As far as I can see this is a no-brainer but just in case I can think of not 1 but 7 percent reasons to vaccinate your kids.
1. It could save their life. Literally. Whooping cough, diptheria, measles, meningitis - all these (and some others that we vaccinate against) killed large numbers of children in the days before vaccination and sadly continue to kill unvaccinated children across the globe today. If you need to see just how horrendous Whooping Cough is, Google the video of the Australian baby boy shortly he died from it aged just four weeks.
2. Vaccines are safe and effective. Let's reiterate - the MMR vaccine does not cause autism (and even if it did, how can you possibly argue that death is a better risk?). Nor do the trace amounts of elements such as Mercury have any effect either immediate or long term. The long term effect of vaccination is immunity to some horrible illnesses!
3. You can help save the lives of vulnerable children (and adults). Some kids genuinely can't have vaccines due to weakened immune systems. Some have damaged immune systems such as those undergoing chemotherapy. These people rely on herd immunity which is achieved when roughly 90-95% of the community are vaccinated - without this, these vulnerable people are exposed to these awful diseases which are even more dangerous for them.
4. You could prevent your child from developing a life altering disability. Many of the diseases we vaccinate against have life altering side effects such as blindness, brain damage and muscle wasting.
5. We can rid the world of these diseases for good. We no longer need a smallpox vaccine because of the vaccination program which eradicated it globally in the late 70s. If we all vaccinate our children, perhaps they won't need to vaccinate their children (or maybe more realistically their grandchildren) against measles, rubella or polio and these diseases won't ever be able to kill or maim another person.
6. We may be unable to treat these diseases soon. Many bacteria are developing antibiotic resistance which makes treating some of these diseases much more difficult. At some point, frighteningly soon, we may not be able
to treat them at all. Those who haven't been vaccinated are much more likely to become seriously ill or die from these diseases when we reach this point.
7. You can save your children's lives. OK so I know this is the same as 1 but seriously do you need any other reason?
