As the world waits for a vaccine to free us from COVID-19 isolation, the question arises as to whether or not everyone will even take the vaccine when it becomes commercially available. Today I explore why vaccines are so crucial, as well as the harmful mindset behind vaccine refusal.

For a society to function smoothly, everyone must do his or her part. We have to be conscious of those around us while taking care of ourselves and the people close to us. Therefore we can not routinely act with selfish intent if we wish to gain overall societal betterment. With this in mind, it becomes clear how refusing to vaccinate yourself or your children threatens the safety and functionality of society. With an abundance of science justifying the need to vaccinate, it is troubling that the anti-vaxxer movement still has any momentum. To better reveal the false beliefs behind anti-vaxxer convictions, it’s critical to discover just why vaccination is so crucial to a healthy community.

First of all, vaccines protect individuals. They inject harmful agents into the body to build up immunization against said disease and thus protect the person being vaccinated from contracting it in full. Vaccines prepare the immune system for battle, providing critical bodily aid in fighting off diseases. And if you take a look at the history of vaccines, it’s abundantly clear that the emergence of vaccines has radically altered the livelihood of humanity. Amongst the most important vaccines developed over the centuries have been those for smallpox, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, tetanus, hepatitis A & B, certain influenzas, HPV, and more. What does this mean? It means we no longer have to live in a world where children die from polio or measles. It means that not only does life expectancy rise, but so does the quality of life. And this is all thanks to the powers of invention and science.

The usage of vaccines was historically reserved for children, though adult vaccination has now become both commonplace and necessary. For example, the Tdap vaccine is an improvement of the tetanus booster and should be given to all adults, especially those who are around infants. This vaccine can prevent adults from unknowingly passing along pertussis, which can lead to infant fatality. Surely anti-vaxxers aren’t opposed to saving the lives of infants. Well, vaccines are needed to do so. Reaching a herd immunity is highly important to protect those too immunocompromised, young, or old to receive vaccinations. The idea behind herd mentality is that a population with high enough levels of immune individuals will be able to curb the spread of a contagious disease. The best way to achieve this state, without risking people getting sick and dying to achieve immunity, is through vaccination. Therefore, in addition to vaccinating for ourselves, we must do so for others. Vaccination can in some ways be considered a civic duty.

This brings us to anti-vaxxers, people who refuse to obtain vaccines or give them to their children. How exactly does one reach this mindset? Well, it doesn’t stem from a bad place necessarily, just one of mass misinformation. Those opposed to vaccines often fear their side effects, falsely believing that vaccination can lead to autism, overwhelm infant immune systems, and fill the body with harmful toxins. Fortunately, these vaccine myths have been debunked. The 1997 study that stirred fear of vaccines causing autism has since been entirely discredited, with the author losing his medical license. In reality, there is no discovered link between vaccines and developing autism. Furthermore, the infant immune system is not as fragile as some fear. The 14 scheduled infant vaccines only use up 0.1% of an infant’s immune capacity. And this would be if they were all administered together. Lastly, no scientific evidence has been found to suggest that the trace amounts of harmful chemicals found in vaccines can be harmful to the human body.

Anti-vaxxers also shun vaccination because they believe it is not the best option for protecting the public. Some believe that “natural immunity,” acquired through getting and overcoming a disease, is a safer route to go. It doesn’t take an expert to deduce that this path comes at a steep cost, as far more people would have to die to achieve herd immunity as opposed to the scant fatalities and defects caused by vaccines. Still, some insist that hygiene and sanitation improvements and precautions are more powerful than vaccines. Well, look at the current pandemic. The WHO has just stated that natural herd immunity will not save us. Instead, we must patiently wait for a vaccine to be found and approved. Since a low proportion of antibody evidence has been discovered in those who have recovered from COVID-19, the world must rely on the discovery of a vaccine to help life get back to normal. Lastly, contrary to anti-vaxxer belief, there is less than 1 in a million chance that a vaccine recipient will experience symptoms of the vaccinated disease. Hopefully, it is now quite clear that the enormous benefits of vaccines outweigh possible risks.

Judgment and blind hatred seldom do anything to motivate change, but hopefully, education can gradually bring about a change of mind. To protect both ourselves and the most vulnerable people in our communities, we simply must do our part and get vaccinated if we are physically able to. Preaching anti-vaxxer rhetoric is not only ignorant but harmful to society at large. Though people are entitled to their own beliefs, a line must be drawn when it comes to causing actual harm by rejecting science. With isolated cases aside, vaccines should overall be lauded for the lifesaving marvels that they are. Therefore just as childhood vaccines are mandated for many schools, perhaps legislation should be put in place to mandate adult vaccination as well. After all, sometimes we need a reminder to do our part.