Writing in AAP News, Herschel Lessin, MD, FAAP asserts that, ‘Immunization is the greatest health care success story of modern times and rivals clean water and public sanitation as effective measures to ensure public health’. He goes on to say that, ‘The return on investment to society for immunization has been massive’. Yet there are still many obstacles to achieving immunization coverage in the United States, including increased costs, inadequate reimbursement of physicians, the dissemination of misinformation about vaccine safety on the internet, supply problems and increased administrative burdens imposed by government agencies. Nevertheless, tremendous strides have been made in reducing diseases caused by such organisms as Haemaphilus influenzae type b, streptococcus pneumoniae, varicella and rotavirus.
Recent outbreaks of polio in some parts of the world should give us pause to reevaluate our own efforts to maintain immunity against this dread disease. The World Health Organization places the immunization rate target level at 90%, yet in some parts of the United States polio immunization rates are below 90%. We may be complacent because polio has not been a recent issue for our country, but as globalization increases, we need to redouble our efforts to reach immunization goals. It is especially important for travelers to check with their physician before leaving the country to make sure they are up to date on immunizations. The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (see Vaccines Link) is an excellent resource for vaccine information for both patients and health care providers.