Immunizations prevent important and deadly diseases – diseases like diphtheria, influenza, tetanus, chickenpox, measles, meningitis, polio, human papilloma virus infection, shingles, hepatitis B and whooping cough.
It was thought that measles had been eliminated in the Americas, at least the World Health Organization declared as much in 2016. Unfortunately, recent outbreaks in Washington State and New York State have proved this not to be true.
Washington state is a personal exemption state, meaning that parents can opt out vaccinating their children for personal reasons. So it’s no wonder an outbreak would eventually occur.
To date, 74 people have been diagnosed with measles in Washington. Fortunately, no one has died from this deadly disease.
Many people fear vaccines and perhaps, rightfully so. It is admissible that vaccines have had problems in years gone by, but with new technologies and scientific developments, mass implementation vaccination programs have shown them to be very safe and very effective in preventing disease.
Immunizations prevent important and deadly diseases – diseases like diphtheria, like tetanus, chickenpox, measles, meningitis, polio, human papilloma virus infection, shingles, hepatitis B and whooping cough.
Due to their effectiveness and safety, world health experts agree and declare that immunizations are the single most important health care advance in the 20th and 2st centuries. To this extent, they argue, immunizations should be made available worldwide in both developed and underdeveloped countries.
Here’s another important point. One of the most concerning issues for healthcare professionals today is antibiotic resistance. When people get infections, healthcare providers often treat them with antibiotics, whether they need them or not, which leads to resistance of these germs to antibiotics. By reducing the number of infections that people get, the need for antibiotics is reduced, which in turn reduces the development of antibiotic resistance!
Immunization Facts 2019:
According to the World Health Organization:
- Immunizations prevent 2 to 3 million deaths every year due to diphtheria, tetanus, tetanus (whooping cough and) and measles
- Due to the efforts of WHO, 116.5 million children under the age of one year worldwide received three doses of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine. These children are protected against infectious diseases that can cause serious illness, disability and death
- An estimated 19.5 million children under the age of one year did not receive diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine. These children are at risk for serious illness, disability and death
- A vaccine against dengue has been developed and licensed in several countries
- An African mass administration campaign against meningitis A since 2010 has nearly eliminated this deadly disease on that continent
- Global measles mortality has declined by 84%. Accelerated immunization protocols have had a major impact on reducing measles deaths. This highly contagious disease leads to blindness, brain infection and death
- In 2016, the WHO region of the Americas became the first in the world to have eliminated measles. This achievement culminated a 22 year effort involving mass vaccination against measles, mumps and rubella throughout the Americas
- In 2016 fewer children were paralyzed by polio than in any other year, with the virus restricted to a few areas of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria
- The WHO South East Asian region has eliminated maternal and neonatal tetanus due to immunization programs
This is Dr. Jim for Be Healthy! Be Happy! Power your path to happiness. Immunize! And for health information that matters subscribe to Be Healthy! Be Happy! with Dr. Jim on YouTube.
Reference:
Immunization Fact Sheet, 2019. World Health Organization. Online [available at]: https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/immunization-coverageAccessed March 23, 2019.