Vidya Sethuraman
India Post News Service
Numerous US states are reporting outbreaks of vaccine preventable diseases, such as measles and whooping cough. Meanwhile, new protocols have been established for the development and distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine: far fewer people will have access to this preventive tool this fall. Speakers at this weekly conference discussed the factors behind the rise in preventable diseases, the shuttering of global vaccine distribution programs, vaccine hesitancy, and how to keep our families safe even as we face these new challenges.
Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, Professor of Medicine and Director of the Immunocompromised Host Infectious Diseases Program, University of California, San Francisco said that the new version of the COVID-19 vaccine this fall will only be available to elderly people over 65 years old and those with comorbidities. He also criticized that the mRNA vaccine has been questioned and resource investment has been reduced, which will seriously affect the preparedness for future influenza and emerging epidemics. He emphasized that mRNA technology has been developed since the 1960s and has the advantages of rapid production and flexible response to virus mutations. However, it is now questioned by the political atmosphere, which is worrying.
Dr. Benjamin Neuman, Professor of Biology, Texas A&M University said that vaccines and herd immunity are the cornerstones of the normal functioning of modern society. He criticized the current anti-vaccination claims as lacking scientific basis, and some politicians even advocated that each vaccine revision should be re-conducted with a placebo-controlled trial, which may significantly delay the development and release of the vaccine and increase the risk of the disease to the public.
Dr. William Schaffner, Professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine pointed out that so far, 35 states in the United States have reported measles outbreaks, with the total number of cases exceeding 1,079, and the number of whooping cough cases has doubled from last year. He warned that diseases that vaccines have successfully eradicated, such as measles, polio and diphtheria, are now posing a renewed threat to public health due to society forgetting their dangers, the proliferation of false information and vaccine hesitancy. Taking the epidemic in the Mennonite community in western Texas as an example, he pointed out that this group may not necessarily oppose vaccines, but because they believe in natural life and reject modern medical treatment, most children are not vaccinated. Once the virus invades, it spreads rapidly, and several people have died from pneumonia.
Also Read: India’s first mRNA COVID-19 vaccine to get Emergency Use Authorisation soon
Thank You For Your Vote!
Sorry You have Already Voted!
