Why do we vaccinate children? To prevent some horrific diseases that have haunted the human race for centuries. These diseases have not gone – they are still lurking in the darkness, and have already started to reappear in towns with low vaccination rates. Here is a brief reminder of five diseases that no sane person would want to see return.
Diphtheria
Diphtheria is caused by a toxin-producing bacterium. It kills between 50 and 200 out of each thousand people who catch it.
Measles
Measles is caused by a virus. In the US, it kills about 2 out of each thousand people who catch it (in the rest of the world, more like 7 out of each thousand). However, it can also cause brain damage, deafness, blindness, and other complications in the survivors. It is extremely infectious – far more so than Ebola or the flu. And cases are trending upwards in the USA as a result of non-vaccination.
Rubella
Rubella (German measles) is of concern not only because of the harm it can do to those who catch it, but because it also causes miscarriages and birth defects in pregnant women.
Pertussis
Pertussis (whooping cough) can leave children weak for a long time. It is particularly deadly in young infants, and low vaccination rates are responsible for the deaths of babies in some areas. See here for a rather disturbing video of a baby in intensive care.
Poliomyelitis
Poliomyelitis (polio) is caused by a virus, which can cause permanent paralysis of various muscles. The 1950s saw serious epidemics that have now been largely forgotten. Unfortunately, attempts to eradicate polio have stalled in certain parts of the world.
Polio survivors (photo: RIBI Image Library)
Worldwide, each minute of every day and night, three children under five die from vaccine-preventable diseases like these. So “jab for life,” mums and dads!
Scientific Gems 