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The Philippines has joined the list of countries affected by measles outbreaks. Authorities said on February 7 that the number of people infected with the disease had increased 74 percent over last year.
Measles has killed 111,000 people worldwide in 2018, according to a report by the World Health Organization.
In its latest report released in November, WHO said that false news, vaccine-related myths and the collapse of the health system resulted in a 30% increase in measles worldwide between 2016 and 2017.
"The few cases (appeared in the country) could become more serious without the protection provided by the vaccines," said WHO.
Countries in the Americas, Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean recorded the largest increase in cases, including the United States, the main bastion of anti-vaccination movements.
Here we observe how myths about immunization and declining demand have spread despite scientific evidence of the benefits it offers.
1. "The vaccine causes autism"
The decline in measles vaccination demand in Western countries over the last few decades is due to the announcement of British surgeon Andrew Wakfield.
Wackfield published an article in The Lancet in 1997 in which he claimed that the MMR vaccine against measles, rubella and mumps caused an increase in autism in British children.
But later studies have denied any cause-and-effect relationship between triple vaccination and autism. The Lancet removed Wakefield's article and was removed from the list of British doctors.
Wackfield's claims have had consequences: the triple vaccination rate in the United Kingdom has increased from 92% in 1996 to 84% in 2002. This figure has further increased to 91%, but remains below the recommended minimum. WHO (95%).
2 – "The immune system of children does not tolerate many vaccines"
There are at least 11 vaccinators of infants and children before the age of two. But some parents fear that these vaccinations will weigh on the immune system of their children.
The common cause of this concern is that the vaccine works by injecting the body with viruses or bacteria that cause the disease.
But scientists have developed the vaccine so that it does not cause symptoms. But this prepares the body to face the "real disease" when it is infected.
"Babies have the ability to treat foreign bodies (substances that can affect the immune system) before birth and, a few hours after birth, they can develop an immune response to the vaccine," wrote Paul O. Fitt, pediatrician, in an article on immunization. "
3 – "Diseases were about to disappear before the advent of vaccines"
Anti-vaccination advocates claim that improving social and economic conditions, such as the quality of food and health care, has had the same effect as vaccinations over time.
The effect of this improvement can not be denied in reducing the number of deaths due to certain diseases. But the rapid decline in the spread of infection is a sign of the role that vaccines play in this area.
In the United States, for example, the number of deaths from measles rose from 5300 in 1960 to 450 in 2012, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The first vaccination against measles in the United States took place in 1963.
But the impact of vaccination has not been limited to the number of deaths, the cases having been considerably reduced during the five years of vaccination between 1963 and 1968.
There is strong evidence that a decrease in the number of vaccinations could result in the return of the disease. For example, in the 1970s, Japan and Sweden experienced an increase in the incidence and number of deaths from whooping cough, due to the decrease in the number of vaccinated children.
4- "The sickest of those who have tasted"
Immunization advocates often invoke this point.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there is no 100% effective vaccination, but periodic vaccinations of children have an effectiveness of 85 to 95%.
The response to vaccination varies from one person to another, which means that not all individuals are immunized because of vaccines.
The increase in the number of patients among those who received the vaccine compared to those who did not receive the number of patients in the first category is greater than one second. In fact, the risk of infection in those who have not been fed is much higher than in those who have received the vaccine.
5 – "Pharmaceutical companies benefit from vaccines"
Melod Kadar, of the World Health Organization (WHO), estimates that the vaccine market represents about $ 24 billion in 2013, or three percent of the world's drug market in the same year.
In recent years, the vaccine market has developed due to several factors, including the expansion of vaccination programs in emerging industrial countries, such as China. The decision by many high net worth individuals to support vaccine development research, such as Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft.
Vaccination receives wide international attention as the cost of the disease is much higher.
A study conducted by Johns Hopkins University in 2016 shows that every dollar spent on vaccines in 94 of the world's poorest countries generates $ 16 in health care, which results in a drop in productivity due to illness or illness. death.
6 – "Our country has eliminated this disease, vaccination is not necessary"
The ability of vaccines to reduce the occurrence of diseases in some countries does not mean that they are free by international standards.
Some of these diseases are still prevalent and sometimes epidemic in other parts of the world. These diseases can easily move from one country to another and can also become countries where vaccines are declining.
For example, the number of cases in Europe tripled between 2017 and 2018 to reach 83,000, the highest rate of this decade.
7. "Vaccines contain dangerous toxic substances"
One of the concerns of those who refuse vaccines is the containment of substances such as formalin, mercury and aluminum. Which are already dangerous when they are approached at certain levels.
However, according to the US Food and Drug Administration, the amounts contained in the vaccines are harmless. The amount of mercury in the normal vaccination is 25 micrograms per half millimeter.
She says
Body C is the same amount as a can of tuna weighing 85 grams.
8- "Vaccination of Western plots"
Some still believe that vaccinations are part of a plot to attack civilian communities.
In northern Nigeria, for example, efforts to eradicate polio are hampered by the belief that vaccination can lead to infertility among girls and the spread of AIDS. Attacks against health workers are common.
The same is true in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and Nigeria is the only country where epidemics are epidemic.
It can not be denied that vaccination programs can be used to achieve other goals. In March 2011, the CIA (United States Central Intelligence Agency) fabricated a fake vaccination campaign against hepatitis B in Pakistan in order to acquire the DNA of the family of the leader al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden.
And later discovered, raising suspicions about vaccination in a country that badly needs it.
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