Entry #2 -Vaccines Can Save Lives

I would like to raise my voice in support of the Americans who think that it is time to stop the campaigns against vaccines, and to start campaigns for the vaccines. In the last month we see pictures of Mickey and Minnie Mouse with measles rash on their faces. Diseases which we thought were eradicated came back.

 

Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast

First I would like to remind some facts from the history. "In 1529, a measles outbreak in Cuba killed two-thirds of the natives who had previously survived smallpox. For many years later, measles was responsible for the deaths of half the population of Honduras, and had ravaged Mexico, Central America, and the Inca civilization.Between roughly 1855 to 2005 measles has been estimated to have killed about 200 million people worldwide."

It took years for the scientists to discover a vaccine. The vaccine saved the lives of millions of people in the world. We are fortunate to live in a developed country which provides vaccinations for everybody. When I heard about parents being afraid to immunize their children, because of “some threat of autism”, I was shocked. I have never heard more absurd accusation. Even after the theory has been disproved, there are still parents convinced that the immunizations will harm their children. Sorry, but I do not understand the logic. Probably these parents need to be educated more on the danger of having these infectious diseases. The danger of these diseases might not be directed at the unimmunized children, but the people around them. There are children who are still not immunized because not being at certain age (infants before 1 year old), immunocompromised children and adults, and children with allergies, who are not able to receive the vaccine. All these people are put at risk to be infected with the Measles virus.

According to CDC:  “Two hundred and eighty-eight cases of measles were reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States between Jan. 1 and May 23, 2014. This is the largest number of measles cases in the United States reported in the first five months of a year since 1994. Nearly all of the measles cases this year have been associated with international travel by unvaccinated people". 

I do not think that we have to stop people from travelling in and out of the country, to be able to stop the spread of Measles. Even if a traveler brings an infectious disease to USA, if there is herd immunity, there would not be a threat. "When a critical portion of a community is immunized against a contagious disease, most members of the community are protected against that disease because there is little opportunity for an outbreak. Even those who are not eligible for certain vaccines—such as infants, pregnant women, or immunocompromised individuals—get some protection because the spread of contagious disease is contained. This is known as "community immunity."or herd immunity.

 As a practicing physician in a European country I would like to stress the importance of vaccinations. The worst complication of Measles is Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis (SSPE), which is a progressive, debilitating, and deadly brain disorder.The parents do not have the option to refuse vaccinations in Europe and unfortunately there are still outbreaks of the disease.

In "The Daily Beast" Russell Saunders wrote: ."It’s worth pausing and thinking back over the past few months, when the nation couldn't stop worrying about Ebola. A man is diagnosed with the illness after returning from Africa and promptly pilloried in the press for daring to ride the subway, even though he was totally without symptoms and no threat to anyone at the time...But when it comes to a disease that actually can linger in the air for hours after a contagious person has breathed it, and one that actually can be transmitted for days before a person becomes symptomatic? Plenty of people are all too happy to blithely opt out of protecting their children against it, assuming enough people will choose otherwise to make up for their decision. Never mind that there is no cure for measles, that it can cause death or permanent disability, and is horribly unpleasant under the best of circumstances."

According to Phoenix New times:” Another case of measles from the outbreak at Disneyland has been confirmed in Phoenix. And 190 people at the Urgent Care Center for Children in Mesa may have been exposed. The Arizona Department of Health Services has found that more parents have not been vaccinating their children in recent years. In 2004, about 1.6 percent of children in kindergarten were not vaccinated because of a parent's religious or personal beliefs. That number was up to 4.7 percent in 2014. In Arizona charter schools, 9 percent of kids are exempted from vaccines because of their parents' beliefs.” 

For years we have been emphasizing the importance of everybody vaccinating their children. Vaccines can prevent outbreaks of diseases and save lives. Parents, please, keep our children safe! Immunize your children and save our future!