The number of recommended vaccinations for a school-aged child has risen steadily over the last two decades, with even more being investigated currently for addition. To many doctors and physicians, that is nothing but encouraging. But to concerned parents who wonder about the safety of such injections, the fear and concern is mounting.

The health benefit that vaccinations have had on the world is astronomical. Devastating illnesses and pestilence such as mumps, polio and rubella have practically been eliminated from the world front. However, not all of the vaccinations that are offered to our youth are for diseases that are debilitating or life threatening. Almost all of us can remember the infliction of Chicken Pox as a child, the itchy, frustrating and embarrassing red blotches that it causes were certainly a burden. Very rarely though was chickenpox anything other than nuisance.

In our present day, vaccinations range from everything from your annual winter flu to cervical cancer prevention. In addition to this, booster shots are recommended for added protection for outbreaks of illness, despite previous vaccinations, in order to ensure protection.

Physicians noted that during a recent outbreak of mumps in 2006, there were 185 confirmed cases in Wisconsin. Of those who became ill, almost all had previously been vaccinated against the disease. With truths such as this surfacing, how effective are these shots at truly keeping us safe?

Are the vaccinations the reason for the dissipation of the diseases? Or has the modern application of hand washing, isolation of illnesses and treatment advances been the largest asset to health maintenance of our population?

In correlation with these worries are the media-fueled concerns that we have been bombarded with in recent years. Accusations of Autism, Asperger’s syndrome and even death have been paired with childhood vaccinations over the years.

With winter approaching, advertisements for flu prevention are as abundant as your local Walgreens. As students, we are not only the consumers then, we may also be current or future parents, aunts, uncles and godparents. What information do we have as resources to investigate the differences between fact and fiction in regards to immunizations?

Websites such as www.cdc.gov and www.hrsa.gov/vaccinecompensation are well-renowned websites for factual information on vaccinations and potentially adverse side effects. Many groups state that they know “real and true facts” that are not attested to by our government. However, careful research can show that despite the controversy hype, our own United States administration does admit to risks and harm which can, and has, befallen on the vaccinated public.

To be or not to be vaccinated is a very personal choice. For some, it is merely a numbers game – the odds of reaction to the DPT vaccine are 1 in 1,750, whereas the risk of contraction of the diseases is one in several million. Obviously, the odds are more in your favor by abstinence of vaccination. For others, and especially for those who have very young or immune suppressed individuals in their households, the risk not to vaccinate is far more than the threat of chickenpox.