Say vaccination key to eradicate life-threatening illnesses
Srinagar, Nov 10: Health experts have termed timely immunisation as a vital public health tool to protect infants and children from deadly, preventable diseases.
Immunisation, also called vaccination, is a process in which a person is made immune or resistant to an infectious disease by administering vaccines that stimulate the body’s own immune system to fight future infections.
Once a vaccine enters the body, it triggers the production of antibodies. These antibodies remain in the body and help recognise and destroy the disease-causing organism if it attacks later.
Dr Murtaza, a general physician at the Directorate of Health Services (DHSK), speaking to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said that due to immunisation, diseases like smallpox were completely eradicated globally, while others such as polio, measles, diphtheria and tetanus have drastically reduced.
“Vaccines save millions of lives every year. A child who receives routine vaccines at the correct schedule gets protection against several fatal illnesses that can otherwise lead to disability or death,” he said.
He added that immunisation not only protects the vaccinated individual but also the community by reducing the spread of infections. This is known as herd immunity — meaning when the majority of people are immunised, the remaining unvaccinated population, such as newborns or those with weak immunity, also gets indirect protection.
Another doctor, Dr Javid Ahmad Mir, said that routine immunisation given under the national programmes covers diseases like polio, Hepatitis-B, tuberculosis (BCG), rotavirus, pneumococcal infection, measles-rubella, DPT (diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus) and others.
“We request parents not to skip immunisation doses. Delays or gaps can expose children to serious risk because many diseases circulate silently. Prevention through a vaccine is always better and safer than treatment after infection,” he said.
Experts say vaccines undergo rigorous safety trials before being approved, and side effects, if any, are mostly mild, like a slight fever or pain at the injection site.
They added that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the effectiveness of vaccination once again proved how immunisation can help the world deal with life-threatening outbreaks.
Full coverage, awareness, and timely vaccination are crucial to ensure healthier communities, according to doctors. (KNO)
