The question all parents chat about is: are vaccinations safe for their children? A vaccine is an injection of a killed or weakened infectious organism to prevent a disease. The injection works to stimulate the body's immune system so that it can be recognized as foreign, then be destroyed and "remembered", so that the immune system's antibodies can easily recognize and destroy any microorganisms it subsequently encounters. An antibody is a protein present in the blood. It is produced in response to foreign substances such as viruses or bacteria, which invade the body. Antibodies do the job of protecting the body from disease by attaching to these organisms and destroying them. Vaccines are given for many reasons. Especially because they can save your child's life. Thanks to miraculous advances in medical science, children are being protected from more and more diseases than ever before. Some diseases that once injured or even killed thousands of children have been completely eradicated. Others are close to extinction, due to safe and effective vaccines. An example of a vaccine that eliminated a disease is polio in the United States. Polio, once America's most feared disease, causing death and paralysis across the country, has gone unreported in the United States thanks to vaccinations. In Massachusetts there are several childhood diseases that require vaccinations. Hepatitis B requires 3 doses for child care attendance and entry into preschool, kindergarten through 12th grade, and college. However, laboratory evidence of immunity is acceptable. Chickenpox requires 1 dose for child care attendance and kindergarten entry. For grades 3 kindergarten, 7-10 and college freshmen and seniors and... middle of paper... red from insurance. Finally, immunization helps protect future generations. Vaccines have reduced and, in some cases, eliminated many diseases that killed or severely disabled thousands of people just a few generations ago. For example, vaccination against smallpox abolished that disease worldwide. Children no longer need to be vaccinated against smallpox because the disease no longer exists. By vaccinating children against rubella or German measles, the risk of pregnant women transmitting this virus to their newborns is dramatically decreased, and any birth defects associated with that specific virus are no longer found in the United States. To conclude, I am in favor of parents vaccinating their children before kindergarten. If vaccinations continue, parents of the future may be able to learn that many of today's diseases will no longer harm their children in the future...