Why is Vaccination a Controversial Issue?

Vaccine Controversy

For various reasons, vaccination has become a controversial issue, particularly in recent years as the general populace has become less trusting and more inclined to question the medical establishment.

Given that vaccination has been responsible for completely eradicating smallpox, and almost achieving the same with polio (just 1,300 cases of polio were reported in 2007), it seems almost impossible to understand where the controversy lies.

Even so, vaccine controversy exists in several areas, including ethics, religion, and safety and effectiveness of vaccines.

Medical Issues

Despite the evidence (including the eradication of smallpox and the almost complete eradication of polio) critics of vaccination say there is no evidence to suggest vaccinating a population is beneficial. The argument is that the marked decrease in the incidence of infectious diseases has come about as a result of improved hygiene and sanitation.

Perhaps the most serious issue which critics point to in the argument against vaccination is the potential for harm which arises from the practice. A small number of studies have found a correlation between vaccination and the development of certain diseases. A study in Ontario, Canada, for example, found a correlation between influenza vaccination and Guillain-Barre Syndrome, an acute inflammatory autoimmune disease.

Other medical issues include the following:

• The protection derived from a vaccine is typically shorter-lived than that derived from an actual infection with a given organism. The latter typically lasts a lifetime.
• If a population is not completely covered by a vaccination program, the risk for the entire population—including those who have been vaccinated—can actually increase.
• In 2004, a study was published which suggested a link between MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccine and autism. However, ten of the paper’s thirteen authors later retracted this interpretation of the data, and several independent scientific agencies have reviewed the data and concluded there is no link between MMR and autism.

Non-Medical Issues

In addition to these medical issues, there are others which relate to non-medical aspects of vaccination.

First, there is the belief that compulsory vaccination policies are a breach of the individual’s right to choose which medications they receive. However, it is also true that this choice can increase the level of risk to others.

Due to herd immunity, however, this is not always the case. Herd immunity refers to the concept that when a certain percentage of a population is vaccinated, the remaining unvaccinated individuals are also protected, because the disease cannot be transmitted easily amongst the population.

The problem is, if enough people refuse vaccination, herd immunity can actually be lost. This increases the level of risk substantially for both vaccinated and unvaccinated people.

The concept of vaccination has invoked opposition on religious grounds ever since the concept was introduced. In fact, early Christian arguments against vaccination were made on the basis that if God had decided someone should die from smallpox, for example, then it was a sin to receive a vaccination, because it would thwart God’s will.

An English theologian, Edward Massey, even argued in 1722 that diseases such as smallpox were sent by God to punish sin – and that vaccination itself was both dangerous and sinful.

Vaccination is still often rejected on religious grounds, and many governments even allow children to opt out of compulsory vaccinations if their parents object on the basis of their religious beliefs.