by He Yinan
“Measles now a public health emergency with a surge of those infected. Measles is back in the US.” These are the first two lines of a news article in April 2019. So, what is measles? Measles is a very contagious respiratory infection, that cause a total-body skin rash and flu like symptoms. Since measles is caused by a virus, there is no specific medical treatment for it. The good news is that there is a vaccine for measles. The MMR vaccine can effectively prevent measles. In fact, more than 93 percent of people who get the first dose of MMR develop immunity to measles. After the second dose, up to 97 percent of people are protected. With the help of MMR, measles was declared eliminated in the US in 2000. Since there is an effective vaccine for measles, why is it coming back?
The attention has been focused on the anti-vaccine movement. An increase in number of people refusing to take vaccine has caused a health crisis. Anti-vaccination sentiment is growing fast in the US due to various reasons. Some people believe vaccinations may be harmful and it is not necessary to take vaccines, as the risk of contracting vaccine-preventable disease is so low. Others are due to religious reasons or conservative thinking. The problem is, as more people are unprotected against the virus, there is an increase in people contracting the disease and spreading the disease to those who are unable to take the vaccine, causing a significant increase in the outbreak cases.
The anti-vaccine group is only a minority, the larger group is the ‘vaccine hesitant’. This group of people intentionally delay or deviate from the routing schedule, staggering vaccine administration according to their own timeline. This leaves children vulnerable to diseases for a longer time and puts their community at a higher risk for outbreaks.
The problem is not simply because of anti-vaccine movement and the vaccine hesitant group. Even with people against vaccination, developed countries are still doing well in immunization. Developing countries in Africa, parts of Asia, and in the Middle East also have a vaccine problem. For example, in Nigeria, only a third of the population received the third dose of DTP vaccine (diphtheria, tetanus toxoids and pertussis) while 85 percent of rest of the world have received their vaccination. This situation is largely related to the poor infrastructure in these countries. Poor countries often lack the electricity which is needed to keep vaccines refrigerated, causing the vaccination rate to be much lower than the rate required to prevent the disease.
Thanks to the organizations working on vaccinating the children in developing countries, the situation in poor countries have been more optimistic. Vaccination not only protect ourselves from diseases, it also prevents the spread of diseases. Thus, it is encouraged for people who are able to get vaccination to be vaccinated, to protect themselves and also protect those allergic to the vaccine, or too young to receive the vaccine, or anyone who is not able to receive the vaccine.
References:
https://www.businessinsider.com/vaccine-problem-anti-vaccine-movement-united-states-explained-charts-2019-4?IR=T
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/measles/expert-answers/getting-measles-after-vaccination/faq-20125397
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/how-bad-is-the-measles-comeback-heres-70-years-of-data
The Watercooler 
I personally find the anti-vaccination movement to be very troubling due to the heavy implications that it has on the effectiveness of healthcare policies, especially in rural areas where individuals may not be well informed of vaccines. Alongside the lack of amenities and resources to facilitate the proper delivery of vaccines to vulnerable populations, there are political, cultural and social obstacles too. For instance, in attempting to eradicate the global Smallpox epidemic, WHO faced great challenges in coordinating the effort as it required cooperation from the highest level of government to grassroots stakeholders. Moreover, the terrain was extremely challenging in some regions, staff members traveled on foot to deliver vaccinations to remote villages. However, there have been better dedicated efforts to educate individuals on the benefits of vaccines and the level of outreach to these rural communities.
As for developed countries like the US, I personally do hope that government agencies can make a more concentrated effort to changing the perspectives of these anti-vaxxers.
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“Poor countries often lack the electricity which is needed to keep vaccines refrigerated, causing the vaccination rate to be much lower than the rate required to prevent the disease. ”
That’s quite unfortunate to read this part because it really means that communities of people are missing out on the vaccine that be a preventative measure from getting infected by measles.
It is good that there is a vaccine called MMR that is present and accessible to many clinics. The troubling thing is there are some communities who do not have access to this. I am hoping that NGOs or even the UN could assist in making health of communities a priority – and this could be done by initiating volunteers or doctor volunteers to distribute vaccines to those who cannot have access to this. But of course, this is easier said than done.
Thanks for sharing your topic. Speaking of vaccines for measles, I’ll probably need to look into vaccinating myself for serious illnesses like measles and get myself checked! In one way or another, reading this article has reminded me of it.
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A relevant read for everyone residing here too
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/measles-cases-in-singapore-vaccination-mmr-symptoms-11750210
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The vaccine problem seems to operate on two different levels: citizens from wealthier countries actively choosing not to vaccinate their children, and citizens from poorer countries without the opportunity to do so.
The wealthy citizens always receives harsh criticism – and rightly so. Choosing not to vaccinate your children not only endangers them, but others in their community. However, I think it is also important to understand that in many of these cases, parents are just trying to make the best decision possible for their children based on what they know – however misinformed. Being dismissive of these people might only make them more fearful of the medicine they don’t trust. It seems like the only way forward is for people around them to be patient, to educate them and help them make the right choice.
The cruel irony is that many people who would love to vaccinate their children do not have access to such medicines. It truly draws a deep divide between people living in weather countries as opposed to those who live in poorer ones.
The ultimate goal of vaccination is for everyone to be vaccinated, and given past success cases, I hope this will be the case in the future.
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1.
It’s also worth noting that there are people who for medical reasons cannot develop immunity to diseases or receive vaccines. And so their lives rely on “herd immunity” or the community’s immunity towards a diseases, so it cannot spread to the vulnerable. Hence vaccination is not just our responsibility as individuals, but as a collective.
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The vaccination problem is a very weird case. From what I’ve read, the anti vax movement is being funded by millionaires https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/antivax-donation-new-york-couple-vaccine-a8970921.html
On the other side, drug companies are refusing to fund research into Ebola vaccine through the necessary phases because it is not profitable enough https://www.jacobinmag.com/2014/08/the-political-economy-of-ebola/
So the root of the problem seems to be not our ability to combat diseases, it’s that governments are letting random people who happen to have ginormous pounds of money have a de facto grip on healthcare policy without democratic input
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The anti-vaxx movement was a little difficult for me to wrap my head around. We learnt about vaccinations all the way back in primary or middle school, so I did not understand why so many people are vehemently against them. And of course, people who refuse to vaccinate their children endanger not only their children, but others around them who suffer from disorders that prevent them from getting vaccinated themselves.
Keeping this in mind, it is easy to demonise anti-vaxxers, or think that they lack intelligence. However, I think it’s important to try and be empathetic. New parents tend to be overly protective of their babies, and anecdotal stories of vaccine side-effects overpower the dull, scientific studies stating their importance.
People also confuse correlation with causation. Consider the statement “Vaccines cause autism”. This is not true. But doctors tend to notice signs of autism around the same age as when vaccinations are carried out, so people may think they are the cause.
The anti-vax movement is dangerous, and needs to be eradicated asap. But attacking the intelligence and judgement of vaccine skeptics is only going to push them further away from vaccines
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