Are vaccines necessary?
6 answers
Yes. People are still dying or suffering lifelong effects from easily preventable diseases.
For some vaccines, the benefits appear to outweigh the risks. But many vaccinations are for diseases that have very low chance of causing any long-lasting harm anyway. If there is non-zero risk associated with vaccination, perhaps it's sensible to decide on a case-by-case basis.
We give vaccines too much credit for the advances made in preventing disease. Better nutrition, clean drinking water, improved sanitation etc. are all important factors too.
Universal vaccination can actually increase the incidence of the disease that it is supposed to prevent.
Perhaps some vaccinations are necessary, but the US now has so many routine vaccinations for babies, who are too young to even complain, that it's getting ridiculous.
Recent measles outbreaks in America have claimed no lives - the deaths that occur from measles are in developing countries, where sanitation and nutrition is poor.