Deadly vaccine denials

At least 78 children in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa have died due to vaccine-preventable diseases after their parents refused to get the children vaccinated. Almost all of the deaths were due to measles and diphtheria, vaccines for which are among the most commonly administered in the world. Almost every death recorded due to these diseases worldwide in recent years was attributed to a combination of malnutrition and being unvaccinated. Data on the deaths in K-P shows that 65% of measles fatalities and 90% of diphtheria cases were among children who received no vaccine, reflecting the increased risk that vaccine denial brings to children.

Part of the problem is that there are far too many workarounds for compulsory vaccination policies - many parents still need convincing to send their children to school, so requiring shots before enrolment can backfire, and many parents can easily falsify the documents, and schools may lack the resources to thoroughly check vaccine certificates.

As problems go, this one could be resolved very easily and with minimum hardship or sacrifice, if only parents would ensure that their children are properly vaccinated - which also costs next to nothing. Unfortunately, the public's penchant for fake news makes it almost impossible to reach herd immunity - far too many people sincerely believe that low-education social media influencers have more authoritative opinions on healthcare than actual medical doctors. There are regularly reported cases of sick, unvaccinated children's families attacking emergency room doctors, blaming them for the patient's deteriorating condition, rather than the initial failure to take any proven preventive measures.

The health implications of vaccine hesitancy extend beyond childhood diseases. Non-vaccination can lead to outbreaks that strain healthcare systems and compromise care for all patients. While health workers are doing their part and more, the government and citizens need to formulate ways to ensure that everyone not only has to get their children vaccinated, but wants to do so.