Your Global Health Resource

 By Dr. Raúl Ayala

Introduction
Childhood vaccination is one of the greatest achievements of modern medicine. Thanks to it, diseases that once decimated entire populations are now rare or controlled. However, in some sectors, doubts fueled by misinformation are resurfacing.
It is crucial to understand that not vaccinating is not a private decision, but an act that directly puts the lives of children and the health of the entire community at risk.

Remember, governments come and go, but our children remain

Preventable Diseases: The immunization schedule protects children against 12–13 major diseases.  Of these, at least 9 carry a high risk of death if contracted without vaccination:
Hepatitis B
Diphtheria
Tetanus
Whooping cough
Poliomyelitis
Haemophilus influenzae type b
Pneumococcus
Measles
Meningococcus
Before vaccines, these infections claimed thousands of lives each year, especially in infants and adolescents.
Risk of chronic sequelae and permanent disability
Surviving the disease does not always mean recovering from illness. Several leave lifelong sequelae, with medical and social dependence:
Poliomyelitis: irreversible paralysis, dependence on braces or ventilation.
Hepatitis B: cirrhosis and liver cancer.
Hib, Pneumococcus, and Meningococcus: deafness, epilepsy, cognitive impairment, amputations.
Measles: subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE), always fatal.
Pertussis and Tetanus: hypoxic brain damage in severely ill infants.
In total, 6–7 vaccine-preventable diseases can leave permanent disabilities even in survivors.
Airborne transmission
Many of these infections are highly contagious through the respiratory route, which increases their danger in unvaccinated communities.
These include measles, chickenpox, whooping cough, diphtheria, influenza, COVID-19, mumps, rubella, and meningococcus.
A single case can trigger community outbreaks.

Economic and Social Impact
Beyond human suffering, the cost of long-term care is enormous:
Home or institutional care: US$70,000–130,000 per person each year in the US.
Lifetime costs:
Post-meningitis deafness: >US$1 million.
Amputations or meningococcal disability: >US$300,000–700,000.
Chronic hepatitis B with transplant: ~US$400,000.
Childhood vaccination in the US has prevented hundreds of thousands of deaths and saved billions of dollars in medical and social costs.
Ethical and Professional Message
Failing to vaccinate a child is not an act of individual freedom; it exposes them to death or the condemnation of living with a preventable and disabling disease.
It also places an immense economic and emotional burden on the family and society.
Medicine is not based on opinions or social media.
It is based on evidence, years of study, and the responsibility to protect lives.
Conclusion
Vaccination is an act of love and responsibility.
Those who decide not to vaccinate their children must understand that, if a preventable infection occurs, they will be responsible for the death or lifelong care of that child.
Don’t be manipulated. Trust those of us who dedicate our lives to studying and caring for health. Vaccines save lives.
Please help me share this article with others. We need to save those kids.