1. A jab in the dark.
Vaccinations are one of the most controversial topics in modern medicine; the petition for
the NHS to vaccinate all children and new-borns against the deadly meningitis B is the most
recent story about vaccinations to make the news. This petition has resurfaced after the
death of a young girl on Valentine’s Day, with images of her covered in the infamous rash
shortly before her death being shared on social media as if it were a cartoon, and not real
life. Unfortunately, it is real life, and a full vaccination program could have saved this
innocent little girl among many others, by either preventing her catching the disease off
someone else, or by allowing her immune systemto kill the bacteria before illness could
ensue.
A little known fact is that there are multiple strains of meningitis, including viral forms, from
which I have suffered myself. These strains can kill, lead to long-term debilitating conditions
such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (as in my case and others), or in some rarer cases induce
amnesia or learning difficulties. Vaccinations against these strains of meningitis have been
fully developed, but deemed by the government as not cost-effective, although the cost of
health care and disability benefits is surely costing the government far more than
introducing the vaccine, and the benefit to the public’s quality of life is apparently not worth
consideration in parliament.
A common argument against the use of vaccinations is the supposed MMR (measles,
mumps, and rubella) vaccination and autism link; the fact that the evidence behind this
news story was completely falsified is commonly ignored. Even if the link was scientifically
proven, perhaps the almost complete eradication of these diseases has allowed us to forget
the severity of them. Although it is undeniable that autism can extensively limit someone’s
quality of life, surely the risk of deadly infections that can tear whole families apart is
enough to make the vaccinations worthwhile, even if the proposed correlation was true.
Some say that vaccinations do not work; they base this opinion on their own experiences of
illness, such as having a 6th cousin twice removed suffering from a cold despite getting the
flu jab three years prior. Pathogens, the technical term for infectious micro-organisms, can
mutate, developing methods of evading the immune system following a vaccination.
Similarly, most vaccinations do not provide 100% protection against a disease, much like
condoms and pregnancy, and a small proportion of those vaccinated may still contract the
illness. However, on a population scale the damage caused by these diseases is significantly
reduced, and the spread of disease is also limited.
The main message behind all of this is that if a vaccination is made available to you, take
advantage of it. The vaccination cannot cause harm, as extensive medical trials are used to
ensure a vaccinations safety prior to the enrolment of vaccination programs, and the
reduced risk of contracting an infectious disease cannot be ignored.
By Emma Steer, BSc Nutrition