During 2024, Less than half of children aged 5 to 6 received bacaunas corresponding to them start elementary school. In addition, all scheduled vaccines have decreased by 10%. Apply at age 11according to information from the National Ministry of Health.
Several experts have asserted that this scenario could lead to a resurgence of diseases such as polio, measles, and meningococcal, among others.
he Jorge Geffner, immunologist and CONICET researcher, said: warned about Record decline in childhood vaccination rates and emphasized the urgent need national movement To prevent the recurrence of diseases such as measles and polio.
“If we don’t overcome this very important economic downturn, An epidemic of an infectious disease that has rarely been seen before begins. And now it’s going to happen really often. ”
These statements were made during a conversation with. infobae liveduring the program afternoon
Geffner It delves into the historic decline in childhood vaccination rates, the factors that explain this phenomenon, and the role that both the state and the education community should take to reverse the trend and avoid health risks.
Experts pointed out the following: measlesis required at least Population coverage rate 95%, This means that almost all boys and girls receive two matching doses: once a year and another when they start elementary school.
but, Geffner “We are not 95 or 85 years old. We’re almost 60 or 65 now. “This means that imported cases, such as small children who came from a trip to Russia, will cause an outbreak if they start becoming infected.”
He also emphasized that risks are no longer abstract or distant. “I don’t know if it’s going to be tomorrow, or in two weeks, or in a month, but if we don’t manage to overcome this very important economic downturn, we’re going to start seeing epidemics that were previously very rare and are now really very frequent.”
When asked about the vaccine’s effectiveness, the researchers responded emphatically: “The vaccine is very effective and very mild when given. It causes very few symptoms.”
And he added: “In the worst case scenario, you may develop a slight fever and then have no fever the next day. This vaccine is highly effective, more than 95 percent effective. Therefore, if you are vaccinated, you will not be infected. ”
in a dialogue with infobae livein the program afternoon, Geffner Expressing concern about the lack of an official campaign and the government’s less active role, he said: “My impression is that the government is absent. There should be a very important national vaccination campaign, and not only that, but vaccination spaces should be moved closer to where young children are in the first place.”
He recalled that “vaccination used to take place even near schools, but it was very easy (…) Vaccination would need to take place near the school itself.”
Immunologists believe that the cause of this phenomenon is as follows. “I don’t think there’s an asymmetric social distribution in this regard. From what we’re seeing, it’s pretty widespread and generally very worrying.”
He cited uninformed messages that emerged after the coronavirus pandemic as a major cause. COVID-19 (new coronavirus infection) and lack of awareness campaigns: “After the coronavirus pandemic, we have seen some very irresponsible voices questioning vaccines. All vaccines were found to be highly effective. The truth is that all these words without any actual scientific basis or evidence were wrong. ”
He further explained: “It’s very difficult for my young son to get measles because so few people get it.” If we all start thinking this way, there will be hesitation, and there will be space for viruses to spread, and we will start to see outbreaks of measles, meningococcal, polio, and so on. “Experts emphasized the need for strong dissemination campaigns at all levels: “primary schools, secondary schools, universities, on the streets.”
The doctor evaluated National vaccination schedule This is how he described Argentina: “Great. This has been adopted in other countries, and yours complements that.” But he questioned: “That calendar is very lax. In theory, the national pediatric calendar should be compulsory for young children entering primary school. Well, clearly that hasn’t been implemented.” He said there was a need to “tightly control this, disseminate information and bring vaccinations closer to the schools themselves.”
Asked whether the decline in vaccinations was due to economic reasons or to the anti-vaccination sector, Geffner He argued that “there is not a very strong anti-vaccination movement in Argentina, but all the nonsense that was said without any scientific basis somehow leaked to some parts of the population. But it is not so much the anti-vaccine movement, but rather the lack of a movement to expose this in all areas.”
Regarding your concerns dengue fever Regarding vaccination in endemic areas, experts say: “Dengue vaccines, unlike measles and polio, are not included in the national calendar, and there is a logic behind that. If you go to a southern state where mosquito vectors are not endemic, it doesn’t make sense to vaccinate the entire population. However, significant levels of infection are occurring in northern, eastern and central Argentina, and dengue vaccines should be freely available in these areas, which currently are not. ”
Geffner Highlighted the decline in childhood vaccinations “This is not just an Argentine phenomenon.”but rather in response to international trends that have been highlighted since the pandemic. “This is a phenomenon that has been around for a long time, but it has become very noticeable after the pandemic. In places like France and the United States, there is a very strong anti-vaccination movement. In Argentina, there is not such a strong anti-vaccination movement, but the unfounded suspicions have caused damage.”
Emphasizing the need to restore public trust, he said: “The two great discoveries that have had the greatest impact on public health and have saved millions of people are drinking water and vaccines. There is no going back on these.”
Regarding the amount of time the system needs to turn things around before an outbreak occurs, the immunologist said: “I think it’s a matter of months. Given that other countries in the United States have cases of measles, mumps and rubella, we had four people die here last week if we didn’t increase vaccination levels. The important thing is that it doesn’t get worse.”
He stressed the need for an urgent campaign for clarification, saying, “Starting next week, we will have to start putting up posters in the streets, giving talks in schools, and starting campaigns to provide clarification. I hope that doesn’t happen, but we have a really serious threat. ”
When asked about the scale of the operation needed to reverse the situation, Geffner “If we talk about the federal capital, we have 3 or 4 million inhabitants. If the coverage is 50% or 60%, then we need 2 or 3 million people to receive additional vaccinations. That is the current situation. There is no shortage of vaccines at the moment. If you go to a public hospital, it is free,” he clarified. What is missing is a public campaign to bring vaccination closer. Please explain what we are trying to do here multiplied by 10 or 100. ”
During the interview, Geffner He left some warnings about the risk that vaccination rates will continue to decline. “Unfortunately, if we do not lift vaccination, we are talking about what is already partially happening today. The important thing is that vaccination will not make it worse,” he stressed. “We need to do both: tightly control vaccinations, disseminate information and bring vaccinations closer to the schools themselves. It’s doable and it’s not particularly expensive.”
infobae live YouTube brings you interviews, analysis, and the best information in an intimate, dynamic format every day. • From 9am to 12pm: Gonzalo Sanchez, Carolina Amoroso, Ramon Indalto and Cecilia Buffre. • From 6pm to 9pm: Jessica Bossi, Diego Iglesias, Maria Eugenia Duffard and federico mayol. News, talk, and the main character, live. follow our channel YouTube @infobae You can read the full interview with Jorge Hefner at this link.
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