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| Photo by Author |
Throughout the course of history, man was tested by the many diseases that would come and infect them. During the smallpox outbreak of the 18th century, Edward Jenner, a medical student, had witnessed a comment from a patient who said that she could not catch smallpox as she already had cowpox.
As Jenner practiced more of his craft in medicine, he found that the patient was right. Soon he began tests and administered small doses of cowpox to patients in order to combat the smallpox plague. It worked! He inadvertently discovered vaccination which had saved countless lives since then and continues to do so today.
In honor of Jenner’s great achievement, every year the World Health Organization partners with several organizations and acknowledges that the last week of April be recognized as World Immunization Week.
The Big Catch-Up!
For this year, the theme, The Big Catch-Up, was announced in order to raise awareness on the critical need to get back on track at vaccinating millions of children who have missed out on vaccines during the pandemic, and overall increase the health care all over the world.
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| Photo by UNICEF |
The primary goal for this year’s World Immunization Week is to catch up on the many years the WHO lost in protecting children, adults, and their communities from vaccine-preventable diseases. In a list from the CDC, they showed statistics from 2021 and 2022 that showed the adverse effects of missing out on 3 years of vaccination:
In 2021, 25 million children missed at least one routine vaccine, and 18 million received no vaccines at all.
In 2021, nearly 40 million children were left dangerously susceptible to the growing measles threat, and an estimated 128,000 died of measles.
Vaccination is essential in shaping the future of many, especially to lead a healthier life free from diseases that could be prevented. According to a study published in 2021, it is projected that at least 51 million deaths can be prevented through immunization from 2021 to 2030. With Measles vaccinations predicted to save nearly 19 million lives and Hepatitis B vaccinations predicted to save 14 million lives.
Debunking Vaccination Myths
Vaccines are important for a healthy way of living, however, there are a few misconceptions and some fake news spreading around regarding these. Let us quickly debunk them!
“Vaccines cause autism”
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| Photo by UNICEF Philippines |
First of all, vaccines do not and will not cause any form of autism in a person. This claim stems from a study from 1997 and has since been retracted. In it, it linked the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine to causing autism.
The paper has since been discredited due to procedural errors, undisclosed financial conflicts of interest, and ethical violations. The researcher has even lost their medical license because of this paper.
There have been hundreds of studies around the globe that have disproved this claim, especially evidence from the CDC itself claiming that autism is developed during the utero, well before a baby is born.
“Vaccines can make you sick”
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| Photo by Ezra Acayan |
According to the World Health Organization, some people can experience mild side effects such as soreness around the injection area, fatigue, or low-grade fevers, but these do not last long.
Severe side effects are a rare occurence, and even then, you’re highly unlikely to be at risk of the diseas you’re getting vaccinated from.
It is understandable that this misconception is widespread, especially given the Dengvaxia scare back in 2016, which shaped the landscape of vaccine hesistancy in the Philippines.
“COVID-19 vaccine can make you infertile”
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| Photo by Aaron Favila |
Dr. Akiko Iwasaki, Waldemar von Zedtwitz Professor of Immunobiology at Yale School of Medicine, and Yale M.D. Ph.D student Alice Lu-Culligan quelled the rumors that linked COVID-19 vaccines with infertility with their published study back in 2021.
The study showed that the vaccines does not affect or damage the placenta’s protein called syncytin-1. Other than that, there were also no official reports that cited the link between the two.
This rumor arose when a false report had surfaced on social media, claiming that the spike protein on the coronavrius was the exact same as syncytin-1, the spike protein involved in the growth and attachment of the placenta during pregnancy. This misinformation stated that the COVID-19 vaccine was causing the woman’s body to fight this different spike protein and affect her fertility.
Johns Hopkins Medicine stated that,
“The two spike proteins are completely different and distinct, and getting the Covid-19 vaccine will not affect the fertility of women who are seeking to become pregnant, including through in vitro fertilization methods. During the Pfizer vaccine tests, 23 women volunteers involved in the study became pregnant, and the only one who suffered a pregnancy loss had not received the actual vaccine, but a placebo.”
Vaccines have since then given such a big contribution to the world of health and medicine. To knowing about the history and how it came to be, all the way to the myths that are surrounding it because of the disinformation and the vaccine hesitancy that occurred back during the terms of former President Benigno Aquino and former President Rodrigo Duterte.
For more information on the history of vaccines, click here and here for more debunking myths on vaccines.
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