by Physicians Weekly | Mar 23, 2015 | Articles, Business of Medicine, Doctor's Voice, Linda Girgis, Pediatrics, Primary Care
In the 19th and first half of the 20th century, infectious diseases killed many. In fact, in the 1918 influenza pandemic, 2 million people around the world succumbed to this virus. The discovery of Penicillin yielded a great weapon in our fight against the early demise of peoples from these infections. However, they failed to address the problem of deadly viruses. The next great weapon in our infectious disease arsenal appeared with the discovery and development of vaccines. By 1977, smallpox was eradicated around the world. In a like vein, polio was wiped out of the Western Hemisphere by the year 2000. Measles and Pertussis were considered nearly eradicated in the Western Hemisphere as well up until the last few years. Science and history clearly give rise to evidence that the eradication of these diseases was the direct result of these vaccination campaigns. Why are we seeing a resurgence of nearly eradicated infections? A big reason is that parents are taking advantage of vaccine exemptions and choosing not to vaccinate their children. Not only do they put their own children at risk, but others, especially immune-compromised children. In fact, many doctors no longer accept unvaccinated children as patients for this very reason. We do not want our more susceptible patients to fall victim to these diseases while sitting in our waiting rooms. According to a survey of doctors on SERMO, the largest social network exclusive to physicians, 79% of doctors feel that unvaccinated kids should not be allowed to attend public schools. “…79% of doctors feel that unvaccinated kids should not be allowed to attend public schools.” Many...
