Panthers, don’t underplay the importance of vaccines 

Kailey Krantz | Staff Writer

Never did I think we would have a repeat of Florida’s government’s callousness toward vaccines, but I was sorely mistaken. Vaccines are an integral part of modern medicine and have benefitted millions across the globe. 

Florida is currently experiencing a measles outbreak, a highly contagious disease that can result in severe complications such as blindness, severe diarrhea, dehydration, ear infections and severe breathing problems if not treated properly.

In the face of a medical emergency, one would think to trust a medical professional and their judgment of using a vaccine to protect someone from a disease, especially considering that measles cases fell to an all-time low after the vaccine was created.

Vaccines work by introducing an antigen that imitates the disease in a small dosage for the body to naturally build up antibodies that can fight the disease and lower the chances of actually catching it. 

However, Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo announced he was leaving the decision to get children vaccinated to the parents who are concerned about their child’s attendance, allowing unvaccinated children to go to school. 

Measles is super contagious because it spreads through tiny droplets through the air and on surfaces, thus making it easier for children to contract the disease by sitting in the same room as a child who was infected.

Does this disregard sound familiar?

This was the same way the Florida government treated the COVID-19 vaccine when schools were reopening during the pandemic.

Ron DeSantis and Lapado continuously questioned the vaccine’s safety and used the explanation of leaving it up to the parents to decide whether or not children should get vaccinated.

The problem with this way of thinking is these vaccines were tested by medical professionals and were proven to be effective against these diseases, negating politicians promoting an unreasonable fear of vaccines.

The main excuse politicians use against vaccines is the myth that vaccines cause autism and other cognitive disorders, as SB 252 implies when banning businesses from asking for documentation relating to vaccination status during the COVID-19 pandemic.

If we all possessed this ideology about every vaccine that’s being developed, there wouldn’t be any medical advancements in fighting diseases.

Vaccines aren’t designed to scare people, they’re designed to protect them.

Even vaccines for common illnesses, such as the flu shot, are shown to be 42% effective during flu season, which means there are better odds of not catching the flu than not getting the shot at all. 

FIU’s Global Health Consortium has stated that immunizations and vaccines are the safest and most cost-effective ways to prevent death and improve physical health, thus showing people it can be used as a way to fight the disease. FIU students should be kept up to date with their physical health and their knowledge of upcoming virus outbreaks.

Once students have this knowledge, they can take the next steps to fight the disease and protect their families from getting sick.

While it’s possible to catch the disease, getting a vaccine can make your body familiar with the antigens and be better prepared to fight it off.

Getting vaccinated is one step closer to making the community safer by making them less susceptible to falling ill and should be taken seriously.

DISCLAIMER:

The opinions presented on this page do not represent the views of the PantherNOW Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect individual perspectives of contributing writers and/or members of the University community.