Vaccinations
The discovery of vaccines and widespread immunization has helped all but extinguish many infectious diseases like tuberculosis and polio, once common causes of death or disability in children. However, some parents are now opting out of immunizing children because they fear side effects. They argue that vaccines, or rather ingredients in vaccines, can cause damage of their own. The internet is rife with alarmist speculation regarding links between autism and mercury in vaccines; a leading theory is that mercury may be responsible for a rise in the incidence of autism in the United States and Britain. But the autism-vaccine connection has never been proven in any reputable study. Most doctors and public health officials say that, while there are some small risks inherent to vaccination, complications are rare to the point of being practically non-existent. They dismiss media scares on the side effects of vaccine as false controversy. Doctors also suggest that the general public has forgotten how devastating certain infectious diseases can be and that, by refusing to immunize their kids, they're are playing with fire. The real risk, they say, is an unvaccinated young population contracting and spreading dangerous diseases.
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