How forgotten diseases made a comeback

"Re-emergence of diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus toxin cases due to fall in immunisation rate in Kerala."

Non-immunised children can pose a threat to the partially immunised children as well as adults.

Even doctors in their middle age would not have seen many cases of the dreaded diseases, which modern medicine had overcome with vaccinations.

M. Narayanan, president of the Kochi branch of Indian Paediatric Association (IAP) told The Hindu that it was during his internship that he had seen cases of diphtheria or whooping cough, which is almost on the verge of a comeback now.

The new generation of doctors had only studied in text books how certain diseases like small pox, rabies and childhood diseases like diphtheria or whooping cough had wreaked havoc earlier. Hence, it is easy to persuade a layman against vaccinations since the diseases have not been reported in the last 30 years.

Experts owe the re-emergence of diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus toxin cases to the fall in immunisation rate of the State to about 80 per cent. The ideal situation in immunisation is when the average immunisation is above 85 per cent. With the total immunisation programme Mission Indradhanush that began on Wednesday, the target is to cover up the laxity and achieve an average of over 90 per cent, said Dr. Narayanan.

Threat from non-immunised children

The non-immunised children can pose a threat to the partially immunised children as well as adults, said Dr. Narayanan. A viral infection lowers the immunity in people and it is in such times that other infections could be acquired. There are also children with other chronic diseases who could be at risk of such infections.

People get confused when there is a constant talk against vaccines. The anti-vaccine lobby had been utilising the powerful social media to create such misunderstanding that leaves parents baffled, said Dr. Narayanan. They run campaigns to say that vaccines are responsible for epilepsy and many other disease conditions seen today.

One of the reactions for diphtheria vaccine that could perhaps be reported one in million population could be seizures, which is a reversible condition, said Dr. Narayanan. But to put the rest of the million children under threat of the disease that was eradicated with vaccines is rather absurd, he added. Immunisation is every child’s right, he said.