Vaccination is Key

We reached a new decade this past January and while the year 2020 promises hope and new technologies, medical advances, surgeries, or maybe new cancer treatments. However, around the world we have seen diseases from decades ago reintroduced to civilizations. Why is that? Well for citizens of the United States, each child can and should be vaccinated to prevent a disease like Polio from making a comeback, but with the rise of anti-vaccine supporters, Polio and other diseases can and has resurfaced. For countries around the world however, they may not have access to these vaccines, so it is important for organizations and others to aid and provide resources for the health of these individuals. So, how can we make a difference globally and right here in the United States?

In order to globally make a difference and to eradicate Polio, UNICEF has prepared global stockpiles of Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) for outbreaks and in December 2019, 160 million doses were delivered globally. The majority of the supply went to Nigeria which saw outbreaks and also Zambia, Angola, Ethiopia. In 2019, Pakistan saw an outbreak of polio. The Polio Eradication Organization says the cases increased by 132 in one year. However, The Polio Eradication Organization expresses that Polio is a disease that can be eradicated in as little as a few years with vaccinations.

The World Health Organization explains the Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) is a wild-type virus that has been killed with formalin and injected in three doses with booster doses. This vaccine has eradicated Polio in Scandinavia and the Netherlands, but recently countries have used Oral Polio Vaccine. I think to ensure eradication in the United States of this disease, we need to educate individuals about vaccinations and express the danger without vaccinations. Personally, I was unaware of how important it is to vaccinate children and to keep adults updated with vaccines until I began studying microbiology. Educating students at an early age can help promote routine vaccinations.