Showing posts with label vaccination. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vaccination. Show all posts

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Why vaccination is necessary ?

The World Health Organization (WHO) is concerned for the world's health and always put emphasis on the availability and supply of clean drinking water and immunization or vaccination. The word vaccine is of Latin origin. The word vacca in Latin means cow. The word vaccine was coined from vacca because Edward Jenner first used fluid from the cowpox to prevent smallpox. Though the word vaccination and immunization are interchangeable but don't mean exactly the same. The administration of vaccines could be called vaccination but the immunization is the induction or acquiring of immunity by using pharmacological agents other than vaccines too. Immunization may be active (production of antibodies after administration of antigen or vaccine) or passive (administration of readymade/preformed antibodies). Vaccination is the active immunization. Vaccination may not provide active immunity to all the individuals. Under the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) launched by WHO in 1985, free vaccination is available for tuberculosis, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), tetanus, poliomyelitis and measles. The vaccines for these six vaccine-preventable diseases should be administered as per WHO schedule for UIP. The vaccination is necessary for healthy human race all over the world. By timely vaccination we can save our younger generations from major disabling and fatal diseases. Vaccines are considered safe when the side-effects of use are judged to be acceptable in relation to the benefits.

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Childcare and Hospitals for Children

Children constitute around 40% of the world population. Pediatric medicine is a broad specialty embodying all the organ specialties of adult medicine such as cardiology, dermatology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, hepatology, neurology, pulmonology, rheumatology etc. Pediatric surgery and its specialties also make a list as long as in the case of adults' specialties. All hospitals worldwide do have pediatric departments but special hospitals for sick children could provide better care of children by child specialists or pediatricians. The childcare begins at birth with mandatory vaccination planning which could be handled well by specialized vaccinologists. Vaccination and preventive medicine should be allocated special funds, as that would be an investment for the children's welfare and community health. All the countries and states on this earth should have special hospitals for children since childcare is the foundation of a healthy nation.