Vaccination and vaccine period were introduced in medicine by the English GP Edward Jenner in 1796 with the first discovery of smallpox vaccine. It is a method of prophylactic active immunization by inoculating a biological preparation with antigenic properties (the vaccine) which triggers an immune response with appearance of antibody formation. Vaccination plays an important role in health. World Health Organization consider vaccination and clean water the most important factors with impact on global health.
In the United States there are 50 biological products with antigenic properties approved today, which recommended for immunization of children, adolescents or adults, including special vaccines for travelers which have prophylactic purposes (eg. for yellow fever).
Indeed, over time there have been adverse effects after vaccination and neurological disease, autism, poor concentration, diabetes, allergies and autoimmune diseases because of preservatives like Thiomersal.
Vaccines Save Lives
At the same time vaccination has been saving millions of lives and managed to eradicate diseases that have caused death of millions in the past. Diseases such as tetanus, polio or measles are rarely encountered by doctors today, and this is due to vaccines. Also, because of the vaccines, smallpox was eradicated and the vaccinations against it have stopped.
In 1981 World Health Organization in collaboration with UNICEF established the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI). Every year at least 2.7 million deaths that could be caused by measles, neonatal tetanus, pertussis and 200,000 cases of paralysis that could be caused by polio virus are preventable by immunization,. However, every year, 20-35% of child deaths are caused by diseases for which there exists a prophylactic vaccine.
Infectious diseases know no geographic or political boundaries. But vaccines are the hope of society in controlling HIV infection and effectively control the spread of malaria and tuberculosis.
The lately formed anti-vaccine groups encourage parents to avoid vaccination of children because they believe that vaccines cause various diseases.The Institute of Medicine of the U.S. National Academies of Science recently released four studies (research) reports that show no biologically plausible explanation for the occurrence of multiple sclerosis, autism and immune system diseases blamed on vaccines.
Infections with Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted disease in the United States. It is estimated that 20 million individuals are infected with HPV and 6.2 million new infections occur each year. Although most infections are benign, persistent infections are associated with development of cervical cancer in women and genital warts in both women and men.
Researchers state that prophylactic administration of quadrivalent vaccine is 96% effective in preventing infection with HPV strains 6, 11, 16 and 18. Bivalent vaccine is as effective for sero-negatives women at the time of vaccination. However, the effects of this vaccine will be assessed over several decades, which questioned the statistics on its effectiveness.
The H1N1 Vaccine
On November 13, 2009, FDA approved H1N1 vaccine to children over six months. Vaccine (Alfuria) is trivalent and contains Thiomersal as a preservative. Apparently vaccination campaigns against H1N1 are not supported by medical specialists.
However, the current economic situation might be an explanation for the constant attempts of promoting this vaccine. Such a vaccine brings an important income to pharmaceutical companies.
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