Mass Immunization Programs

Published by M. Ben Aria

In this article, we examine some of the groups and organizations dedicated to mass immunization programs and the fight against preventable diseases ...

Routine, scheduled immunizations against preventable diseases are a part of most every child's life - if you live in a developed country, that is. Parents and children in places such as the US and Canada treat vaccinations as a part of growing up, and the immunization process runs like a well-oiled machine. Vaccinations are part of regular health checkups at children's doctors, and most parents can easily afford the costs of ensuring their children's protection against crippling and deadly diseases. The extreme poverty in third-world countries and other underdeveloped places in the world forces parents and children forego vaccinations and deadly diseases still have a grip in their lives.

There are groups dedicated to mass immunization programs and the fight against preventable diseases. The World Health Organization and the Red Cross are two agencies who set up huge campaigns to raise funds and provide vaccines to underdeveloped countries. Millions of people have been involved in the immunization campaigns and thanks to their efforts the rate of death due to some diseases is dropping. For example, the Measles Initiative has vaccinated more than 213 million people and by 2010, the death rate from the measles will have dropped 90% compared to 2000 statistics. The cost of providing a full set of vaccinations against the six deadliest, preventable diseases is less than 20$, and the measles vaccine alone costs only one dollar per individual.

The good news is that the success rate of mass immunization programs has encouraged workers and volunteers to spread their efforts to countries that need help. Global measles death has been reduced by 48% thanks to vaccinations and the goal of health care providers everywhere is to eradicate the disease completely. Were each individual in the world immunized against measles, the disease would have nowhere to strike and would be extinguished completely. While health organizations are not quite at the point of total elimination of preventable diseases yet, projections from groups such as MeaslesInitiative.org claim that by 2010, deaths caused by measles will have been reduced by 90%, compared to statistics of the year 2000.

Individuals in developed countries can support world immunization programs by donating to the effort and ensuring that their own families receive the recommended vaccinations on schedule. The growing tendency of people in developed countries to choose not to vaccinate their children is a dangerous risk that hinders efforts of massive immunization programs - one child unprotected means there will always be a chance of another death caused by a preventable disease.

Next article: Mass Immunization Programs - The Four Elements

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