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 Despite the progress over the last 20 years we still have a long way to go when it comes to immunisation. Currently there is research into vaccination for all sorts of illnesses and infections such as cervical cancer, breast cancer and of course malaria, Tuberculosis and HIV. But in some ways eradication of illnesses that used to be the scourge of childhood such as polio, diphtheria and smallpox has been so successful that the new generations now question vaccinations. In Australia there are a handful of cases of measles each year, usually brought in from overseas. And these are generally in adults. Yet up to 800000 children die of measles throughout the World each year according to the WHO. The difference lies in the fact that we approach 90% immunity because of our vaccination program whereas some African Asian nations do not have an adequate public health infrastructure.
The anti vaccination groups are as active as ever in Australia and their arguments have not changed in the last century. The most common reasons parents do not immunise are as follows:
1. They do not believe that immunisations work and that the decrease in disease is because of improved living standards. To counter this we simply need to look at the most recent vaccines and their affect on disease rates. There has been a marked drop in the incidence of epiglottiis and meningitis since the vaccine for Haemophilus Type B was introduced in 1993. This also has been seen with the newer vaccines against meningococcus and chicken pox.
2. The perceived side effects of vaccines. This has recently been the most common reason for not vaccinating. The MMR and autism controversy which has since been shown to be completey incorrect has markedly dropped the rate of MMR uptake particularly in the UK. Two decades ago a similar occurence happened with the whooping cough vaccine. In this medicolegal world we live in if there was any truth to some of the outrageous claims about vaccinations the companies responsible for manufacture would simple cease to produce it fearing legal action.
3. The coincidence issue. An infant is vaccinated at 0,2,4,6,12, 18 months of age. So this frequency means that if an illness is diagnosed in an infant then it will have occurred after a vaccination. Therefore a parent may well link the illness to the vaccination. This has been common place with autism. Many parents blame vaccination for there autistic child, because the child was diagnosed during the second year (usually), and therefore after vaccination. The flaw in this argument is that when analysing populations there is no difference in the rate of autism in the vaccinated versus the unvaccinated.
To show the flaw in the argument lets look at a different example as an analogy. Some parents will have a car accident, on the way home after a vaccination. Does this mean that vaccinations cause car accidents ? Clearly this is ridiculous but it shows that just because an event occurs after a vaccination it does not necessarily mean it was a result of the vaccination.
4. Misunderstanding - for example feeling that immunisation is too overwheliming of the immune system. And the recent idea that separating vaccines is safer and more effective. None of these statements is true.
5. The decision not to immunise is often based on a perceived side effect such as a family member who has had an adverse event such as brain damage. This is called anecdotal evidence. There so far has never been any conclusive evidence that any immunisation has directly lead to brain damage of any kind in studies of populations. In fact the reverse has occurred. With the elimination of some of these diseases the incidence of meningitis and other brain infections has lessened considerably.
6. Recently there appears to be a trend against vaccination as more and more parents take their child to alternative practitioners. Often these practitioners for some reason are antivaccination and will convey this message very strongly to a parent. This will create doubt and often vaccinations are delayed
7. The selfish reason. Some parents know all the facts and prefer to take their chances and vaccinate when their child is older. This is fine if only one or two did this. But if the population as a whole decided to do this we would see a quick return to the mortality rates of previouis generations as whooping cough, measles, diphtherai make a swift comeback.
Immunisations have saved more lives than the combined efforts of sanitation, improved living standards, antibiotics combined. So successful have they been that people now have the luxury to question them.
Finally, as the conspiracy theorists and alternative practitioners who are against vaccination continue to 'burn witches' it would be great if someone someday made them accountable. If a child dies of a preventable disease because of such advice, why do they not take legal action ? They surely would if a doctor had advised against it.
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