RT 21 Jan, 2019
The anti-vaccination trend has landed next to HIV and Ebola as a
key global threat, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Experts say “vaccine hesitancy” risks reversing progress in fighting
preventable diseases.
Although various diseases
that can be prevented by vaccines, such as diphtheria and meningitis,
were on WHO’s health threat lists before, in 2019 the organization
included “vaccine hesitancy.” Among other top 10 threats are
HIV/AIDS, the global influenza pandemic, along with the spread of the
deadly Ebola virus and Dengue fever, as well as air pollution, lack of
primary care and noncommunicable diseases like diabetes.
Vaccination remains one of the most “cost-effective”
ways to avoid infection, WHO stated, and refusing it directly threatens
to cancel out the progress made in fighting preventable diseases.
The WHO listed “complacency” and “lack of confidence”
among the key reasons why people reject vaccines. Anti-vaxxers usually
say they fear the side effects, in particular the possibility of
developing autism, although some cite conspiracy theories about big
pharma and governments.
No comments:
Post a Comment