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The birth of a child is truly one of life’s most amazing experiences. To hold that tiny little life in your arms is a feeling like no other. It is at that moment that you pledge your life to loving and protecting this innocent newborn. Parents want nothing but the best for their children. From reading all the latest books on childrearing, to examining the ingredients in every jar of baby food, there is nothing we won’t do to ensure the safety of our little ones. Yet, the most important aspect of our children’s well being just might be the one aspect that could endanger their lives without even knowing it. The hidden dangers behind immunizations are more harmful than the diseases they are made to prevent. Childhood immunizations are perhaps one of the greatest medical successes of the twentieth century, as they have virtually eliminated diseases that used to harm, or even kill thousands of children. Consider that before vaccines, each year polio paralyzed 10,000 children, rubella (German measles) caused birth defects and mental retardation in as many as 20,000 newborns, Pertussis (whooping cough) killed 8,000 children, most of whom were infants (Fulghum, May 2002). Under perfect conditions vaccines work to protect us. But vaccines are not 100 percent effective for reasons related to the individual person. The susceptibility of different children is not taken into account at all at the time of vaccination. No one knows exactly how a particular child’s body will to react to the many different vaccines given on a routine basis. In fact, the number of recommended vaccines has increased severely over the years. One hundred years ago, children received 1 vaccine (the smallpox vaccine). Forty years ago, children received 5 vaccines routinely (Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Polio, and Smallpox vaccines) and as many as 8 shots by 2 years of age. Children now receive a total of 52 vaccines, in the form of 15 shots; by the time they are 6 months of age, if they receive all the recommend shots (Scheibner, PhD). Vaccines work to protect children from undeniably horrible diseases.
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