Immunizations

Immunizations have had far greater positive impact on health in the developed nations than all of the other health services put together. Only a few years ago only a few years ago, smallpox, cholera, paralytic polio, diphtheria, whooping cough, and tetanus killed large numbers of people. These diseases are now effectively controlled by immunization in the United States and in most other developed nations. Smallpox has been eradicated from the entire world, and there is no longer any need for smallpox immunization. An incredible success story!

Frequent immunization is not needed now because these diseases occur less often and because we now know that the immunizations provide protection for a long time. Thus, tetanus boosters are only required every ten years for adults who have had the basic series of tetanus injections. As these conditions become rare, the problems of side effects from the inoculations are in some instances as great as the risk of the illness.

Keep a careful record of your immunizations. Do not allow yourself to be re-inoculated just because you have lost records of previous immunizations. If you haven’t had a tetanus shot for ten years or so, ask for a booster shot while visiting the doctor for another reason. You can save future tips to the doctor by being protected for the next ten years. In general, do not seek out the optional immunizations. Flu shots, for example, are only partially effective and often cause a degree of illness themselves; they are recommended only for the elderly and for those with severe lung diseases.