New parents are regularly advised to bring their children in for vaccinations. Children can get vaccines for everything from measles to chicken pox, although the latter is rarely given these days. The purpose of the vaccine is to prevent the child from developing a potentially life-threatening disease. The practice has been around for much longer than most people would believe, with records of ancient Chinese doctors administering vaccinations against chicken pox and polio. However, there is also a lesser-known dark side to the many benefits of vaccination. Some vaccines, especially those given to children, can cause side effects. While most of these side effects are mundane and can be safely ignored in most cases, some circumstances require attention.
A recent example is reporting that various measles vaccines cause juvenile diabetes in children who have been given them. The research that was done eliminated all other possible factors during their study, which led them to find that the only thing left in common was that all the children give the same vaccine. Naturally, the only logical conclusion for them was that the development of diabetes was one of the possible side effects of the vaccine. The research team took the time to compare the relevant statistics and found that as the use of this vaccine increased, so did the number of children who developed diabetes. Whether this is a specific link is only hinted at, but this is not the first time vaccine side effects reported.
Various children who were vaccinated ended up developing something they didn't have. Adverse effects vary from case to case, but the most common form of damage tends to come in the form of impaired mental health and stability. One child was reported to develop psychosis and several minor neurological disorders due to a reaction the vaccine caused with certain parts of his central nervous system. It's not very certain how this happened, but several theories explored.
Genetics tout as big a factor as the vaccines themselves, but this opens up a whole new can of worms. There is ample evidence to suggest that many side effects are caused by the vaccine itself, but by the interaction of vaccine components with certain genetic factors. Some genes make it more likely that a person will develop side effects when certain compounds are in vaccines. It is debatable whether these people risk more by keeping the vaccine than by ignoring it and letting nature take its course.
There is currently a debate about whether it should be compulsory for parents to vaccinate their children. The advantages of such a thing are clear. Children will be protected from various diseases that would otherwise be difficult or expensive to treat, making it an economically sound decision. However, this also puts a small percentage of people with genetic vulnerabilities at risk. Is putting them at unnecessary risk worth preventing disease in the rest of the population? Would compulsory vaccination be considered a violation of parental rights? The research that was done eliminated all other possible factors during their study, which led them to find that the only thing left in common was that all the children give the same vaccine. Naturally, the only logical conclusion for them was that the development of diabetes was one of the possible side effects of the vaccine. The research team took the time to compare the relevant statistics and found that as the use of this vaccine increased, so did the number of children who developed diabetes. Whether this is a specific link is only hinted at, but this is not the first time vaccine side effects reported.
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