VACCINES SAVE LIVES

May 14, 2023 News

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 PAT DIAL

Kaieteur News – One of the most terrible scourges known to have affected human beings over centuries is the prevalence of Pandemics. Highly contagious infectious diseases have killed millions of persons through the passage of time.  During the middle ages, for example, the Bubonic Plague or Black Death annihilated -by some estimates – more than half of the population of Europe at that time. Sadly, it had to be allowed to run its course, since there was no way of controlling. In modern societies, there are a variety of vaccines available to treat a range of diseases. Recently, the world experienced the deadly Corona Virus (COVID-19) which is only now receding.

Over the centuries societies have been trying to find answers to meet pandemics but without much success.

Smallpox was one of the most deadly and recurrent epidemics. Ancient Chinese and Indian doctors collected the dried scabs of the pox, ground them and gave the powdered scabs to patients and others to inhale. In some instances it was put under the skin.  This procedure later known as Variolation in the West, resulted in a milder attack of the disease in the majority of patients, but it was no cure nor did it serve as a prevention mechanism.

The breakthrough came in 18th century England when Dr Edward Jenner used a weakened cowpox germ to inject patients, which resulted in providing immunity against Smallpox.  Dr Jenner published his findings in Medical Journals and the procedure became widespread and was given the name of Vaccination.  The story of Dr Jenner’s discovery is interesting: He noticed that milkmaids often contracted cowpox and that they developed immunity to Smallpox as a result.

Later, in 1879, the great French scientist, Dr Louis Pasteur did further scientific work in developing vaccines and thereafter, scientists in other parts of the world, working in their laboratories developed vaccines by using other methods apart from use of a weakened form of the germ.

Vaccines have now been discovered to combat many of the deadly infectious diseases and the result has been particularly positive with children whose chances of survival have greatly improved – from a death rate of 20% to 25% to about 2% to 3%.  Vaccines have now been developed for Hepatitis, Diphtheria, Tuberculosis, Pneumonia, Polio, Tetanus, Yellow Fever, Cholera, Measles, Mumps and Rubella or German Measles.  By 1980 the World Health Organization had been able to issue statement that the world was free of Smallpox and after Dr Jonas Salk’s invention of the Polio Vaccine, Polio has been eliminated from the world except for Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Guyana had been victim to epidemics.  For example, in the 19th century, many people died from cholera to the extent where a particular part of the Le Repentir cemetery was allocated for cholera burials. In the early 20th century, tens of thousands of people died from Influenza.  At present the country has successfully combated the Covid-19 Pandemic by the use of vaccines and health precautions.

The use of vaccines has saved the lives of thousands of Guyanese over the years and especially, small children.

With the global use of vaccines, the world has become a safer place and the fear generated by infectious diseases has greatly diminished and thousands of Guyanese have been saved from an early death.

Despite the great benefits Vaccines have brought to the world, there has always been an anti-Vaccination lobby, even from the time of Dr Jenner. The positions taken by the anti-vaccination lobby are fundamentally rationally flawed.  During the Covid-19 pandemic in Guyana when people were dying, the anti-vaccination lobby tried to keep citizens away from taking the available covid-19 vaccines, thus endangering themselves and infecting others.

During the height of the Covid-19 Pandemic, many countries suffered from serious vaccine shortages or had to pay exploitative prices to acquire them.  The Government of Guyana is seriously thinking of becoming a vaccination producer and has already made linkages with India which is the largest vaccine producer in the world.  It should be remembered that there are several able Guyanese scientists working in various countries.  One of the lead scientists in the production of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine, for example, is Dr Vidya Roopchand from Wakenaam and an alumnus of University of Guyana.

The Ministry of Health, in its drive to protect the population, is offering in the month of May, free vaccinations for a number of diseases including HPV, Yellow Fever, Hepatitis B, Covid 19, Tetanus, Cervical Cancer, Measles, Mumps and Rubella (German Measles).  If citizens had to pay for these vaccinations at private hospitals, it would cost them thousands of dollars.  Vaccination centres are Ministry of Health, Brickdam; East LaPenitence Health Centre; Sophia Health Centre; Ministry of Health Vaccination Centre; and Massy Stores at Turkeyen and Providence, EBD.  The Consumer Community and the population at large are enjoined to take advantage of the Ministry’s gracious offering.

 

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• Cholera, Corona Virus, Diphtheria, Dr Jenner, Hepatitis, Measles, Pneumonia, Polio, Tetanus, The story of Dr Jenner's, Tuberculosis, vaccines, Yellow Fever

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