Ignore naysayers and schedule a Covid-19 vaccine

It is human nature not to accept any new thing. A reason we see manufacturers investing a lot of time and money in advertisements. Medical history is punctuated by new this — novel ways of surgical procedures, new medicines and new ways of treatment. Because these are biological processes, resistance has been a constant. Sometimes, with fatal consequences.

History is repeating itself in the anti-Covid-19 vaccinations. Vaccines, with antimicrobials, remain a great milestone in medical history. Antimicrobials have saved billions of lives through treatment of already infected humans. Coming in through the medical mantra that “prevention is better than cure” vaccines have saved humanity from deadly diseases.

Through vaccination, smallpox in humans and rinderpest in animals have been eradicated. Through these two success stories, doctors and vets are working to rid the world of many other diseases. Worthy as such efforts are, resistance has been a constant shadow that unnecessarily drains funds into fighting off such conspiracy theories.

Flashback 1885 in Montreal, Canada: Smallpox is a pandemic. Many lives have been lost. Luckily, Edward Jenner’s practice of vaccination against diseases is widespread and successful. As this is being used to prevent smallpox, governments come in with policies to increase the uptake of the vaccines. Despite the great success in immunisations, resistance is observed throughout Europe.

Flimsy excuses

Montreal is a town that has been used as a bad example in the history of vaccination. While other municipalities are taking up the smallpox vaccine, Montreal joins other pockets of resistance. A train brings in a smallpox patient number one into Montreal and the disease spreads like wildfire. Vaccination campaigns are mounted in Montreal, but most people refuse to be vaccinated.

Montreal stands out because in this town, a medic by the name Dr Alexander Ross, decides to run an anti-vaccination campaign. Dr Ross is pursuing this selfish course to create fame around his name, because he is already vaccinated. In behaviour change, communications experts are credible sources who can easily convince the masses to act in a certain way. Dr Alexander abuses source credibility to mislead the masses.

So successful is his campaign that when the authorities declare it mandatory, the citizens demonstrate against the directive. A preventable disease kills thousands. So serious is the epidemic that Montreal is declared a no-go zone.

Many centuries later, we find ourselves in a similar scenario where Covid-19 is ravaging the globe. Effective vaccines have been developed to save the masses but unfortunately pockets of opposition have arisen. I have heard people say that they are not getting the jab based on flimsy excuses.

Unlike in technological innovations, here we are racing against death. We must learn to be alert to the medical authorities’ clarion call for preventive action and be deaf to those that concoct conspiracy theories. At the earliest opportunity, get vaccinated against Covid-19.

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