![]() However, opposition against vaccines was not only manifested in theological arguments many also objected to them for political and legal reasons. ![]() Similar religious opposition was seen in the “New World” even earlier, such as in the writings of Reverend John Williams in Massachusetts, who also cited similar reasons for his opposition to vaccines claiming that they were the devil’s work. He decried these vaccines as an attempt to oppose God’s punishments upon man for his sins. Opposition to vaccines goes as far back as the 18th century when, for example, Reverend Edmund Massey in England called the vaccines “diabolical operations” in his 1772 sermon, “The Dangerous and Sinful Practice of Inoculation”. įear of vaccines and myths against them are not a new phenomenon. Given the highly contagious nature of diseases like measles, vaccination rates of 96% to 99% are necessary to preserve herd immunity and prevent future outbreaks. The only thing that can protect populations against a rapidly spreading disease is the disease's resistance created by herd immunity when the majority are immune after vaccinations. Global communities are now more connected than ever, which translates to a higher probability of the transmission of pathogens. A drop in immunizations poses a threat to the herd immunity the medical world has worked hard to achieve. Still, other reasons for the anti-vaccination movement can be due to personal reasons, such as religious or secular views. The decrease in vaccinations has led to recent outbreaks of diseases that were thought to be “eliminated”, such as measles. This has caused vaccination rates to sustain a surprising drop in some Western countries. Social media and television talk show hosts, such as Oprah Winfrey, played a big role in this miseducation by giving credence to the campaign. ![]() Voices such as Jenny McCarthy’s have proven to be influential, sweeping fear and distrust into parents’ minds by parading as “autism experts”. The premise of the anti-vaccination movement can also be contributed to the demonization of vaccinations by news and entertainment outlets. ![]() However, there has been a recent rise in anti-vaccination sentiments surrounding beliefs that vaccines cause more harm than benefits to the health of the children who receive them. In fact, according to the World Health Organization’s Polio Global Eradication Initiative, the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) will be used as a backbone for eradicating poliovirus in the next decade. They have contributed to decreasing rates of common childhood diseases and, in some cases, have even wiped out some diseases that were common in years past, such as smallpox, rinderpest, and have nearly eradicated malaria and polio. For this reason, it is important to stay up to date, especially as new vaccines become available.Vaccines are one of the most important measures of preventative medicine to protect the population from diseases and infections. Protection provided by the current vaccines against symptomatic infection and transmission is less than that against severe disease and diminishes over time, especially against the currently circulating variants. Importantly, the rates of COVID-19–associated hospitalizations and deaths are substantially higher among unvaccinated adults than among those who have received a primary series and those who are up to date with recommended COVID-19 vaccination, particularly among adults aged ≥65 years. Over the ensuing months and in the context of updated vaccine booster recommendations, more than 20 ACIP meetings have publicly reviewed data on vaccine effectiveness and have provided real-time data demonstrating COVID-19 vaccines and boosters remain highly protective against severe illness and death. By July 2021, we saw decreased vaccine effectiveness against infection as new variants emerged, and CDC put forward recommendations to continue masking, even for people who had received a primary series. Studies following the use of the vaccines showed approximately 90% protection against symptomatic infection, severe illness, and death. COVID-19 vaccines were first authorized for emergency use in the U.S.
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