In his inaugural speechPresident Trump promised to “keep our children healthy and free of diseases”, but his nominee to direct the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.It has a long history of Raising doubts about vaccines – Despite the decades of evidence that show that they have saved millions of people from a weakening disease or death.
“People forgot what used to be (before vaccines),” said the Chief Medical Correspondent of CBS News, Dr. Jon Lapook, in “CBS Mornings Plus”, pointing out data that shows a great decrease in cases and deaths and deaths For these diseases compared to levels.
“If you observe the 10 main childhood diseases every year, vaccines avoid more than 1 million cases and more than 10,000 deaths” in the United States, he said. Worldwide, numbers are even greater, with a My dear 2-3 million lives saved by children’s vaccines every year.
This is what you should know about the impact of vaccines.
How do vaccines work?
Vaccines work imitating organisms such as viruses and bacteria without getting sick. “That gives your immune system the opportunity to build defenses to be better prepared to fight a future infection,” Lapook said.
Its immune system creates specific defenses called antibodies against imitation pathogen, known as antigen, introduced by the vaccine. “An antigen can be a germ that has been killed or changed, so it cannot cause disease. It can be something that is seen or behaves like a pathogen, a harmless part of a pathogen or instructions for the body to manufacture the part harmless. ” According to Medicine Johns Hopkins.
Then, if you find the real pathogen later in life, your immune system is prepared to respond quickly to fight it.
Some vaccines effectively block the disease, while others help prevent it from getting more severely if infected. So, although it is true, you can still obtain some diseases after being vaccinated, such as the flu or covidFor example, vaccines remain useful to reduce the risk of serious disease or death.
If your body has a strong immune reaction to a vaccine, you can feel tired or experience body pain, headache, swollen lymph nodes or even fever, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. These possible side effects are normal and typically do not last more than a day or two.
What do vaccines achieve?
Vaccines have greatly reduced deaths in early childhood and largely eradicated certain diseases that used to cause feared epidemics.
A recent one study Directed by the World Health Organization estimates that vaccines, including immunizations against polio, measles and 12 other diseases that once common have saved approximately 154 million lives worldwide in the last 50 years. Measles of measles themselves have avoided the death of approximately 94 million people, according to the analysis.
In recent years, however, with recidivism immunization ratesHealth officials are beginning to see the effects of jumping shots.
“We do not have to remember too far back to see what happens due to vaccination rates, when there are no requirements and people do not have access,” recently Dr. Carolyn Bridges, former associate director of Immunizations for adults for CDC, recently He told CBS Newsciting a Poly case that arose in New York In 2022.
“That is amazing that we can have a resurgence of polyomyelitis, in a country with all our resources. It is not needed so much due to diseases that still circulate in other places to resume waiting.”
Polyomyelitis and death cases before and after vaccines
Poly outbreaks Once they killed thousands of Americans and left many paralyzed survivors, until the disease was practically eliminated in the US.
For decades, the polyomyelitis vaccine (polyomyelitis vaccine or IPV) has been part of the Child Routine Immunization Program in the United States, since it is the best way to protect against the virus. There is no cure.
A total of four doses for the best level of protection are recommended. The research shows two doses of IPV providing about 90% protection while three doses provide At least 99% protection.
Measles and death cases before and after vaccines
Despite being easily preventable With an easily available vaccine, measles cases It has been In the ascent In recent years, due to an increase in people who skip vaccination. Measles is very contagious and Lower vaccination rates Give it an opening to spread.
Before the vaccine was available in the 1960s, measles was very common in childhood. Around 48,000 Americans were hospitalized for it every year and Around 500mostly children, they would die.
A dose of the MMR vaccine, which covers measles, paper and rubella, is 93% effective Against measles and the two recommended doses are 97% effective, according to the investigation.
Most vaccinated people will be protected for life, important health Organizations say.
Rubella and death cases before and after vaccines
Rubella, also known as German measles, is especially dangerous during pregnancy, when it can cause spontaneous abortion, fetal death or severe birth defects.
During a Important outbreak In the United States in the mid -1960s, before the vaccine, Sample records 11,000 pregnant women lost their babies, 2,100 newborns died and around 20,000 babies were born with disabilities for life due to the virus.
The MMR vaccine, introduced for the first time in 1971, is About 97% effective When preventing rubella after a single dose, it shows the investigation.
Although rubella is no longer endemic, which means constantly present, in the United States, it remains a problem in other parts of the world. This means that the United States can be brought by people infected in other countries, which makes vaccination important to prevent diseases and outbreaks.
Alexander Tin contributed to this report.
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