Do we have to integrate our children?
2013/03/01 Zubia, Felix - Medikua Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria
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Although vaccines and vaccination processes are one of the most important discoveries in the history of medicine, more and more people speak out against vaccinations and speak for parental decision-making rights. First of all, let us clarify that vaccination is not a mandatory measure and that the last word is that of parents, but always based on the right information.
The vaccine is a chemical preparation that contains antigens from a microorganism and is placed to cause antibodies against these antigens. The goal is to provide a specific response, without infections. If the microorganism subsequently appeared, it would have a specific response from the beginning, avoiding or mitigating the infection.
There is no 100% effective vaccine, but inserts work for the effect known as canal effect. Although not all individuals have developed an effective immunity, if most people living in an environment develop it, these people would disrupt the transmission chain of the microorganism, an infection that would disappear from the area. This effect also protects individuals who have not had an effective insertion, and also unvaccinated individuals. On the contrary, the existence of many individuals not integrated against a microorganism also endangers the people who integrate it and have not developed defense, since the former would form the transmission chain of this microorganism.
Since Jenner created in 1796 the first vaccine for baztanga or navarrería, numerous vaccines have been developed, which remain the area that is renewed and expanded.
Results vaccines
Globally, with the use of vaccines, smallpox or smallpox is completely gone. Polio, on the other hand, is eradicated from Europe, America and Oceania and only isolated cases occur in Asia and Africa.
In our environment, due to the incidence of vaccines, cases of meningitis caused by measles, pertussis, diphtheria, or bacteria called Haemophilus influenzae and C meningococcus are virtually eradicated.
As indicated above, the effectiveness of vaccines is not 100% and vaccination of a person does not mean that he will not develop this disease. Non-vaccination has its risks. For example, in 2011 a measles outbreak occurred in Gipuzkoa, after a few cases in the last decade. Of the 21 cases that took place between January and April, 2 required hospitalization. Of these 21 cases, 18 were suffered by unvaccinated children (about 5% of children have not joined Gipuzkoa).
Risks of vaccines
Despite its use in all countries and that it is one of the most important measures of public health, in our environment there are voices that speak against vaccinations and, as already said, about 5% of children do not join. The alleged reasons why they oppose vaccinations, adding below my argument are the following:
- Vaccines can affect the development of the child, especially causing autism, linguistic problems and hyperactivity. As the prestigious medical journal Lancet published in 1998, this could all be influenced by a chemical compound called thiomersal. This mercury carrying substance was used as a vaccine preservative and provoked a hard discussion. However, in 2010, the Medical College of England condemned the author of this work for using false data and writing under economic interests. Lancet itself withdrew this work. Further work has not confirmed the risk of thiomersal, although some governments have banned its use.
- Vaccinations have serious consequences and there are proven cases. It is true that any matter that produces an immune response can and will cause harmful effects. But as in any part of medicine, risks and benefits must be put on the balance when making decisions. Polio, for example, affects the spinal cord in 1 in 200 to 1,000 cases, produces muscle paralysis, causing serious mobility or death problems. What is the risk of the vaccine? In one out of every 750,000 cases, paralysis can occur, especially in patients with immunity problems. You decide what you want.
- Some vaccines have low efficacy. Or the most prominent vaccine member, Miguel Jara, on his website, states that "vaccinated against certain diseases are more frequent." Reading his argument we can see the following data. In the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, between 2002-2011 there were 30 cases of meningococcus C, 25 of vaccination and 5 of non-vaccination. We will do the calculations: if in our environment there are 95% vaccinated children and 5% unvaccinated, of every 1,000 children we would have 950 vaccinated and 50 unvaccinated. If there are 25 cases among 950 vaccinated children (we really should share them among more children), the risk would be 0.026. The 50 unvaccinated, which are also more but maintain the proportion, have 5 cases, but with a risk of 0.100, ie 4 times higher (and we are talking about meningitis, a disease that can cause serious consequences and mortalities! ). Although the data are revealing, the author continues to speak against vaccines, mixing absolute numbers and relative dangers.
In view of the data, and this is my personal opinion, vaccines are beneficial measures, and the benefits are greater than the risks, although there will always be risks. Unvaccinated children are protected from the deer effect of vaccinated children, leaving the dangers to others, and increasing the risk of infection by others because they do not interrupt the transmission chain. Although freedom of choice about inclusion or not always will remain, before society it is a selfish father who does not insert his son, since he takes advantage of the risk of others without him.
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