Lichtgedanken 05

Rubrik 27 05 | LICHT GEDANKEN At some point during the last extremely hot summer I was at an outdoor pool with my son Ivo, and he asked me what the mark on my upper right arm was. This crater-shaped scar, barely the size of a small coin. I told him that it was a memento of my smallpox vaccination. I was just about to tell him all about vac- cinations and smallpox in particular, but the three-meter slide appeared to be far more exciting than a disease that had been eradicated from the world back in 1980. Infectious diseases have been claiming the lives of thousands, sometimes mil- lions of victims, since time immemorial. The plague was the scourge of the Midd- le Ages, raging in times of difficulty. Du- ring the final stages of the First World War, some 100 years ago, the so-called Spanish flu pandemic claimed the lives of up to 25 million people. Nowadays, there are regular reports about the Ebola virus in Africa. Many of these diseases have lost their terror for us; diseases like polio, smallpox, and measles. To a cer- tain extent, this is because of an impro- ved hygiene and clean drinking water. Yet the greatest weapon that we have against these insidious viruses are vac- cinations. People have been attempting to use weakened disease-causing agents to create a vaccine for millennia. Over 2,000 years ago, there were attempts in China to use the scab from pockmarks as a vaccine. With the discovery of viru- ses and a growing understanding of the interplay between pathogens and the immune system, the first vaccines were created back in the 18th and in the late 19th century in particular. Pioneers in this field include Robert Koch, Louis Pasteur, Edward Jenner, Paul Ehrlich, and Georg Friedrich Ball- horn. Their findings were truly bene- ficial, many of them being the result of heroic self-experiments. Once reliable vaccines had been de- veloped, the World Health Organiza- tion called for action to combat epide- mics. As part of a global campaign using vaccination guns, war was declared on smallpox. It was a mammoth task, especially as back then, the world was split into hostile camps as a result of the Cold War. Despite this, the vaccination campaign was a success: the last docu- mented case of the disease occurring was back in 1977. Three years later, the victory over smallpox was announced. I cannot remember how long I have had the small scar on my upper arm. But I do have very clear memories of the first vaccinations my children received. I re- member the doctor asking whether we consented to the vaccinations. What a question! Of course, I know that there are opponents to vaccinations: people who call into question the efficacy of vaccinations, people who believe that vaccinations only benefit the pharma- ceutical industry. They talk about the dangers of vaccination, of possible se- vere side effects. Yet, for my wife and myself, there was only one answer: we approve of vaccinations!  Small scar, big effect For centuries, infectious diseases had been a scourge on humanity claiming millions of victims. For more than 150 years, we now have had vaccines—a great weapon against this suffering. We need to make sure that this weapon remains effective. Reflection COMMENTARY BY STEPHAN LAUDIEN Vaccinations protect—and not just one’s own health. A high vaccination rate prevents the spread of diseases.