Lately, many people who are against the idea of vaccination have been opting to not vaccinate their kids and their refusal has caused a rise in infectious diseases that could actually be prevented via vaccination.
Even though they have been urged by medical professionals to vaccinate their children many times, this advice seems to always fall on deaf ears because anti-vaxxers still believe that vaccination isn’t going to do any good for themselves or their children.
According to Siakap Keli, a fellow young doctor shared that many doctors encourage vaccination because they have learnt from these diseases’ grim history before the introduction of vaccines.
Source: Newsd
Dr Amirul Azmeer Asmadi shared that many diseases in the past which were “eradicated” due to vaccines have made a comeback because some people are now rejecting vaccination.
So, to spread awareness about the benefits of vaccinations, he shared five fatal diseases that have been successfully controlled and eradicated thanks to vaccines.
1. Smallpox
Though it is similar to Chickenpox, it has a much darker history because this disease managed to take the lives of many patients.
Source: The Social Historian
Nevertheless, in the year 1980, the 33rd World Health Assembly declared that we were free of Smallpox through vaccination. Thank goodness!
2. Poliomyelitis
Better known as Polio, this disease causes half of the patient’s body to become paralysed. Thankfully, this sickness has been eliminated in three regions under the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Source: Siakap Keli
The three regions are:
- Europe
- South West Pacific
- North America
Not only that, Malaysia has been free from polio since October 2000 because we managed to achieve the eradication status for Polio, which is Zero Polio.
3. Pertussis
The layman term for this disease is the “Whooping Cough”. Though it may sound harmless, it can actually be fatal. The doctor wrote that if a baby coughs for 100 days non-stop, their lungs will become tired and the baby could possibly die.
Source: id-ea
Back in 2017, two toddlers were reported to have contracted Pertussis because they weren’t vaccinated. Thankfully, the toddlers were in stable condition following the infection.
4. Cervical cancer
Dr Amirul also shared that there are two vaccines which can protect women from Human Papillomavirus (HPV). These vaccines are listed below:
- Gardasil
- Cervarix
Source: Women Screening Wing
The above-mentioned vaccines have proven successful in preventing the HPV sub-types 16 and 18, which causes 70 per cent of cervical cancer. See, vaccines are beneficial for our health!
5. Liver Cancer
Liver cancer mostly originates from Hepatitis B and the disease has been successfully prevented through the Hepatitis B vaccine, which is usually injected in the arm.
Source: Health XChange
Dr Amirul revealed that about 80 to 90 per cent of people who have been vaccinated have been prevented from contracting liver cancer.
Adding on, Dr Amirul then explained that the mortality rate for vaccine-preventable diseases has been decreasing all around the world.
He further added that thousands of children and adults can be saved from fatal diseases like poliomyelitis, meningitis, diphtheria and other vaccine-preventable diseases. Therefore, he requested everyone to get vaccinated and learn from the past.
Since vaccine-preventable diseases have been rising at an alarming rate, it’s probably best if we get ourselves and our loved ones vaccinated to prevent us from contracting these diseases. Stay safe, guys!
Also read: MOH: Measles Cases Rise Almost 1,000% in 5 Years Due to Misinformation About Vaccines
