The world marks World Immunization Week humans have much to celebrate. But some people due to lack of awareness tend to ignore the science of vaccination.
Smallpox has been effectively eradicated from the world, and according to the World Health Organization, more children than ever are getting routine vaccinations every year. And aid workers scouring the globe have come very close to eradicating diseases like diphtheria and polio saving countless lives in the process.
But health workers are also fighting a disturbing trend of misinformation urging people to ignore the science of vaccination. The result has been fear and even violence in some rural areas and lesser developed countries where aid workers are attempting to immunize those most vulnerable, and eradicate the last holdouts of diseases like polio.
In early April a worker in Pakistan was shot outside a family home as he attempted to talk the family into vaccinating their child against polio. And late last year, two aid workers were gunned down as they were on a vaccine drive.
The number of people who refuse to vaccinate their children is growing thanks to an anti-vaccine grassroots movement that shares information on social media platforms.
Health care workers need to be armed with “data and information and can be able to talk to their children mothers and to the fathers or guardians of the children about the importance of vaccination that is very critical.”