Not Vaccinating Children Can Cause Epidemics Of Vaccine Preventable Diseases

Declining Death Rates in Infancy

In the pre-vaccination era, i.e. around the 1850s, the infant mortality rate was more than 200 per 1000 live births. This means that about 200 of the 1000 children born in 1850 died in the first year of their life. Many of those children, who did not die from the disease, did suffer from the ill effects of diseases and resulting disabilities.

let us now look at the current scenario. As per World Health Organization statistics, the global average IMR in 2017 was 29. Most developed countries have successfully achieved IMR less than 5 with the help of health programs and vaccination.

Endorsement of Vaccination Program

Let me quote NHS here, "Because of vaccinations, we no longer see smallpox, and polio has almost been eradicated. No wonder vaccination is considered a modern miracle. Vaccination is one of the greatest breakthroughs in modern medicine. No other medical intervention has done more to save lives and improve quality of life." (NHS UK)

A report from the World Health Organization states that today vaccines prevent 2.5 million deaths per year. An additional 1.5 million deaths could be avoided if global vaccination coverage improves. An estimated 19.5 million infants worldwide are still missing out on basic vaccines.

Anti Vaccination Movement

Yet above facts and statements still fail to convince many people about the benefits of vaccines who are moving away from the vaccines based on some hearsay/unproven arguments.

In the past, epidemics have been reported from many countries when people took vaccination lightly. A few examples are whooping cough epidemic in the 1970s and 80s in the U.K., an epidemic of Diptheria during the break-up of the Soviet Union, and measles epidemic in the U.S. in the 1990s. More recently since 2018 measles outbreaks have been reported in many parts of the developed world.

Killer Vaccine-Preventable Diseases

I wonder, whether seeing some images of the vaccine-preventable diseases may move some of such naysayers! I am taking care to not to post very disturbing images that are seen by healthcare providers. My apologies, if these disturb you.

Pertussis/Whooping Cough.

By Unknown / CDC [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Polio

By Photo Credit:Content Providers(s): CDC [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Rubella

See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Measles

By CDC/NIP/Barbara Rice (http://phil.cdc.gov/phil/ (ID#: 132)) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Tetanus

By Photo Credit:Content Providers(s): CDC [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

About the author: Dr. Naval Asija is a licensed MBBS Physician from India. MBBS is the equivalent of the MD degree offered by international medical schools. He is based in Delhi, India, and works as a medical writer, editor, and consultant. He supports medical researches as an author's editor, medical communication companies involved in medico-marketing activities, and medical technology companies in improving their products. He can be contacted via his LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/navalasija/

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