With World Immunisation Week happening from the 24th to the 30th of April, this is the perfect time to explore what we know about childhood vaccinations. While you may understand the importance of childhood immunisation, the history, science and surprising benefits behind it are often overlooked. Here are six things you may not know about vaccines for children:
- Vaccines have been around for over 200 years
The concept of vaccination dates back to the late 18th Century, when Edward Jenner developed the first successful smallpox vaccine. He noticed that milkmaids who had been exposed to cowpox didn’t get smallpox, leading him to develop a groundbreaking method of immunisation. This discovery eventually led to the complete eradication of smallpox, one of history’s deadliest diseases.
Before Jenner’s breakthrough, though, natural forms of immunisation already existed. In ancient China, people practised variolation, where small amounts of smallpox scabs were inhaled or rubbed into the skin to provide protection against the disease. While this method was risky, it paved the way for the modern vaccines we see today.
- Vaccine-preventable diseases are making a comeback
While vaccines have been shown to reduce and even eliminate many serious diseases, such as polio, outbreaks still happen when vaccination rates drop. In recent years, there has been a resurgence of measles, mumps and whooping cough in various countries with low immunisation coverage.
This highlights the importance of maintaining high vaccination rates to prevent spreading diseases that were once under control. Ensuring children receive their routine immunisations is a key part of keeping these illnesses at bay.
- Vaccines don’t just protect your child – they protect everyone
When a child is vaccinated for a particular disease, they help create herd immunity: the more people who are immunised, the harder it is for diseases to spread within a community. One example of this is the near-eradication of polio. Thanks to widespread vaccination efforts, polio cases have dropped by over 99% worldwide, saving millions of children from paralysis as a result of the disease. Developing herd immunity also helps to protect vulnerable individuals such as newborn babies, cancer patients or individuals with weakened immune systems.
It’s even easier to ensure your children are kept up to date with their immunisation if you belong to a medical aid scheme, as the costs are often covered under your plan. Fedhealth, for example, covers the cost of most childhood immunisations through their Children’s Health benefit under their screening benefit. As a member, you can stay on track with vaccinations at no extra cost, ensuring your children stay healthy and everyone else in your community benefits too.
- Vaccines can reduce healthcare costs
Vaccines don’t just protect individuals—they can also have a significant economic impact. Hospitalisations, doctor visits and treatments for vaccine-preventable diseases can be costly, so by preventing illnesses, vaccines help reduce the financial burden on individual families as well as government healthcare systems. The World Health Organisation estimates that for every dollar spent on childhood immunisation, approximately $44 is saved in healthcare costs. This demonstrates how vaccines are a critical tool in protecting public health and an effective way to reduce the overall burden on healthcare resources.
- Vaccines train the immune system without making the child sick
Many parents worry that vaccines will make their children sick, but this is unlikely: vaccines work by stimulating the immune system in a controlled way. The small, inactive or weakened germs in vaccines teach the body to recognise and fight diseases without causing illness. This means children gain immunity without having to suffer the infection itself, whether it’s mumps, measles or whooping cough.
Vaccines also play a role in immune memory. Once the immune system learns how to fight a specific pathogen, it remembers that information for years, sometimes even for a lifetime and then can respond more effectively and rapidly if it encounters it again. This is why some vaccines provide lifelong protection, while others require booster shots to maintain immunity.
- New frontiers in disease prevention
As we move into the future, scientists are working on vaccines for diseases like malaria and even some forms of cancer. Researchers are also exploring vaccines for diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis and even Alzheimer’s disease, which have not been eradicated until now.
In South Africa, ongoing vaccine research is focusing on diseases that disproportionately affect the region, such as tuberculosis and HIV. These efforts highlight the continued importance of vaccine development in protecting public health and saving lives.
Childhood vaccinations are one of the greatest medical advancements in history, protecting millions of children from preventable diseases. Understanding their history, science, and benefits helps parents make informed choices about their children’s health. This World Immunisation Week is a time to remember our progress and what’s still to come in ensuring that debilitating diseases are a thing of the past.
