Skill Check: Evaluate Arguments :

The two passages below both argue for the importance of vaccines, but one argument is stronger than the other based on its sources and evidence. Read both passages and determine which one is a better argument.

Passage 1

Vaccinations are absolutely crucial to the health of the community, because they save lives. When even a small number of people skip vaccines, it damages the effectiveness of herd immunity, which protects those who are too young or sick to be immunized. This can lead to outbreaks of preventable diseases, such as smallpox, diphtheria, measles, and whooping cough. Some people avoid vaccines because they’re scared of needles or because they think vaccines can cause other diseases in their children. But there is no need to be afraid, because vaccines are given on a strict schedule. Make sure your child receives each vaccine at the time recommended by their doctor in order to increase effectiveness and safety. Skipping vaccines can not only put your child at risk, but also endanger all the children with whom your child comes in contact.

Passage 2

Vaccines are crucial because they save lives and protect the community, without added danger. Diseases that once killed thousands are now practically eradicated. Diphtheria killed 13,000 children in 1920; but in 2002, there was only one case in the US. Polio affected 16,000 children in the 1950s—thanks to vaccines, it was eliminated from the US. Vaccines create herd immunity, meaning that by immunizing many people in a community or country, those who are too sick or young to get the vaccine are still protected from the disease. Now, some people are refusing to vaccinate their children. According to the CDC, this has resulted in a recent outbreak in measles, a disease that was once 99% eradicated. These people refuse vaccines out of fear of autism, but that’s misguided. Studies from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show there is no link between vaccines and autism.