Why Immunise?

You take innumerable measures to protect your child. Child-proof door latches, helmets for when they go cycling, wrapping them in scarves and sweaters during winter. You leave no stone unturned to ensure your child's health and safety. So why should it be any different when it comes to immunising your kids against diseases?
There's also a misconception that vaccinations are just for small children, but that's far from true. Vaccines against virus infections like Hepatitis B are widely available for adults in the country. Even cervical cancer, possibly the second most common cancer in women worldwide, could be prevented with vaccines designed for this very purpose.
So how exactly does vaccination work? “Vaccination is the process of initiating an immune response artificially. For example, when a person is infected with some virus or bacteria, the body generates an immune response (fighting mechanism of the body) against it. If the body is able to fight against it, the person is not affected with any disease, but if the body fails to fight against it the disease originates showing its signs and symptoms,” explains Dr Mohammed Rashidul Anwar, one of the Project Research Physicians of ICDDR,B.

He goes on to add that the immune response of two types, primary – that occurs when an unknown virus or disease attacks the body – and secondary, that occurs when a familiar organism that is known to the body attacks for the second time. “The second response is stronger and more efficient than the primary response. Hence if a person is vaccinated, his body directly goes to second response stage which is more efficient, as by the vaccinating antigen, a primary response had been generated previously,” he adds.
Now, you'd be surprised but there are people who are vehemently opposed to vaccinations, and this is not just the case in Bangladesh. Even developed countries like the United States have anti-vaccine proponents who allege that vaccines cause several “untreatable” side effects, and are not even tested and monitored for safety. “That's not true at all,” says Dr Anwar. “Vaccines like every other drug go through a series of trials and tests before being marketed or provided to the mass population. They absolutely have to get a drug license before being approved for administration.”
Dr Anwar also addresses concerns regarding vaccines being linked to long term health problems such as multiple sclerosis, diabetes and autism. “There is no strong scientific evidence to prove these allegations. When it is found that proposed vaccines may cause long term health problems, they are discarded in their experimental stage or before being released in the market for general use.”

Just like regular medicines, vaccines too may have some side effects, says Dr Anwar, but the extent is not as far-fetched or dramatic as some people will have you believe. The side-effects may range from inflammation, swelling, nausea or even severe anaphylactic reaction, but this depends on the vaccine and the person being vaccinated. “Just because they may cause side-effects does not prove that we should not be getting vaccinated against diseases like Hepatitis B or Rubella. For example, the over the counter drug Paracetamol can also cause serious reactions in certain individuals (this again is in rare and exceptional cases) but that doesn't mean we stop prescribing these pain-killers to people who complain of headaches,” he says.
We've heard of vaccines against cervical cancer that are designed to prevent initial infection, as they elicit virus-neutralising antibody responses. Dr Anwar adds that these vaccines, namely Gardasil and Cervarix, have shown to offer close to maximum protection against the development of cervical pre-cancers and genital warts, with few or no side-effects. These vaccines are recommended for women of reproductive age, starting from 10-years old, who have not been exposed to the HPV virus.

However, there are some high risk groups who should not be given the vaccine against cervical cancer, and these include people with a weak immune system or those allergic to latex rubber. Even expectant mothers may be at risk. “The vaccine Cervarix is not supposed to be harmful to an unborn baby. However, you should not receive this vaccine without consulting with your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to conceive before you have received all the doses of the vaccine. A woman should not receive Cervarix vaccine without consulting with your doctor if she is breastfeeding,” says Dr Anwar.
This however does not mean that this new vaccine will eliminate the need for cervical cancer screening. “Vaccination does not substitute for routine screening. A woman should go through the screening procedure. Bear in mind that one in every 12 people is affected with HPV, a sexually transmitted virus. Regular screening will assure you if you are in any way in danger of HPV infection or whether you need treatment or not,” says Anwar.
Vaccination is obviously not a sure-fire way to get rid of all your diseases. Vaccines' effectiveness ranges from 70-99.7 percent depending on the research done on it as well as the strength of the immunity of the sample population. That being said, vaccines do help in preventing infectious diseases and subsequently, save lives. And it goes without saying, it's always better to prevent a disease than to cure it.