The Vaccine War explains both sides of the debate between physicians and parents regarding vaccination of children. Over the past hundred years, it has been proven that vaccines have increased life span by thirty years. Although, despite the evidence, a newer generation of parents remain fearful and skeptical of vaccines. A significant number of parents have denied their children of being vaccinated. If the trend of denying vaccines continues, then diseases such as measles and whooping cough are likely to return. .
The program explains the different reasons parents are rejecting certain vaccinations. The MMR Triple Shot has caused the most controversy. This shot protects against measles, mumps, and rubella and has been thought to cause autism. This is one of many cases where the adverse effects of a vaccine are so extremely rare that it is unsure if the vaccine is the cause. However, with multiple studies, it has been proven that the MMR vaccine and autism have no correlation. Doctors say that it is simply a coincidence because the first signs of autism occur at the same time the vaccine is issued. Anders Hviid, a doctor a Staten's Serum Institute in Denmark, preformed a study on children born between 1991-1998. He looked at those who received the MMR vaccine and those who did not. He then compiled a list of those with autism and those without. Hviid found no difference between the numbers, proving that autism has no correlation with the vaccine. Similar studies were also done in Sweden, Britain, Finland, and the United States. Although the facts are obvious, parents oftentimes stick together as one. .
A well-known American model, television host, actress, and author, Jenny McCarthy, is the face of Generation Rescue. Generation Rescue is a national non-profit organization that provides treatment assistance to families affected by autism (generationrescue.org). As written in this course's Microeconomics textbook, it states that a celebrity endorser can greatly influence consumers' choices (O'Sullivan).
