Why Do We Immunize

Immunization is single most effective public health intervention of modern day medical science. It saves millions of life and prevent illness, lifelong disability in many more. Many childhood diseases which are vaccine preventable nowadays were resulted in hospitalization, death or life long sequalae few decade back. Without immunization, serious outbreak of many of diseases we are protected from at present can reappear.

Why do we opt for immunization?

 We immunize to try and help protect all children in society. More the people immunizes lesser chance of infectious disease in and around us, hence lesser chances of getting disease. When level of immunization against a specific disease is really very high, then chance of unimmunized child getting disease decreases (ie. herd immunity). In this situation immuno deficient child who cannot be vaccinated against live vaccine ( MMR , opv ) can be protected from some disease to large extent.

We immunize to try and eradicate as many diseases from world. We have eradicated small pox. We are at the verge of eradicating polio, neonatal tetanus. We have able to minimize impact of measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus on our society through proper immunizations.

Vaccines are safe and effective:

All vaccines undergo long and careful review by scientist, health professionals, WHO/UNICEF, and government to make sure that they are safe. Vaccines may causes local pain, redness, tenderness and fever for few days. But this is minimal compared to disease. The most comprehensive scientific studies and reviews around world have not found any link between certain vaccine and autism. Serious side effects are very less than medicines used to treat the disease. The Cost of burden of disease on society is always higher than the cost of vaccine.

We all have a public health commitment to our society to protect each other and each other’s children by vaccinating our children.

So every parent must vaccinate as per WHO/UNICEF, IAP,AAP and others recommendations against vaccine preventable disease to loved one.