Falling infectious disease rates in developed countries have led to a point where the risks of receiving any given vaccine may be greater than the risks of catching that disease.
There was always going to be a point reached where the rates of diseases commonly vaccinated against became so low that it became illogical and unethical to continue vaccinating people for them.
In other words, the risk of catching the disease not longer justifies vaccinating people against them, given the risks associated with vaccinations.
Vaccine proponents will argue: vaccination is needed to continue so that disease rates can continue to remain low, rather than spiraling out of control, but I have yet to see any convincing evidence to justify this speculation.
Instead, the falling death rates of almost all infectious diseases in developed countries, whether commonly vaccinated against or not, seem to indicate that vaccines are not needed to wipe diseases out- rather, improved diets, hygiene and standards of living can be relied upon to do that.
Rather than wiping disease out, continuing the widespread vaccination of the community may actually keep that disease alive and well, when live viruses are used in the vaccine that can shed and cause the disease in others, whether vaccinated or not.
For a disease that is close to being wiped out it may be counter-productive to inject live viruses that cause that disease broadly into the population, through live-virus vaccines. Even if only a very small number of the recipients of these vaccines provide a fertile breading ground for these viruses and then spread them to others, it will still keep the disease alive in the community, rather than having it fade away, like many infectious diseases have naturally done.
Click on image to make clear
In other words, the risk of catching the disease not longer justifies vaccinating people against them, given the risks associated with vaccinations.
Click on image to make clear
Vaccine proponents will argue: vaccination is needed to continue so that disease rates can continue to remain low, rather than spiraling out of control, but I have yet to see any convincing evidence to justify this speculation.
Instead, the falling death rates of almost all infectious diseases in developed countries, whether commonly vaccinated against or not, seem to indicate that vaccines are not needed to wipe diseases out- rather, improved diets, hygiene and standards of living can be relied upon to do that.
Scarlett Fever death rate- no vaccine used
Rather than wiping disease out, continuing the widespread vaccination of the community may actually keep that disease alive and well, when live viruses are used in the vaccine that can shed and cause the disease in others, whether vaccinated or not.
For a disease that is close to being wiped out it may be counter-productive to inject live viruses that cause that disease broadly into the population, through live-virus vaccines. Even if only a very small number of the recipients of these vaccines provide a fertile breading ground for these viruses and then spread them to others, it will still keep the disease alive in the community, rather than having it fade away, like many infectious diseases have naturally done.
No comments:
Post a Comment