Benefits Of Immunization

Poor health stunts while good health promotes economic growth and social development. Health is a fundamental right in developing countries and vaccination represents the bedrock of public health programmes

Immunization

Many diseases can be highly contagious overwhelming to defence system of the body. Simple and effective way of protecting through immunization triggers the immune system to fight against diseases. Immune system of a vaccinated individual can respond more effectively after coming in contact with a disease to prevent from developing or reducing the severity of the disease. Modern research in less reactogenic products has spurred the development of producing cell culture based a cellular pertussis and rabies vaccines. Vaccines have an excellent safety record and misguided safety concerns related to vaccines in some countries has caused fall in vaccination coverage and re-emergence of diseases like pertussis and measles. Efficacious vaccines can protect immunized individuals and reduce the spread of diseases among unimmunized in the community.

Most of the vaccines are primarily developed with the intention to prevent disease and not necessarily to protect against infections.Some vaccines are specifically developed to protect pregnant women, cancer patients and immuno compromised individuals against infectious diseases. Certain vaccines can also be administered to protect after exposure against infections like Hepatitis B, Hepatitis A, rabies and measles. Vaccines hinder the development and reduce the prevalence of resistant strains by reducing the need for antibiotics. Better long-term and cost-saving option of developing new vaccines against antibiotic resistant infectious pathogens like Staphylococcus aureus is used to control global threat of increasing resistance. Increase in global travel has enhanced the exposure risk to infectious diseases and vaccines can help improve life expectancy by protecting against these diseases. The most common preventable vaccine among travellers exists against Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, rabies, yellow fever, typhoid, cholera, Japanese encephalitis and measles.

Immunization Programmes

Vaccination programmes in developing countries are cornerstones of primary healthcare services to reduce the burden of infectious diseases. Immunization programmes require funding, infrastructure for research and storage, purchase of raw materials and adequate staffing. The vaccination programme for mortality and morbidity prevention translates into long-term investment, saves cost and increases the potential of economic growth.Effective and sustainable immunization programme requires good infrastructure and personnel to improve the opportunities for better primary healthcare services in the early infancy and critical perinatal period. Several antigens delivered in single vaccine called combination vaccines can be more cost-saving and provide added benefit of better coverage, compliance and safety. Antigen used in computational vaccines ensures early high coverage and maintains previous immunization schedules without compromising immunogenicity and reactogenicity.

Importance and Benefits of Immunization

Immunisation protects and helps control serious diseases in the population and community. The benefits of disease-prevention through vaccines are much greater than the possible side effects. Vaccine safety rather than effectiveness gets more public attention even though vaccines are far safer than therapeutic medicines. Successful pre-exposure vaccination with several antigens is the cornerstone of immunization programmes in infants against a cluster of childhood diseases. Reduction in global child mortality is possible by facilitating universal access to safe and efficacious vaccines proven to meet moral obligation of every individual in the community for a healthier and fuller life.

Protection against diseases persists for long-term as immune memory reduces the consequences of infection. The decline in incidents of diseases is higher because vaccination reduces the spread of an infectious agent by retarding transmission process. The coverage rate to cease transmission depends on the average n and basic reproduction number in a single primary case introduced into a susceptible population. Vaccines can protect against related diseases or infection, for example, enterotoxicEscherichia colivaccine demonstrated protection from Salmonella enterica to fight against diarrhoea. Reduction of the global incidents and cervical cancer burden is expected with the use of vaccines. The benefits of vaccination are known to extend beyond prevention and enrich the lives of multifaceted societies and nations. Vaccination meets the healthcare needs of the weakest members of the society, resulting in good economic growth.