This past year there have been multiple epidemics due to children who were not vaccinated for certain diseases. Although the public was upset and placed blame on the parents of these children for being too overprotective of their children to vaccinate them, no one has heard the other side of the story.

Vaccinations have been around for a long time, but only recently has anyone been worried about what kind of negative affect they may have on individuals. Although there are many precautions taken when administering them, there are complications that exist. Some of these complications, as identified by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and National Academy of Sciences, are brain inflammation, acute and chronic arthritis, chronic nervous system dysfunction, and even death from the smallpox, polio, or measles vaccination,

If that isn’t enough to scare you enough to not want to be vaccinated or vaccinate your children in the future, there is more to be said on vaccinations. The research conducted on the effects of vaccinations on children typically result in no concrete evidence as it, according to IOM, is “limited and is characterized by uncertainty about the definition of populations of interest and definitions of exposures or outcomes.” So, technically, what they’re saying is that the information collected through research of what could go wrong with vaccinations is vague and insufficient.

If there isn’t much research on what doctors are to do to prevent these negative effects – that, in some cases, can cause death – then why take the chance of receiving a vaccination or let a close family member or friend receive a vaccination?