On Mother's Day

Mothers 

hold the hands of their children 

for a while, 

but 

their hearts forever.

       On Mother's Day,  

      

     from their children                       

             with Love

History of vaccinations

Some infectious diseases leave behind a natural immunity. The knowledge of this led to attempts to acquire this protection artificially through a controlled amount of contact with the illness at a favourable time and under favourable conditions.  Such trials have been known over a thousand years in chinese medicine and later also in arabic medicine, the most important historical example being that of developing the vaccination against smallpox. These attempts were associated with risks of actually contracting the disease and dangers of the consequences. 

The enlgish doctor Edward Jenner carried out the first vaccination against smallpox on 14. May 1796, using the crusts of skin lesions from an infected cow. What followed showed the characteristics typical of the development also of other vaccinations later, i.e. an initial partial success,  recognizable adverse effects and the suppression of the disease to smaller outbreaks at a later stage. According to Jenner's judgement, his own son suffered from serious damages from the vaccination. The next milestone was the discovery of microorganisms by Louis Pasteur (1822-1895). The contemporary German doctor and Nobel prize winner Robert Koch (1843-1910) discovered the tubercle bacillus and developed the tuberculin vaccine. A series of vaccinations was developed against the big "killer epidemics": Smallpox (1798), Rabies (1885), Pest (Black Death) (1897), Diphtherie (1925), Tuberculosis (1927), Tetanus (1927). After the second world war, scientific progress enabled the development of more vaccinations also against virus diseases: Polio (dead vaccine 1955, live vaccine 1962), Measles ( 1964), Mumps (1967), German Measles (1970) and Hepatitis B (1981).

A critical review of history shows that well earned progresses often go hand in hand with set backs and sacrifices, which is also characteristic of the advances of humanity. On 8th April 1874, the German government declared vaccination against smallpox to be legally compulsory. At the same time, vaccinated citizens suffering from adverse effects were eligible for compensation. It has been documented, that under the WHO vaccination programme with the oral Polio vaccine and the simultaneous injection of DPT (Diptherie-Whooping cough-Tetanus)- vaccine the cases of Polio in India around 1980 actually increased rather than decreased. The problems associated with the wild polio virus under tropical conditions were not yet recognized. Now and again, vaccines had to be withdrawn from application due to unforeseen problems. The previous whooping cough vaccine was discontinued from 1974 to 1991 in Germany because of causing brain damage and fatal cases. It was only in 1997 when the neurological adverse effects of vaccines containing mercury (Thiomersal) especially affecting infants were officially acknowledged. Thereafter, all such vaccines concerned were removed from the market in Germany. Instead of Thiomersal, the conservation material used nowadays is mostly Phenoxyethanol.

Such collective experiences in the past justify an initially reserved attitude towads a newly introduced vaccine, e.g. the HPV.vaccine for teeange girls.

The interested reader is referred to the numerous publications on this issue. Among these, the book by the German paediatrician Dr. Martin Hirte "Impfen, Pro & Contra" is probably the most well known. In the current up-dated edition of March 2015 are many quotations from recent studies and documentations.