Vaccines vs Beliefs: Where Should the Line Be Drawn?

We all know how important vaccines are to human survival in this world plagued by different forms of sickness and diseases. We've seen through the years how vaccines have saved lives through generations; take for instance prior to the discovery and administration of polio vaccines, we've seen lots of people get plagued with the illness and become unable to walk, but since their discovery, the plague of polio has become a thing of the past, and many now live and walk thanks to the preventive vaccines they took at one point in their lives. But then, despite how wondrous most vaccines are, should people be allowed to decline taking them due to their beliefs or concern about their safety?

This is actually a very complicated topic to delve into because I'm put in the middle of a medical necessity and religious beliefs, and we all know these are two top-tier topics that draw altercation when one is contradicted. But then, if I'm to state my personal take on this, I'll say everyone should do what works for them, knowing fully well that they'll bear the consequences of their actions. But even at that, we need to be wise and understand that for God to have given humans knowledge to have a breakthrough in that aspect, then it'll be unwise for us to refuse medical procedures that'll ensure our safety.

Take for instance, a few days ago, I came across a post where a man talks about his mother-in-law encounter at a hostel, where a woman was told she'll need to undergo CS to give birth, but the woman's mother refuses, saying their pastor has assured them she'll give birth by herself. Not long after that, the pastor even came to pray for her. But the man who posted the story said his own mother-in-law approached the mother of the other pregnant woman, offering to cover the expenses of the CS, but was abused for such suggestions. At the end of the day, the pregnant woman died during labor, and her mother, who refused to let her undergo CS, ended up bringing a tricycle to carry her dead body.

Although the above story isn't related to vaccines, we all can see how medicine and belief sometimes clash and the harsh implications that could lead to. Vaccines are good and important for our wellbeing, safety, and prevention from terrible sickness or disease; we've vaccines that, when gotten, safeguard one from diseases such as polio, hepatitis, and the like. Now imagine not taking those vaccines and ending up being plagued with any of those diseases; you'll end up having yourself to blame.

On the other hand, I understand some people's reservations about vaccines; take for instance many don't want to take covid vaccines because most of those who took them were said to die or end up being plagued with the virus. In light of that, one can stay safe by not talking about it. I fit; I didn't take the COVID vaccine, and to date I'm fine.

When it comes to how parents act on behalf of their kids by refusing to have them take vaccines, we can't entirely blame them. What I think we should do is educate them on the importance and dangers of not getting them for our kids. I remember a case of how twins of some new parents in Lagos mysteriously died after taking a vaccine; to date no one knows what actually caused it—maybe it was an overdose, wrong medication, or whatever. And these are reasons why people create barriers to safeguard themselves and their children from being victims of the same fate. So in a nutshell, we should create more awareness and sensitization, and medication practitioners should be more careful when doing the jobs.

All photos are taken and edited on canva.