According to the CDC, flu- like activity began to increase in November, reaching an extended period of high activity during January and February nationally, and remained elevated through the end of March. With flu season approaching, vaccinations have become more and more controversial. More parents are opting-out for various reasons.

The first reason parents are choosing not to vaccinate their children is religious reasons. With only four states not offering exemptions to families for this reason, it poses a major obstacle to those seeking to increase childhood vaccination rates. Imdad et al6 conducted a study in New York State and found that the rate of school vaccination exemptions due to religious reasons between 2000 and 2011 increased sharply. In response to this reality, lawmakers put in place guidelines that introduced requirements that mandated that in order for schools to grant religious exemptions, the parents had to demonstrate their “genuine and sincere religious belief” that contradicted the use of vaccinations. There are many stand-points, but the most common response to religious reasoning for not vaccinating your children is that it is against God’s will, and that God gave us everything we need naturally to fight off these diseases.

The second reason parents are choosing to opt out of vaccinations is personal beliefs or philosophical reasons. Only a handful of states allow exemptions for this cause. Some parents believe that natural immunity is better for their children than is immunity acquired through vaccinations. Some parents believe that the diseases for which we vaccinate are not very prevalent as they are rather outdated. Because of this argument, they believe that their children are at very minimal risk of contracting these diseases. For this reason, they also believe that the possible negative side effects of vaccinations outweigh the benefits of the vaccines.

The third reason is safety concerns. Most of these concerns are based on information these parents have heard from friends, family, social media, and the internet. Regardless of where they come from, they usually are stemmed from other people’s opinion. They usually are afraid of long-term safety concerns from the vaccinations. One of the most popular arguments in the media right now is the concern that the components of vaccines can cause autism, brain damage, or behavioral problems. They also fear that simultaneously administering multiple vaccines may overload their child’s immune system, and they think that allowing all the vaccinations to occur according to the recommended schedule will make the safety risk greater.

While all of these excuses are validated, are unvaccinated people still contracting these diseases? According to several recent conducted studies,  there were over 100 measles deaths across Europe and a measles death in the United States. There has been a rabies death in the United States, a record number of influenza deaths in the U.S., and several deaths by Rotavirus in the United States. All but a few of these deaths affected unvaccinated individuals. Should other people’s opinions allow them to endanger other children? Or is that all a hoax? Whatever you decide to base your opinion on, make sure you educate yourself, and stay safe this flu season!