There has been a resurgence of preventable diseases across America due primarily to a lack of vaccinations. Americans are inundated with pseudoscience, outdated information, or myths spread across the Internet that instill fear of vaccines. Too often people believe that what they read on the Internet is the absolute truth without considering the lack of credibility. Parents hastily come to a conclusion without recognizing the repercussions they are choosing for their children and loved ones; unnecessary illnesses, unexpected medical costs, and threatening communities. Modern medicine has equipped Americans with vaccinations, but has led to us not being able to understand the economic and social impact of disease. The average American has not seen the damage that serious illness can cause. Failure to vaccinate makes someone unnecessarily susceptible to serious illnesses and diseases that most of the population has only seen in history books. Additionally, common vaccines include immunity against diseases that most US citizens have not even heard of. Diphtheria, a cause of premature death in children, has been virtually eliminated from America ten years ago, but people are unable to analyze the cause of this success. Vaccines are credited with the disappearance of diphtheria and many other diseases. Vaccinations not only save lives, they reduce pain, suffering and disability; they save money. When an unvaccinated child gets sick, he or she is rushed to the emergency room where doctors must run a series of tests; urine, blood, chest x-ray and, in the most extreme case, a lumbar puncture. These medical procedures turn into mountains of bills that are usually not taken into consideration when choosing not to get vaccinated. Some vaccine-preventable diseases can cause death... middle of paper... extracted. Since this infamous scandal, no scientific study has been conducted demonstrating a positive correlation between autism and vaccinations. The onset of autism and the vaccine schedule share the same age, which makes anti-vaccine advocates believe this is proof of causation when it is simply a coincidence. There are side effects of vaccinations, although minimal, but they far outweigh the alternative. A world without disease seems like nothing more than a dream or an unanswered prayer. We have begun to make strides toward public health, but we will not succeed until we have eradicated all disease. I would challenge anti-vaccine advocates to look beyond their blogs and seek advice and evidence from scientific studies and medical professionals. Understanding the effects of this personal decision has effects that influence communities and nations.