Vaccinations- Should people vaccinate?

Should we require vaccinations? This is a such a common debate that many people have different views and opinions on.

In the KQED article they brought up a recent outbreak of the measles in Anaheim California. Although there is no cure for the measles the vaccination is very effective and has led to a 99% reduction in measles cases. This outbreak showed that although the vaccination is available in the US many parents do not vaccinate their children. Some parents do not believe in vaccination because of religious reason or beliefs that vaccinations are not healthy. Below is a map on the stats of people who have had measles vaccinations.

Personally, I have always been vaccinated and believe in vaccinations. Vaccinations are helpful because not only are they safe, but also very effective in protecting from disease. Preventing disease is very important because although measles was not very present once the outbreak happened, the measles spread rapidly to all of those who are unvaccinated.

This is my view on getting vaccinations but there are many people who do not believe in them. From that point of view people believe they are not effective or safe. I  further looked into the reason why some people do not vaccinate and found an interesting article about why a doctor, Dr. Kurt, does not vaccinate his child. Click here to read more.

Overall I believe that we should vaccinate. This helps prevent disease and helps people remain in good health. What do you think?

Photos from:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smallpox

Three Parent Babies

On February 3, 2015 the UK passed the law allowing for three person babies. This allows mitochondrial DNA modification.The mitochondria in our cells carries a lot of DNA with important information but many women have fatal diseases within their mitochondria, which can lead to death of their children.

The new law will allows doctors to replace the nucleus from a healthy donor egg with the nucleus in the unhealthy fertilized egg. This will create an embryo from three people. The Picture below describes the process in more detail.

I find this article very interesting. I think this process is a huge leap in science and technology and will help so many families in the future. I believe that this is a great way for mothers with mitochondrial diseases to still be able to carry and have their own baby. In the UK about 2,500 mothers could have children who are unhealthy due to the mitochondrial diseases. I believe that this could help so many people and is an important discovery.

I go to a catholic school where a topic like this would be very controversial. The catholic church does not belief in IVF to become pregnant. They teach that having a child should happen the natural way. Personally, I do not agree with this. I believe that every woman should have the right to carry her own child and this gives more woman a chance to experience motherhood. I think that using a donor cell is completely ethical and helpful. I hope that this law will grow to more place than the UK because this could really change the face of IVF and pregnancy for many families.

Clink here for more information on the new law!

Photo creds:

www.dailymail.co.uk

The Common Cold

Cold season is back again! Every year millions of Americans catch the cold and on an average of 2-3 times! The cold can actually be very serious for young children and the elderly.

A runny nose, sneezing, coughing, sore throat or a headache is not enjoyable so  would you take certain measures to prevent it? Besides washing your hands and not sharing drink there are other ways to prevent the cold: a medical mask. A lot of people believe in wearing masks to prevent those who are sick from spreading the cold while in public. This is a good idea to prevent germs from spreading, but not very realistic. Many people would not wear the mask so this would not completely prevent the spread of the cold. I think it is a good idea, but personally when I see people wearing a medical mask I always am a little thrown off. I think this is a smart way to prevent it but hard to encourage people to do so. This should be a decision made by the person who is sick.

There are many ways to prevent the cold so stay healthy!

Works cited

Pictures:

“Defying Lupus.” Defying Lupus. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2015.

“Smiles ‘n’ Snuggles.” Smiles ‘n’ Snuggles. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2015.

Websites:

“10 Tips to Prevent the Common Cold by MedicineNet.com.” MedicineNet. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2015.

“Should Cold Sufferers Wear Medical Masks?” KQED Education KQED Public Media for Northern CA. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2015.

KQED Do Now Ebola

There are many challenges facing the Ebola outbreak. A main issue is that the virus is rapidly spreading with no vaccine or methods to contain it. It has already killed so many and the number continues to grow. The countries struggle to contain it since people are being infected when trying to help those who are infected. Countries are also dealing with people hiding their loved ones who are infected because they believe they can take better care of them when really it is causing more harm. It is very important for other nations to help stop the outbreak because if it continues to spread the outbreak will take many more lives. Other nations should be sending medical help, funding research, or conducting research. The US already has been working on vaccines, which I thought shaped a positive view of the medicine and health in my community. I believe that the US has a strong medical system that can contribute to stopping the Ebola outbreak.