"More than 30 million children are unimmunized either because vaccines are unavailable, because health services are poorly provided or inaccessible, or because families are uninformed or misinformed about when and why to bring their children for immunization." -UNICEF
Storified by sydneytw · Sat, Apr 12 2014 20:16:37
Introduction to Vaccines
How Vaccines Work in the Body
Graphic courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control
Examples of the Effectiveness of Vaccines
As of earlier this year measles was declared eradicated from Australia. So no cases will originate from the country. 11 cases were reported in Queensland, but they were all acquired from travel abroad.
Number of Measles cases in the United States Before and After the Licensing of Vaccinations
Prevaccination Era Estimated Deaths by Disease vs 2011 Estimated Deaths in the United States of America
Infographic created by Leon Farrant and statistics provided by The Centers for Disease Control and published in The American Journal of the Medical Association.
How to get Involved?
Donate to Vaccine Ambassadors. They help to get vaccine to remote areas where parents can sometimes have to travel miles in order to get care for their children. One can donate on the website or through your own clinic.
Doctors Without Borders: One can donate to their cause or find a way to volunteer for them on and off the field. Medical education is not necessary for every position.
But one of the best ways to help is to talk about the issue with other people and spread the word. Just by helping to reduce false claims more people will become educated and by getting just one more person vaccinated it helps contribute to the overall health of the world.
