultimately have a duty towards their children, but also have a social responsibility as a citizen. They have a right to be conscientiously involved in their child’s health and welfare. But as most parents choose to ignore the unbiased scientific studies that have been conducted, consult the internet for vaccine information. Anybody who has access to a computer has the liberty to free float their own thesis’ ridiculous or not, which appease to the parents unsatisfied with factual evidence which has become a serious cause for concern. (Haase, 2012) Combined with the self-reinforcing nature of online communities and a content-starved, cash-poor journalistic culture that gravitates toward neat narratives at the expense of messy truths, this disdain for actualities has led to a world with increasingly porous boundaries between facts and beliefs, a world in which individualized notions of reality, no matter how bizarre or irrational, are repeatedly validated. (Mnookin , 2011) Obviously, the more kids who are vaccinated, the better our country is protected and the less likely it is that any child will die from a disease. Some parents, however, arent willing to risk the very rare side effects of vaccines, so they choose to skip the shots. Their children benefit from herd immunity (the protection of all the vaccinated kids around them) without risking the vaccines themselves. Is this selfish? Perhaps. But as parents you have to decide. (Sears, 2001) Parents may justify their decision to deny their child of immunisation over the illusion that it is for their own good, by riding on the herd immunity for protection. But with more and more parents succumbing to the bystander apathy, the levels of herd immunity thins resulting in ominous consequences. (John and Samuel, 2000) In reference to the question at hand, it is beneficial for the health of society that laws are passed to make compulsory the immunisation of children given the vaccinations are meticulously researched and tested for safety and effectiveness thus disagreeing with the statement provided. Vaccinations are a medical gift to the progressing world and should thus be taken advantage of. If you want to save your child from polio, you can pray or you can inoculate. Choose science. (Sagan, 1997) Bibliography William, S., Gunn, A (2004) The Surgeon’s Word- Vaccination. World Journal of Surgery. DOI:0.1007/s00268-003-7346-4 Melnick, M. ( 2011, February) The Dangers of the Antivaccine Movement. (Conversation with Dr. Paul Offit, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases and the director of the Vaccine Education Centre at the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia.) Time Magazine Retrieved from: http://content.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2053517,00.html Mnookin, S. (2011) The Panic Virus. New York, NY. Simon and Schuster. Retrieved from: http://books.google.com.au/books?id=mxqVQQMZzFcCprintsec=frontcoverdq=The+Panic+Virushl=ensa=Xei=jV5FU5yJE8jVkgXogIHwAgved=0CDUQ6AEwAQ#v=onepageq=The%20Panic%20Virusf=false Asaria, P., MacMahon, E. (2006) Measles in the United Kingdom: Can we eradicate it by 2010? BMJ 333 (7574): 890-5. DOI:10.1136/bmj.38989.445845.7C Biba, E. (2009, October) How to Win an Argument About Vaccines. Wired Magazine Retrieved from: http://www.wired.com/2009/10/ff_waronscience_argument/#corrections CDC Fact Sheet. (2004) MMR vaccine and autism-CDC (measles, mumps, and rubella). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Retrieved from: http://www.in.gov/isdh/files/MMR_VaccineAutismFacts.pdf. Poland, G. A. (2011) MMR Vaccine and Autism: Vaccine Nihilism and Postmodern Science. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 86(9): 869–871. DOI: 10.4065/mcp.2011.0467 Retrieved from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3257990/?tool=pmcentrezreport=abstract Hilton, S., Petticrew, M., Hunt, K. (2006) ‘Combined Vaccines are like a sudden onslaught to the body’s immune system’: Parental concerns about vaccine ‘overload’ and ‘immune-vulnerability’. Elsevier. DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2006.03.003 CDC Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/vaccines/multiplevaccines.html#6 Sears, R. (2011) The Vaccine Book: Making the Right decision for Your Child New York, N. Y, Little, Brown Haase, N., (2012) Parents Trust Other Parents: Lay Vaccination Narratives on the Web May Create Doubt about Vaccination Safety. Sage Publications. DOI: 10.1177/0272989X12445286 John, T. J., Samuel, R. (2000) Herd immunity and herd effect: New insights and definitions. Eur. J. Epidemiol. 16 (7): 604-6. DOI:10.1023/A:1007626510002 Sagan, C. (1997) The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark. Ballentine Books New York Scheibner, V. (1998) Vaccination: The Hidden Truth (Documentary Video). Taycare Private Limited Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqsT5EoIk8U#t=34

the development of slavery in America :: Slavery Essays

Slavery was the main resource used in the Chesapeake tobacco plantations. The conditions in the Chesapeake region were difficult, which lead to malnutrition, disease, and even death. Slaves were a cheap and an abundant resource, which could be easily replaced at any time. The Chesapeake region’s tobacco industries grew and flourished on the intolerable and inhumane acts of slavery. Chesapeake colonies of Virginia and Maryland were settled in the early 17th century. It was a difficult live for the first colonist; they had limited labor and were constantly raided by Native Americans. Colonist tried to use the Native Americans as a source of slavery. Most of the colonist’s farms were by forest areas so Native Americans would just leave in to the woods. Colonists were afraid of pressuring them from the fear of getting ambushed by gangs of Native Americans. Another reason Native Americans men made bad slaves was because the women in the tribes did the agricultural work in the Native American villages. Colonist started to import slaves from South America in hopes that they would live longer and be more manageable to control. The slaves that were imported were trained past their first year of slavery, so that they would not die as fast. The first imported slaves came to America in the early 17th century. When they received the slaves they found out some of them were baptized, and were under the Christian religion. So they could not be treat as slaves under the religion so they were turned into indentured servants. There were very few vague laws on slavery, but it was always a permanent servitude. At first slaves had limited right, and were aloud to own land, after their period of slavery was over. They were allowed to marry and have children. The slaves kids that were born while they were enslaved were not consider to be slaves, but to be free under the law. Indentured Servants helped the colonies progress their population. England at the time was over populated, and jobs were hard to find. So many people that could not afford the boat trip over to America offered themselves as to be an indentured servant for a period of time. This contractual term can last from between four to seven years. Many colonists preferred having indentured servants over slaves, cause they also helped ward off Native Americans from attacking settlers. The one big draw back of indentured servant was that they usually did not make it pass the first year of their contract.

He investigated the case with great care… Essay

This sentence introduces Dr Roylott as a unlawful, therefore he is easily a suspect as his bad history reflects his bad character. It also shows in the story that she did not have a happy life living with her stepfather as he was not a very pleasant man. As a detective he deduces who killed Julia, he works it out by studying all the facts he has got, he asks many questions to uncover more clues and to crack the mystery, â€Å"I believe Mr Holmes you already made up your mind†. This suggests that Sherlock Holmes after gathering the information has decided who is tom blame and knows what to expect, this creates mystery and tension because this again has engaged the reader as if Sherlock has come to a conclusion using the clues and information then they could also solve it, this makes them read on because if they have an answer in mind, they want to read on to find the truth. Helen explains the mysterious death, in such depth; this creates tension because the reader wants to know how all the clues can be linked up to solve the mystery. Sherlock asks questions about the bell rope and the saucer of milk, this creates tensions as it hints to the reader that these clues are somehow have a connection to the mystery as he is interested in these objects for a reason. Doyle builds tensions through Dr Roylott as he is portrayed as the villain from the beginning, as Helen is describing him, â€Å"a series of disgraceful brawls took place†¦ until at last he became the terror of the village†¦ † this sentence creates more tensions as he is represented as the bad character, however the gypsies are also mentioned in the story, there is also a light chance they may be to blame as they are stereotyped as people who are ill mannered and have no respect and also there are many clues linked to the gypsies being the villain, â€Å"Sometimes I have thought that it was merely the wild talk of delirium, sometimes that it may have referred to some band of people. I do not know whether the spotted handkerchiefs which so many of them wear over their heads might have suggested the strange adjectives which she used†. This quote adds mystery as the gypsies also fit the character of the villain, ill mannered, violent and also fit in the clues. Dr Roylott is portrayed also as an unattractive man, â€Å"a large face seared with a thousand wrinkles and marked with every evil passion was turned from one the other of us while his deepset blue eyes and his high thin fleshless nose gave him somewhat the resemblance to a fierce old bird of prey†, this sentence refer to him as ugly, this reflects his behaviour as he has not got the best personality and also is being described to an animal, a prey is associated with fierce and a negative creature. Dr Roylott is shown as such a ferocious person with such bad characteristics, it would be almost as if ‘his character and appearances fitted the crime’, however even if Dr Roylott is the villain, the reader is more engaged to the story as they still have questions unanswered, what is the speckled band? If Dr Roylott killed Julia, what is the reason? , and the most important and infamous question in the story, how was she killed? The resemblance to a fierce old prey is used this makes Dr Roylott look like an evil person as preys are associated and linked with negative feelings and imagery, it also says, â€Å"A thousand wrinkles and marked with every evil passion, burned yellow with the sun†, this description makes him appear old but yet fierce at the same time. It says in the sentence that his face is marked with every evil passion; this may be a hint from Doyle as only as an evil person would carry out such an evil act. The description affects the reader as he is portrayed as a stereotypical villain throughout the story. This creates tension and mystery as he is revealed as such a violent and aggressive man, there is a fear towards him as he has an ‘uncontrollable temper’ which is shown throughout the story, and this causes the reader to be uncomfortable as he is still on the loose and therefore could easily harm Helen. Doyle uses language to create mystery and tension through the story by Sherlock asking questions, which make the reader think how the questions are relevant to the mystery. â€Å"Was your sister dressed? † this creates tension as the readers mind will immediately start wondering how this question will makes Holmes any closer to solving the mystery. Doyle also creates tension in this quote, â€Å"and what conclusion did the coroner come to? † He investigated the case with great care†¦ † this creates mystery as even the coroner found the death as a mystery, this makes the reader have hope in Holmes to find out and succeed, also this quote continues by saying all entrances to Julia’s room was locked or shut therefore her death must have been caused by something or someone in her room, but the mystery still remains, what got in to her room and how it entered the room? In the story gypsies play a part, were there gypsies in the plantation at this time? This quote shows that there is a small possibility the gypsies could be to blame, as they have an infamous character and attitude throughout the Victorian times and the story. Also the title ‘the adventure of the speckled band’ and how could this relate to the mystery. Holmes figured out that Dr Roylott is also violent towards Helen, â€Å"Five little livid spots the marks of four fingers and a thumb were printed upon the white wrist† this shows Helen is trying not to reveal Dr Roylott as a bad person, this may show that maybe in her mind Julia may know inside her that her step father is to blame however does not want to face the facts that he fits the perfect villain. Also the people Dr Roylott gets along with are the gypsies, this may show the reader his personality as he gets along with low class, bad mannered people, this may reflect his character. â€Å"he had no friends at all save the wandering gypsies†, quote shows that he is unpleasant to anyone either, he gets along with gypsies , gypsies re associated with ill mannered and rude behaviour and have got a bad label in society in the Victorian time and in the modern day society. Doyle adds repetition on the clues as it adds emphasis also he may use repetition to give the reader that the clue he is repeating has an importance to the story. He repeats to Helen the importance of how he needs to know the full details. Helen’s speech includes a variety of descriptive writing. â€Å"there burst forth the wild scream of a terrified women,† this quote adds tension as Julia screamed before her death therefore something must have caused her to scream. â€Å"I seemed to hear a low whistle†, this quote adds tension as the reader has no clue what this whistle could be but is definitely linked to the mystery, an also the metal clanging sound causes tension as the reader cannot suspect how the noises intervene with the death. â€Å"Her face blanched with terror, her hands groping for help†, in this sentence it uses a sense of imagery as you can imagine what state Julia is in, and the tension gets built as the reader is eager to find out how did she end up in such a dreadful state. â€Å"She stabbed her finger into the air in the direction of the doctor’s room†, this sentence is a big clue that her death is obviously related to Dr Roylott’s room or she would never have pointed towards his room. When Dr Roylott is inspecting the room, this has a great importance to the story as this part of the story slowly unveils the important clues to solve the mystery. When Holmes is inspecting the room he finds out about the ventilator and wonders if this links with Julia’s death. He works out that Dr Roylott has a cheetah living in his room as there is a saucer of milk and a leash. The part of the story where the reader fears fro Helen is when she returns home after visiting Sherlock Holmes, the reader is informed about Dr Roylott’s anger and are worried what Dr Roylott may do to Helen when she returns home. Towards the end of the story the mystery is solved, Dr Roylott had been training the deadliest snake in India to climb through the ventilator and to return when hearing a whistling noise. The speckled band relates to the snake as the snake had a ‘particular yellow band with brownish speckles’. At the end of the story the reader feels relieved that Dr Roylott has been caught and also that he is dead, so he cannot cause any more trouble to anyone the villagers or any more distress to Helen. This is a typical ending as the villain is caught and is dead, therefore cannot continue to cause any more misery.He investigated the case with great care†¦Thahmeena Miah English Miss Limb Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Arthur Conan Doyle section.

Module of Career Coaching Personal Development Free Essay Example, 3000 words

Every lecture of this course helped me discover something new about myself, and at the end, I could not help noticing how little I previously knew about myself. Learning this course has made me more aware of my weaknesses, strengths, and the opportunities that I await me. Concisely, I have always considered myself to be a very optimistic, determined, organized, and expressive person. Nevertheless, in the past, I have had a bad perception of my physicality, which made me appear to have a low self-esteem. However, this module has assisted me to realize the importance of self-image and ways to improve it and I now have a better self-esteem. I believe that learning this course has enabled me to realize my uniqueness and potential since I now have an idea of areas I need to focus on. Career-wise, I have always wished to work in a bank or in retail management as a manager since I am optimistic, likes dealing with numbers as well as people and am also organized which are essential qualitie s for management. However, learning this course has expanded my views and I realized that I would still be happy in other professions such as entrepreneurship so long as they entailed serving people and taking chances. My Strength: I think my strength is that I am more focused than I was last semester and I am determined to work harder to achieve better grades this semester. We will write a custom essay sample on Module of Career Coaching & Personal Development or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page Other than the guidelines on how to keep the weekly records of the lectures covered, explanations on reflection and some basics on career management were given. I have always wondered why some people look so unhappy a few years after getting into what they considered their childhood dream careers. I was happy to get a clue that this results from poor career management strategies and other aspects such as fear of criticism as well as incapability to adapt to changes.