Failure to Get Children Immunized - Essay Example

11 September Immunization – The Right of Every Child Introduction Nichols’ is a heart-wrenching story. With 8 classmates, a twin brother and two friends dying and her mother suffering a miscarriage, Nichols herself was not spared by the villain that caused it all – polio. Acquiring the disease early in life, Nichols was lucky enough to have made a complete recovery from it. However, it was not until she got pregnant that she realized she was not really that lucky. Polio had deformed her sacrum because of the resultant muscle weakness and paralysis. Fortunately, her son survived through a C-section, but Nichols still suffers from “strange symptoms” that are now called the post-polio syndrome (Nichols 1). Describing her helplessness, another polio sufferer writes, “I found it very frustrating to have an active mind in a permanently disabled body” (Gillan 1). Many individuals suffer from completely preventable diseases that could have been avoided if they were vaccinated in childhood. The very fact that a disease as preventable as polio was allowed to ruin so many lives makes it unbearable. Despite the awareness on immunizations and vaccinations, the multi-million dollar investments made by governments on vaccinations, the free camps and vaccination drives organized every day, there are many who fail to get their children immunized or are too scared to do so. Thesis Failure to get children immunized puts them at risk of innumerable life-threatening or permanently disabling diseases that would otherwise have been completely preventable. It is argued here that children should get immunized and that vaccination is the right of every child, as much as is his right to living. Background The World Health Organization (WHO) has a Millennium Development Goal 4 for reducing child (under five years of age) mortality by up to two thirds by the year 2015 (“10 facts on immunization” who.int). According to reports, millions of children die every year from diseases that could have been prevented through immunization. Vaccination is also a key strategy for the prevention of emergence of pandemic infections. The WHO reports that vaccination results in the prevention of about 2-3 million deaths all over the world each year (“10 facts on immunization” who.int). Deaths in all age groups from pertussis, diphtheria, tetanus, measles and polio have been prevented through vaccination, which is “one of the most successful and cost-effective public health interventions” (“10 facts on immunization” who.int). However, many individuals fail to get their children immunized, resulting in morbidity or death. For instance, as the WHO reports, more than 1 million infants and children die each year from rotavirus diarrhea and pneumococcal disease due to lack of immunization. As a parent of two healthy, vaccinated children, I believe it is essential to communicate the importance of immunization to all individuals so they do not leave their children to chance only out of fear of the side-effects or the perceived uselessness of vaccinations. Discussed here are evidences that strongly suggest the benefits of vaccinations, the number of lives they have saved and the reductions they have caused in the overall disease burden of the world. Why is It Necessary to Get Children Vaccinated Vaccination Improves Immunity – Prevention Is Better Than Cure When a child undergoes immunization, his immune system is stimulated and antibodies are produced. The child then develops immunity to the disease against which he is immunized. However, like any medicine, vaccinations have been found to work 90 to 100% of the time (CDC 32). The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) in the USA licenses all vaccines, which undergo extensive testing before approval. All vaccines undergo clinical trials where they are tested on people and then approved. It is seen that once a vaccine gets approved and licensed, and after its widespread administration, the number of cases of the disease drop significantly. For instance, the measles vaccine was licensed in 1962 and subsequently, the number of measles cases started to decline, as shown in figure 1. Figure 1: The number of cases of measles started to decline after the vaccine was licensed in 1962 (CDC 33). If one argues that the decline was because of better sanitation and hygiene rather than vaccination, then the number of cases of many other diseases should have declined as well. However, this was not found to be the case. It is always better to prevent a disease than to treat it. Without immunization, we leave children to chance, multiplying their risk of acquiring diseases. We Are Now Better Off Now Than Our Pre-Vaccine Counterparts There is no room for doubt that vaccines have reduced the disease burden worldwide. Many diseases that were of common occurrence earlier are now either unheard of or very rare. Reports from the CDC have shown a tremendous decline in vaccine-preventable diseases when compared with the pre-vaccine era. For instance, the estimated annual morbidity in the pre-vaccine era for diphtheria was 21,053 while the most recent estimate of diphtheria cases in the US (in 2013) was just 1, showing more than 99% decrease in disease incidence (immunize.org). Similar is the case for H. influenzae, Hepatitis A, measles, mumps, rotavirus, Congenital Rubella Syndrome, and rubella, all of which have shown more than 98-99% decrease in disease incidence (figure 2). Figure 2: CDC statistics comparing recent disease estimates with those of the pre-vaccine era (immunize.org). Debilitating diseases such as polio and smallpox have shown 100% decrease, with zero cases reported annually. Immunization Has Prevented Millions of Deaths Worldwide The WHO reports that 2-3 million deaths are prevented through immunization every year (“10 facts on immunization” who.int). Vaccination is “one of the most successful and cost-effective public health interventions” that has prevented millions of deaths in all age groups from diseases like pertussis, tetanus, diphtheria and measles (“10 facts on immunization” who.int). The WHO also reports that more than one million infants and children die every year from preventable diseases such as rotavirus diarrhoea and pneumococcal disease that could have been prevented through vaccination. Vaccination is a Replication of the Natural Process of Immunity Prior to the introduction of vaccines, the only way one could become immune to a disease was to acquire it, and if one was lucky, survive it (niaid.nih.gov). This is naturally acquired immunity. With developments in science, it has become possible to gain immunity without actually acquiring the disease. This is possible by manipulating the disease causing bacteria and viruses to make then harmless, while tricking the body into responding to these by producing antibodies and developing immunity. This kind of immunity is called artificially acquired immunity. If it is possible to prevent a disease through such a natural mechanism, abstaining from it would only mean that we are depriving our children from safety. Vaccination Not Only Protects Against the Target Disease But also Related Diseases Some may argue that there are thousands of diseases and we cannot vaccinate children with a thousand vaccines for the sake of protection. Although this statement holds weight, it should be noted that routine vaccination covers all the major contagious and non-contagious diseases that are the most prevalent in a population. Moreover, vaccination not just protects against the targeted diseases but also related disease. For instance, in USA, Finland and other parts of the world, vaccination against influenza also protects against acute otitis media in children, with more than 30% vaccine efficacy (Andre et al. 142). Measles vaccination is found to protect against various complications such as malnutrition, bacterial pneumonia, dysentry and keratomalacia. An Eschericia coli vaccine was found to induce protection against diarrhoea caused by Salmonella enterica. Vaccination has also been found to be preventive against associated cancers. For instance, liver cancer is caused by chronic hepatitis B infection. Vaccination against such disease causing pathogens also prevents against associated cancers, as has been demonstrated in Taiwan, China, for hepatocellular carcinoma. Vaccination not only protects the immunized but also the non-immunized population to some extent by inducing herd protection through indirect effects. For instance, in Gambia, less than 70% vaccination coverage of Hib vaccine was enough to eliminate Hib disease. Similarly, in the USA, the attack of measles outbreak in pre-school aged children decreased at a faster rate than the rate at which the coverage was increased (Andre et al. 142). Prevention of a Disease is Cheaper than Treating It A study conducted in 2005 in the USA on the economic impact of routine childhood immunization showed that for every dollar spent on immunization, more than $5 were saved in direct costs and $11 were saved in additional costs (Zhou et al. qtd. in niaid.nih.gov). It is estimated that if all countries reach 90% of children who are less than five years old with routine vaccination, it could result in the prevention of an additional two million deaths per year by 2015 (WHO, UNICEF and World Bank 79). The eradication of smallpox cost around US$ 100 million over a 10-year period, and according to one estimate, it has been saving the world around US$ 1.3 billion annually in prevention and treatment costs (WHO, UNICEF and World Bank 79). By preventing diseases and promoting good health, vaccination has immense economic benefits for individuals, societies and nations. It helps extend life-expectancy of individuals, enabling them to spend more time on productive activity, contributing towards better lifestyles and poverty reduction. Objections? Despite the evidence that vaccines have reduced disease burden and deaths worldwide, there are several anti-vaccine lobbyists who claim that vaccines are unsafe. For instance, one such lobbyist writes – The pro-vaccination side is all that is offered in the media, schools, doctor’s offices, PHS, and all government publications. This is a biased one-sided view of vaccinations...The other side is rarely discussed and adverse events after vaccination are dismissed as a one-in-a-million chance which is a necessary risk we all have to take. The truth is that the risks are far greater than they are telling us, and there are no mandatory vaccines...doctors cannot guarantee the safety of vaccines or that they will even work. Many vaccinations fail to achieve their intended level of immunity and many cause horrible complications (including death) which one will have to suffer for the rest of their life (Mercola). Such observations are not scientifically backed and lack evidence. Firstly, vaccines are safe as they are rigorously tested and licensed. If vaccines were really harmful, then a large number of children worldwide should have taken ill. There should have been widespread cases of disease breakouts all over the world. Vaccination is a mandatory requirement in most of the countries and health workers, philanthropists and governments worldwide are striving to increase vaccine coverage as much as possible. As is evident from data, the disease burden and mortality all over the world has decreased tremendously. If vaccines did result in “horrible complications”, at least half the worlds population should have been inflicted. This is however not found to be the case. Nothing in this world can guarantee 100% safety, not even medications. If we can medicate a sick child with a certain medication, despite knowing that it may not be 100% efficacious, and that there is definitely a risk of adverse effects, why not vaccinate a child to offer prevention? Some vaccines do result in complications in rare cases depending on the individual, and so does medication, or even certain foods for that matter. Not vaccinating a child out of fear that vaccination may not be safe for him is synonymous with not feeding him out of fear that he may be allergic to an unknown food ingredient. Immunizations the world over have protected individuals throughout their lives. Not taking a slight risk of getting a child vaccinated against polio for instance puts him at a much greater risk of actually acquiring the disease. Conclusion Evidence suggests that childhood immunization has resulted in reduction and even elimination of certain diseases worldwide. The economic, health and social costs of preventing diseases is much lower than treating them. Immunization is a safe and effective measure of disease prevention as vaccines are licensed and administered after a series of rigorous tests and clinical trials. There is a slight chance of developing complications due to vaccines, which happens in rare cases. However, this should not prevent adults in getting children immunized, because not vaccinating them puts them at a much greater risk of actually acquiring debilitating and life-threatening diseases that were otherwise preventable. It is necessary for children to undergo routine immunization as vaccination is the right of every child. Works Cited “10 facts on immunization.” www.who.int. 20 April 2014. Web. . Andre, FE et al. “Vaccination greatly reduces disease, disability, death and inequity worldwide.” Bulletin of the World Health Organization 86:2 (2008). 20 April 2014. Web. . CDC. Parents guide to childhood immunizations. CDC, 2012. 20 April 2014. Web. . Gillan, Helen. “My Polio Experience.” www.independenceaustralia.com. 20 April 2014. Web. . immunize.org. “Vaccines work! CDC statistics demonstrate dramatic declines in vaccine-preventable diseases when compared with the pre-vaccine era.” www.immunize.org. 20 April 2014. Web. . Mercola. “Vaccination statistics.” www.mercola.com. 20 April 2014. Web. . niaid.nih.gov. “Vaccine benefits.” National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. 20 April 2014. Web. . Nichols, Janice. “Polio, the forgotten killer.” www.chop.edu. 20 April 2014. Web. . WHO, UNICEF, World Bank. State of the world’s vaccines and immunization. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2009. 20 April 2014. Web. . Read More