From smallpox to rubella, here are 6 infectious diseases you can avoid thanks to vaccines - New Haven Register
From smallpox to rubella, here are 6 infectious diseases you can avoid thanks to vaccines - New Haven Register |
| Posted: 14 Jun 2019 12:00 AM PDT  Savanna Swain-Wilson, provided by
From the introduction of the smallpox vaccine in the 19th century to the mass availability of flu shots today, vaccines have helped millions of people develop immunity to some of the world's deadliest illnesses. Thanks to vaccines, many infectious diseases — like smallpox and polio — no longer exist outside of laboratories in the US. Their lasting elimination has spurred researchers to work to develop new types of immunizations that could help people avoid other life-altering diseases. Here are six once-common diseases that you no longer have to worry about thanks to vaccines. Smallpox used to wipe out populations by the thousands. Havakuk Levison/Reuters Smallpox is caused by the variola virus, and it can easily spread through the air. The disease causes a spotted rash around infected peoples' faces and bodies, which turns into pustules that scab over. Internally, the virus attacks the immune system, causing rapid death. When European colonizers brought smallpox to the Americas in the 17th century, it became an epidemic, killing three out of every 10 people who got it. In 1796, physician Edward Jenner discovered that people could become immune to smallpox if they received an injection of a similar, less invasive strain of the virus. Jenner's experiments led to the development of the the world's first vaccine. Over the next century, vaccinations became a routine practice in developed countries. In 1972, the US declared smallpox eradicated. Less than a decade later, the World Health Organization announced that smallpox was the first disease ever to be eradicated from the world. It remains the only disease recognized as 100% eliminated worldwide. Polio leaves survivors with lifelong disabilities. CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images Polio is a viral infection that lives inside a person's throat and intestines. One in four people who catch the disease develop flu-like symptoms that go away, but the rest suffer severe effects, including paralysis and respiratory failure. Some infected children would spend weeks inside giant machines called iron lungs, since polio made them unable to breathe on their own. According to NPR, 3,000 US children died from polio in the year 1952 alone. Polio deaths were so common, in fact, that companies sold polio insurance to the parents of newborns. The poliovirus used to spread rapidly among younger populations because it was transmitted orally. That meant it was easily transmitted in places like public swimming pools and day-care centers. But once a vaccine was introduced in 1955, polio rates declined rapidly. B 1979, the disease was considered eliminated from the US. The last reported case of polio in the US was in the early 1990s, and that patient contracted the disease abroad. Today, the CDC recommends that children in the US receive four vaccines for lifelong protection against polio. According to the World Health Organization, only three countries have active cases of polio this year: Nigeria, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. Diphtheria, a contagious bacterial infection, spread in the early 20th century. Reuters Diphtheria infections affected more than 200,000 people in 1921 and caused approximately 15,520 deaths that year, according to the CDC. Diphtheria initially causes infected people to develop a sore throat, weakness, and swollen glands. But then a grey-colored mucus begins to cover the back or their throat. If the bacteria spend enough time in the bloodstream, the infection can produce toxins that cause permanent nerve damage and heart failure. The disease spreads when an infected person sneezes, coughs, or leaves saliva droplets on surfaces or objects. For that reason, people living in close quarters, particularly in dense cities, were highly susceptible to the disease in the early 1900s. The diphtheria vaccine was introduced in the 1920s, so natural outbreaks haven't been an issue for nearly a century in the US. Less than five people in the entire country caught the disease over the past decade, according to the CDC. However, the disease remains common in some developing countries in which people don't have access to vaccines. The CDC recommends children receive four doses of the diphtheria vaccine, followed by booster shots every 10 years to ensure full protection. See the rest of the story at Business Insider See Also:  |
| Posted: 29 May 2019 12:00 AM PDT LAHORE: The Emergency Operation Center for Polio Eradication (EOC) has taken up a massive campaign to eradicate polio from Punjab whereas, almost 90.7 million children across Punjab have already been vaccinated, Pakistan Today learnt in a meeting with Punjab EOC Coordinator Salman Ghani. In a meeting with this scribe, he mentioned that Punjab polio eradication strategy has made significant development towards stopping poliovirus transmission in the province. "Polio is a virus which is infectious and can be transmitted from one child to another while it can cause disabilities or death in different cases. As there is less immunity in children therefore, they can catch the disease easily, therefore, the vaccination is essential for them." He told the scribe that the vaccination is provided door to door for the children by the government is very much safe, beneficial and halal and more than 160 Islamic Scholars from different countries have declared this vaccination halal. "The rumours about polio vaccination that it causes impotency are baseless and we must not pay any attention to such reports," Salman Ghani said. On inquiring about the source of medicine and vaccination Salman Ghani informed that it is being imported from Indonesia which is also a Muslim country. "Almost all the countries of the world have eradicated polio from their children. Only Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria are left behind and in last year Pakistan has a maximum number of Polio recorded. As this virus can be transmitted easily, therefore, it can be transmitted from one country to another. That is why all the countries and relevant organizations are making an effort to eradicate this disease from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria so that the entire world is safe from polio", he mentioned. "People living in areas where there is contaminated water having poliovirus in it can also affect the children and they can catch this disease from there. In Punjab, we received three cases of polio and after that, we have launched a massive campaign. We have made micro level plans so that each child in a house can be checked. The public was not well aware of this disease and did not consider it a threat to their children but now we are campaigning in a way that the people become aware of the severity of this disease and understand the fact that it can take away the life of their child", Salman Ghani said. According to Salman Ghani, polio drops needed to be given several times to a child in order to rule out the disease completely. The EOC has also started door to door surveys and compiling reports based on the relevant surveys. "Only in Punjab, there is a staff of almost 112,000 working for this campaign and meetings are being held at the grass root level including the Union Council and Tehsil Council staff. We are doing campaigns in places other than houses which include Railway Station, Bus Stands etc. and where ever our staff sees a child they vaccinate them. We are working on effective communication strategy as well to educate and aware the masses about polio through meaningful tools and messages," Salman Ghani concluded.  |
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