Immunisation is a simple and effective way of protecting children from serious diseases that are potentially harmful or even deadly. By immunising a child, you not only protect the individual, but also the broader community by minimising the spread of disease.
Children are invariably exposed to pathogens through their daily interaction with family members, playmates and schoolmates. Immunisation therefore plays an important role in strengthening their immunity and protection against serious illnesses.
Newborns inherit their mother's immunity in the first few months, but this soon wanes. As babies have an underdeveloped immune system, they may be stricken with various infections four to eight times a year. While young children are generally able to fight off most infections, there may be some pathogens or virulent diseases that are beyond their immune system's capability.
Essentially, vaccines work by triggering the immune system to fight against a particular disease. They contain the same germ that causes a particular disease. But, the germs in the vaccine have been killed or weakened so that they do not make your child sick.
When your child gets immunised, his/her body is tricked into thinking that it has been infected with the disease. It starts to manufacture antibodies that kill the germs. These antibodies stay in the body for a long time.
So, if the child comes in contact with the disease, his/her immune system is able to respond more effectively, preventing the disease from developing or greatly reducing its severity.
The National Immunisation Programme (NIP), introduced by the Health Ministry since the 1950s to curb the spread of infectious diseases, currently administers free vaccinations to children that protect against 13 potentially harmful diseases.
They are Bacillus Calmette-Guerin, a vaccine that gives protection against tuberculosis; 6-in-1 vaccine which contains: diphtheria, tetanus, polio, pertussis, Hepatitis B and Haemophilus Influenza type B; MMR, the combination of Measles, Mumps and Rubella, and HPV (Human Papillomavirus) that protects against cervical cancer. For Sarawak only, there is an additional vaccine that fights against Japanese Encephalitis.
Children receive these vaccines within the first 18 months of their lives, except for the HPV vaccine which is given to teenage girls at 13 years of age. Since the NIP was introduced, cases of serious infectious diseases have decreased significantly. Malaysia was declared free from polio in 2000.
Regretfully, several worldwide incidents have tainted the good work and noble cause behind the creation of vaccines.
A well-known controversy surrounding an article by Andrew Wakefield published in the renowned medical journal, The Lancet in 1998, which claimed that the MMR vaccine causes autism in children. Although the worldwide medical community denounced the article as spreading unnecessary fear in the community through unverified facts, and it was subsequently retracted by The Lancet in 2010, the fallout and damage it created was substantial.
Not only did the article and controversy spawn the rise of the global anti-vaxxers movement in the late 1990s, but the resulting number of children who subsequently became ill with measles and the sudden outbreaks of disease in communities in the United Kingdom and America also increased significantly, further burdening their public health systems.
Some parents have also raised concerns of the use of thimerosal, a mercury containing compound as a preservative for flu vaccines. Rest assured, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, except for some flu vaccines in multi-dose vials, no other childhood vaccines contain thimerosal as a preservative. Reputable scientific studies have not found any evidence or association between thimerosal in vaccines and autism.
Vaccines for children are safe with few side effects as they are developed after many years of research and have undergone numerous clinical trials. Parents of young children should check with their nearest government clinic on their child's immunisation schedule if they have not already done so.
Parents now may have reservations in bringing their children to a clinic or hospital for fear of exposing them to Covid-19, but vaccinations need to be timely to be effective. Stick to the vaccination schedule to ensure optimal protection for your child. Observe standard operating procedures to keep yourself and your child safe.
Hopefully, Malaysian parents will heed the call to immunise their children against potentially harmful diseases. Immunisation is an important component of primary healthcare and a human right. The best gift you could give your child is a shot at a healthy start in life.
The writer is IMU Pro Vice Chancellor, Academic with a special interest in Paediatric Neurology and Medical Education