There is substantial
evidence (Miguel A. Faria, Jr., MD 1995) that the decline in disease has not
come from vaccinations but from that of increased quality of living including
higher quality sanitation and greater medical care. It is thought that over the past 150 years,
the world’s wealthier nations have been successful in controlling and even
eliminating some infectious diseases (Nurses Uncut 2010). The development of better sanitation
procedures has led to clean, fresh water which has therefore eliminated cholera
and typhoid in westernised countries. The
evidence which supports this is that in poorer countries where sanitation is
less developed and in some cases absent, the cholera and typhoid diseases are
still present and people are still being infected on a daily basis with often
fatal consequences. This is also supported by figures from the World Health
Organisation (WHO) who estimate “that there are 3-5 million cases of cholera
every year, and the disease is becoming yet more prevalent due to the
increasing number of people living in unsanitary conditions” (Wateraid 2010).
The decrease in tuberculosis even with a developed
vaccination is still argued to be a consequence of the good nutrition, which is
present in today’s modern world society.
In recent years, the tuberculosis vaccination has actually stopped being
given to teenagers at school. People may
argue that polio, measles and rubella have been reduced because of
immunisations against them but these vaccinations come with a risk to health,
one great enough to convince some parents not to have their children immunised
against these diseases at a young age.
No comments:
Post a Comment