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The Issues Surrounding The Idea Of Immunization Essay

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In this assignment I intend to explore the issues surrounding the idea of immunization. “The purpose of immunization is to prevent people from acquiring infectious diseases and to protect them against the associated short- and longer- term complications” (Cory, 2012). Vaccines produce a specific immune response to build resistance against infectious diseases (Government of South Australia, 2012). There are two main perspectives surrounding this issue, for and against receiving injections. Those who support immunization believe the risk is minimal because the benefits exceed the negative effects that may occur from the injections. However, other people feel there is huge risk involved because the injections will not increase immunity levels and the possibilities of negative reactions are too great of risk. This conflict of perceptions is related to the way people perceive cognitive limitations, the psychometric paradigm and the axiomatic paradigm; these include factors such as dread, control and voluntariness. A great influence on these perceptions is health professionals’ communication strategies, who target social media, advertisements and reports.

The concept of risk means different things to different people. “In order to make decisions wisely, individuals need to understand the risks and the benefits associated with alternative courses of action.” (Baruch Fischhoff, 1993). Many health risks can arise from an individual’s subjective judgment, as people interpret their

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