Pro's & Con's of Vaccinations

Pro’s & Con’s of Vaccinations

     What exactly are the Pro’s of vaccinations being given to children?  How many lives have been saved due to childhood vaccinations?  How many children have been injured or killed by vaccines?  These are questions parents have concerning vaccines especially when it comes time for their children to be vaccinated.  The small pox virus that was created by Edward Jenner in 1790’s saved thousands of lives. The virus has mostly been irradicated in the United States due to the vaccine.  Small pox vaccines were given to children up until the year of 1971, if you haven’t had one you and 50% of the US Population would be at risk.  The fatality rate of contracting smallpox would be 30% or higher are for people with a normal immune system, weakened immune systems would be greater in number.  During the French and Indian Wars, blankets were supposedly given by British soldiers to the Indians that were infected with the smallpox virus as an act of terrorism killing off 50% of the affected tribes.  A former Soviet Union bio-weapons director claims that the USSR (Russia) had produced smallpox virus in large quantities in the 1980’s for use in missiles and bombs.  With the breakup of the Soviet Union where are these containers of the smallpox virus? 

     Is it better to contract measles and mumps and let your immune system fight the virus naturally?  Does the vaccination give you the same immunity as natural immunity?  Are some or all vaccines a temporary immunity to disease?  I was recently working at a hospital to complete my requirements for certification for being a Nurses Aide.  I was required to have the series of shots or have a blood draw proving I had antibodies containing the (MMR) Measles, Mumps and Rubella.  I also had to have a series of Hepatitis B injections and a Tetanus shot.   My blood draw came back showing positive for Measles and Rubella but negative for Mumps.  I was given a Mumps injection when I was thirteen why wasn’t that antibody showing up in my blood?