Pediatric Infection Physician Specialist. Dr. Esra Çakmak Taşkın gave important information on the occasion of 22-28 April World Vaccination Week. Stating that their aim is to improve the health and welfare of the society by ensuring greater participation in vaccination around the world, Dr. Çakmak Taşkın said, “Vaccination is one of the most successful and cost-effective health interventions in the world. Vaccines have been protecting us against diseases for more than 200 years. Thanks to the ‘Expanded Immunization Program’ that has been carried out in our country since 1981, we can prevent whooping cough, diphtheria, tetanus, measles, rubella and mumps.” Vaccines against tuberculosis, polio, hepatitis B, hepatitis A, pneumonia and chickenpox are administered free of charge to all babies at the Family Health Center. Vaccines against cervical cancer, rotavirus diarrhea, meningitis and Covid-19 are also available in our country and are available to adults in risk groups. “Tetanus, whooping cough, flu and pneumonia vaccines are administered in Turkey. Thanks to these vaccines, especially for pregnant women, we can also protect newborn babies,” he said.
“THERE ARE APPROXIMATELY 20 MILLION UNDERVACCINATED OR UNVACCINATED CHILDREN IN THE WORLD”
Emphasizing that many diseases that caused major epidemics and deaths in the past are no longer seen, thanks to vaccines, Dr. Çakmak Taşkın said, “Smallpox has been completely eradicated thanks to vaccination since 1977, and then smallpox vaccination was stopped all over the world because it was no longer needed. Polio is also seen in a limited number of countries thanks to vaccines. Despite all the developments in the field of vaccination, unfortunately, vaccination has not yet reached the desired level in the world. Approximately 100,000 people in the world have not reached the desired level yet. There are 20 million under-vaccinated or unvaccinated children. Especially in the last few years, there have been epidemics of measles, diphtheria, whooping cough and some other vaccine-preventable diseases in the world. Thanks to the intensive vaccination studies carried out within the scope of the measles elimination program in our country, the significant decrease in measles cases has recently resulted in under-vaccinated or unvaccinated children. “It has increased due to increased global circulation of unvaccinated people due to reasons such as migration, war, and anti-vaccination,” he said.
“VACCINATION IS ESSENTIAL TO PROTECT BOTH OUR CHILDREN AND OURSELVES”
Dr. pointed out that anti-vaccine sentiment has spread to wider audiences with the increase in communication tools, creating a serious problem. Taşkın said, “This situation is due to incorrect and insufficient information regarding the effectiveness, protection and side effects of vaccines. Since vaccines protect society by preventing the contagion of the disease between individuals, every unvaccinated individual also endangers public health. It is of great importance to ensure the continuity of services, as any disruption in vaccination services, even for a short period of time, may cause outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases. It is every individual’s need and right to be protected from vaccine-preventable diseases. Getting vaccinated is the responsibility of the individual first towards his own body and then towards society. Therefore, for both our children and ourselves, everyone should get vaccinated,” he said. (IHA)
