With the United States pushing out vaccines on a daily basis, it’s more important than ever to fully vaccinate yourselves. Even with all the information about how good vaccines are, there are still anti-vaxxers out there trying to discredit this research.

Anti-vaxxers are people who refuse to vaccinate themselves or their children. These people put their families at risk for fatal diseases for no other reason than not wanting to. These people believe that vaccines cause autism, physical and mental disabilities, and even death.

Keeping your kids unvaccinated is not safe. You are choosing to put your children into a disease ridden world with absolutely no protection for their immune system. You are choosing to put your child in harm’s way. You are putting your beliefs, with no medical or scientific backup, before the health of your own children. “I think that vaccines are helpful and i feel like they should be mandated” says sophomore Isaiah Ortiz. “However, there are issues because it’s just like the masks. The state can mandate the vaccines, but not everyone will get them. Maybe if jobs and schools required them.” he adds.

The myth that vaccines cause autism has been debunked. A British surgeon published an article in 1997 stating that the MMR vaccine causes autism. It’s also good to note that the research was done on less than 12 children. The paper has been discredited because of conflict of interest and ethical issues. This myth implies the parents who don’t vaccinate their children would rather have deadly ill kids, rather than vaccinate and “get autism”. This is harmful to people with autism.

Another myth people believe is that vaccines contain harmful and deadly toxins. People believe that formaldehyde, mercury, and aluminum are used in the making of these vaccines. According to the fda and the cdc, only trace amounts of these chemicals can be found in some vaccines. The CDC also states that our own bodies produce formaldehyde at higher rates, and that there is no scientific research to back up that trace amounts of these chemicals can harm us in any way.

People also believe that we don’t need vaccines because infection rates are so low in the United States. Well, Covid-19 hit. Now more than ever we need to get vaccinated. Yes, herd immunity is achievable. But, if we don’t get vaccinated, we pose as a collective danger to those who have compromised immune systems. It’s safer for everyone to just get vaccinated.

We are exposed to thousands of germs every day. They get into our bodies by what we eat, drink, and touch. Babies are born with strong immune systems built to fight off most germs, but some diseases their immune systems can’t handle. Vaccines use a small amount of antigens to train your immune system to recognize and fight. Side effects are common with any vaccine, not just Covid-19

Getting vaccinated can help prevent an infection now and many years down the road. It is so much safer for you and those around you. “I think they should be mandated because they are made to protect us against diseases that can kill us. That’s the whole point of a vaccine” says senior Savannah Wilcox.

Getting a vaccine, especially the Covid-19 vaccine, is more important than ever. To protect yourself and others, please get vaccinated.