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Thanks to the common preventive vaccinations against many dangerous infectious diseases, we have already managed to deal with it. However, the lack of reliable knowledge about the mechanism of their operation means that every year there are more and more parents who do not vaccinate their children. On the occasion of the sixth European Vaccination Week (April 23-30), it is worth considering the consequences of their conduct.
Immunity from a syringe
Vaccines are medicinal products that contain antigens from viruses and bacteria that, when introduced into the body, trigger an immune system response against specific pathogens. The vaccine ingredients simulate the attack of real pathogenic germs against which the immune system creates defense mechanisms that will defend the body against real threats in the future. – Vaccinations prepare the body for the action of the causative agent – sums up Dr. Maria Kotowska from the Department of Paediatrics at the Medical University of Warsaw in Warsaw.
Vaccinations are one of the greatest achievements of medicine. Even the invention of antibiotics did not have such a significant impact on reducing morbidity and mortality as the introduction of universal vaccination. Thanks to them, it was possible to eliminate smallpox, from which 60 million people worldwide died annually until the late 2s, and to significantly reduce the number of cases of many other serious diseases, e.g. poliomyelitis (Heine and Medin disease), measles, tetanus, whooping cough, diphtheria and severe meningitis caused by Haemophilus influenzae type B bacteria, the so-called Hib.
Mandatory and recommended
One of the most common infectious diseases in childhood is chicken pox. Its course in children is usually mild, however, the occurrence of serious complications, such as meningitis, cerebellitis and brain inflammation, convulsions, bacterial skin infection, respiratory and digestive system infections cannot be ruled out. Every year, the Varicella zoster virus that causes this disease attacks approx. 140 people. children, of which approx. 1 thousand is hospitalized due to serious complications. Even though there is a varicella vaccine, it is not widely used because parents have to pay for it out of their own pocket. Reason? It has not yet been included in the annual compulsory vaccination calendar financed from the state budget.
According to the 2011 Protective Immunization Program, only vaccinations against hepatitis B, tuberculosis, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, poliomyelitis, Haemophilus influenzae type B, measles, mumps and rubella are free. Most of them are monovalent (single) vaccines, although there are more modern combination vaccines on the market – five or even six-component vaccines, which prevent five or six diseases at the same time. Moreover, despite many efforts of pediatricians, many vaccinations are still only recommended, which means that their costs have to be paid by the parents.
– First of all, the pneumococcal vaccine is missing, and it must be included in the calendar of compulsory vaccinations. There is also no vaccine against rotavirus, which in our conditions is not fatal, but causes many health complications that require expensive hospital treatment. Vaccines against meningococcus and hepatitis A are lacking – mentions the pediatrician and vaccinologist prof. Jacek Wysocki, rector of the Medical University in Poznań.
Let’s not be afraid of vaccinations
Despite the fact that vaccines are produced in compliance with the highest technological regimes and approved for marketing after multi-stage studies, despite the fact that they are subject to the most stringent storage conditions, similarly to other drugs, they can cause side effects. The most common are the so-called post-vaccination reactions such as redness, swelling and pain at the injection site. Less common is elevated temperature, headache, malaise. These symptoms are usually the result of a specific body reaction, incorrect administration of the vaccine (e.g. instead of subcutaneously or intramuscularly – intravascularly) or the patient’s accidental exposure to another infection.
– Vaccination should not be afraid – says Dr. Wojciech Feleszko, MD, a pediatrician and immunologist from the Department of Pneumology and Children’s Allergology at the Medical University of Warsaw in Warsaw.
Even if an undesirable vaccine reaction occurs after administration of the vaccine, it has nothing to do with the complications of infectious diseases, which are much more common and in many cases can be the cause of death. Thanks to protective vaccinations, we get sick less often, we do not use L-4, our children do not miss school, we do not spend money on medicines, and employers and ZUS bear lower costs related to sickness absenteeism of employees. – The more people are vaccinated, the greater is the so-called herd immunity. It is a barrier that protects people who, for various reasons, cannot be vaccinated, it is created by the vaccinated, epidemiologists emphasize.
They don’t want to know the truth
A lot of controversy, misunderstandings and myths have arisen around vaccination. They contributed to this, among others the results of many unreliably conducted studies publicized by the media. There are many examples. In the 70s, vaccination against whooping cough was abandoned in Germany because of alleged brain damage allegedly caused by a vaccine against the disease. In turn, the French, opponents of vaccination, tried to convince the vaccine against hepatitis B is one of the causes of multiple sclerosis. It has recently been rumored that most vaccinations cause AIDS, infertility, and carry lethal prions, while tuberculosis and whooping cough vaccines may cause asthma. Despite the fact that none of these “revelations” has been confirmed by many years of research conducted independently of pharmaceutical companies, in many countries there has been a drastic decline in the vaccination coverage rate.
The real hysteria was caused by the work of Dr. Andrew Wakefield, published in 1998 in the prestigious scientific journal “The Lancet”. Based on the falsified medical records of several children, the author concluded that the combined MMR vaccine (against measles, mumps and rubella) causes autism. Wakefield’s arguments have been completely undermined in dozens of other studies. They were found to be untrue and unscientific, and The Lancet in 2004 officially apologized for publishing his work and withdrew it from its archives. However, this did not prevent many countries from vaccination against measles, mumps and rubella. After 14 years of success in the fight against measles, England and Wales were designated endemic areas in 2008. And it carries the risk of many serious complications, incl. inflammation of the middle ear, lungs, brain, thrombocytopenia, and even death.
– The risk of getting measles in unvaccinated children is over 60 times higher than in vaccinated children – warns Dr. Joanna Stryczyńska-Kazubska from the Department of Health Prophylaxis at the Medical University of Poznań.
Thiomersal and the “swine” flu
In Poland, according to the data of the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate, in 2010, approx. 1,5 thousand parents refused to vaccinate their child. According to Dr. Paweł Grzesiowski, MD from the Institute of Infection Prevention in Warsaw, a member of the board of the Polish Society of Vaccinology, shows, however, that the total number of unvaccinated newborns and infants may amount to as much as 5 annually across the country. Because apart from parents who openly declare that they will not vaccinate their child, there are many more who, fearing the consequences of refusal, postpone the vaccination date indefinitely. – They combine in various ways, e.g. by taking a friend’s doctor’s certificate stating that the child cannot be temporarily vaccinated. And you can circulate with such paper for a long time … – says Dr. Paweł Grzesiowski.
According to him, the most common excuse for refusal today is that the free jaundice vaccine contains thimerosal. It is a derivative of ethylmercury that has been wrongly accused of causing autism. – Many organizations (including the World Health Organization, the Agency for Health Technology Assessment and the National Institute of Public Health – National Institute of Hygiene) ensure that this substance is harmless. Parents heard about these assurances, and yet they do not want to vaccinate their children – explains Dr. Grzesiowski.
According to our expert, a lot of harm was also caused by last year’s campaign against the pandemic AH1N1 flu, called “swine” flu and anti-pandemic vaccines. – Most people were convinced that it was a good thing that vaccines were not bought because they were bad and they tried to trick us into unnecessary expenses. In fact, there was no scam at all, the pandemic just took everyone by surprise. Some countries reacted very nervously, while we reacted as usual. This, however, shattered confidence in vaccination. Not only anti-flu, but also those “calendar” ones for children – says Dr. Paweł Grzesiowski. And he adds: – Losing confidence in vaccinations is like an infectious disease. It is mainly spread over the internet and from mouth to mouth. We must start fighting this disease in a systematic and planned manner. Otherwise, some infectious diseases will return.
Text: Mariola Marklowska-Dzierżak
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