And the Oscar goes to.... Vaccines?

Is it just me or has the dark side of vaccines been overly exaggerated? If public health ever won an Oscar, it would be for their endeavors in vaccine preventable disease. With the eradication of small pox, the world has shifted its focus to dueling the emergence and re-emergence of brand new viral agents. As the world takes notice of the high incidence of measles and polio cases on the North American and Asian continents over the last year, could vaccines still take the Oscar this year?

As human beings, we are swayed by the power of a story. Story telling continues to be the oldest form of information dissemination. It has the ability to leave a permanent stain on our minds and our hearts. Our communities "fear" an association between vaccines and autism. They potentially fear the dark side of other vaccines as well after the distribution of a particular news article. As experts continue to dismiss these events and stories with evidence, I keep wondering "Where are our stories on vaccine victories?" There's got to be millions... Perhaps everyone vaccinated should just raise their hands, wayyyyy up in the air...

As public health professionals, we focus on prevention and preparedness... As one of my mentors once said "preparedness isn't sexy, cameras don't focus on it". Which is true, it does not carry with it the right kind of allure or media air time that captures the attention of audiences. As I watched a panel of public health experts discuss vaccine safety at the 2015 Measles Symposium, John Hopkins University, I was empowered! I was enlightened with facts and strategies on how to engage people about vaccine safety. 

Reflections on reclaiming the OSCAR!

1. Anecdotes are powerful, they allow story tellers to produce powerful stories. Check out one of my favorite TED Talks by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie; "The danger of a single story" below. Although she speaks more of culture competency and communications, it provides an insight in to the power a single story may have and how it may blur the facts!

2. It is wise to consider the presence of physical and economic barriers to vaccines. Not all global communities have such access. Addressing said barriers with more awareness campaigns is imperative.

3. Incorporating vaccine messaging beyond just healthcare workers is a sustainable approach to creating more vaccine ambassadors. Their approach to debunking myths, may be quite fresh and "out of the box" effective.

4. Supplementing vaccines with other healthcare services and products to vulnerable populations has the propensity to create great social impacts. For example, certain countries in Africa where malaria remains of great concern would appreciate complementing vaccine efforts with products like bed nets.

Why are there so many myths surrounding such an impactful public health endeavor? Is it because of the fear we have failed to address? Is it a result of not sufficiently celebrating and communicating our vaccine victories? Perhaps it's time we listen a lot more...

EBOLA, a VIRAL rampage

Ebola continues to be the focus of the media stratosphere as it ravages the marginalized communities in various countries on the African continent. It’s popularity second to none. Closely followed by MERS-CoV, Ebola continues to spread at an unprecedented rate. The global public health sectors continue to build barricades and adopt practices strategically in hopes of resisting the very spread of the virus. Looking back; SARS, MERS and many others had sprouted from undervalued and over looked communities. The social and healthcare infrastructures in regions where Ebola gained its momentum were just the right kind of culture mediums. The poor social cultural determinants of health that portrayed these culture mediums facilitated the unrestricted evolution of the pathogen. It provided for disease propagation, ensuring a high incidence of cases.

As most of us are familiar with, human viruses have animal origins. The human populations in parts of the developing world have no supports for poverty, healthcare or financial security. These communities then resort to making the best use of their immediate surroundings. The jungle is where they look to. The warm tropical environment where intensive contact between animals and humans are possible, is exactly where look for food sources. This is when novel viruses “jump ship”! If we are to truly understand and mobilize our resources against emerging infectious agents, we must sustainably cut off these modalities of viral contact.

We live in an inequitable ecosystem that sustains the very fittest. By failing to adequately provide for the underprivileged in the developing world, we are ensuring a climate of pathogen evolution. Most importantly are we ensuring the emergence and re-emergence of infectious agents?

Recently, we came across an inspiring TED talk by Dr. Nathan Wolfe, regarding the very same concerns. He speaks of capturing the moments when viral agents “jump ship”. Check out the video. Ultimately it is important to recognize the work by the Global Viral Forecasting Initiative (GVFI). But the need for its expansion is immediate. Our understanding of such matters places an onerous responsibility on our very shoulders. One that must be globally addressed.