Vaccines Are Important

Vaccines Are Important.

As with only drinking pasteurized milk, there used to be much less controversy surrounding vaccines. Vaccines save lives. Now, people imagine conspiracies behind any public policy. The government recommends pasteurization of milk, it must harm us in some way. The COVID shot came out quickly, then it must be dangerous. Forget the fact that the COVID vaccine may have saved millions of lives.

Some government policies are indeed questionable. I am not sure we should continue adding fluoride to all municipal water. We have superb dental care and widely available topical fluoride products like toothpaste. Maybe it is time to change this policy.

Vaccination is not something anyone should want to change. Smallpox killed hundreds of millions of people in the 20th century. Now no one gets it. I don’t mean that few people get it. Because of the vaccination program, the virus is gone. Did some people have side effects? Sure. Some people died from the vaccine. But, not 500 million people. Some people are hurt by seatbelts. Far more are saved.

Some vaccines are better than others. The measles vaccine is one of the best. Before the vaccine, nearly everyone got measles. In the early 1900s, thousands died every year. In the decade before the vaccine came out, the United States recorded hundreds of deaths and about a thousand cases of encephalitis (brain infection). By 2000, measles was eradicated. Now, the virus is making a comeback because people aren’t vaccinating their kids.

The polio vaccine is right up there with measles, perhaps better. In the mid-twentieth century, 500,000 people around the world died or were paralyzed every year. The polio vaccine was available in 1955. By 1957, cases in the United States dropped from 58000 to 5600 yearly. In 1961, there were 161 cases.

Not all vaccines are the same. Since the influenza virus mutates all the time, the vaccine is not as good as that for measles. It still saves thousands of lives and prevents many more serious illnesses. The shingles vaccine probably doesn’t save many lives, because shingles doesn’t kill that many people. It still prevents many cases of a painful disease. Without the rubella vaccine, we would still have significant numbers of cases of congenital rubella syndrome, a major cause of congenital abnormalities. Some people think mumps isn’t serious. I am glad we have a vaccine that prevents most cases.

I understand why people are skeptical of anything new, especially if it comes from the government. Much of the controversy over vaccination has to do with the political divide in this country. When the Covid vaccine came out near the end of President Trump’s first term, many people on the left, including politicians, were skeptical and waited months to get the shot. Some waited until President Biden took over. Now, those on the right are hesitant to get the recommended vaccines.

It is difficult for vocal members of either party to agree on anything. I hope that we can all agree that vaccines are important. They are not perfect, but they help protect everyone.