Since the introduction of vaccinations, medical science has succeeded in nearly eliminating many previously fatal and debilitating childhood diseases in countries where immunization of children is nearly universal. Diseases such as measles, mumps, diphtheria, rubella, and polio have been relegated to marginal status in developed countries with active immunization campaigns; in fact, smallpox is believed to have been completely eliminated from the earth, without a single case having been reported since around 1979 (“Childhood”). Largely centered on a study published in 1998 in the British medical journal “The Lancet,” there has been an increase in concerns about the safety of vaccines and a subsequent decrease in their use. This has led to a somewhat anachronistic return of these diseases. In many developed countries, parents rely on herd immunity to protect their children when they choose to forgo immunization due to concerns about their safety. Herd immunity essentially means that a small percentage of a social group “cannot receive certain vaccines for medical reasons, or some children are unable to respond to certain vaccines. For these children, the immunity of the people around them is their only protection” (“Childhood”). While some parents' concerns about the safety of vaccinations are based on a well-intentioned desire to keep children safe from autism, the act of choosing not to vaccinate their children actually causes much greater harm by exposing them to potentially dangerous diseases for life and removing a critical link in the herd immunity chain. Over the past 12 years, an increasing number of parents have chosen to avoid immunizing their children under the mistaken belief that they are ... middle of paper ... .s In context. Network. October 28, 2010.Cervo, Brian. “MMR doctor Andrew Wakefield has set the data on autism.” The Sunday Times. Times Newspapers Ltd, 8 February 2009. Web. 28 October 2010. "Hazlehurst v Secretary of Health and Human Services." 604 F.3d 1343 (2010). Leagle.com. Leagle Web, Inc. October 28, 2010"Failure to comply with mandatory vaccinations threatens the health of the community." Should vaccinations be mandatory? Ed. Noël Merino. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. In question. Gale Opposing views in context. Network. October 28, 2010. "The risks of vaccines are outweighed by the risks of not getting vaccinated." Should vaccinations be mandatory? Ed. Noël Merino. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. In question. Gale Opposing views in context. Network. 28 October 2010. "Vaccines". Current Issues: Macmillian Library of Social Sciences. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Gale Opposing Views in Context. Network. November 9. 2010.