Mary Oliver once said, “What is it that you plan on doing with your wild and precious life?” Dr. Mathuram Santhosham is the most appropriate person to answer this question since his long list of credentials spoke volumes about his dedication to immunization and child health.
Sir started off with a brief introduction about the importance of vaccination and its power to prevent the suffering of a child. He suggested the use of vaccines over antibiotics since vaccines have the potential to not only save lives but also the family at large.
Dr. Santosham kept the enthusiastic minds captivated by describing the journey of vaccinology, right from variolation during the Ming Dynasty to the discovery of the smallpox vaccine by Edward Jenner and the progress that immunization has made over the years.
While various social benefits – which included herd protection, strengthening of the health system and reduction of health inequalities – were further discussed by him in detail, the risks it could possibly pose to health were also described. Sir also shared some insights on the negative hype over the effects of vaccinations which led to their discontinuation.
Dr. Santosham believes that healthy children of today will lead to healthy adults tomorrow and this will ensure a healthy future for our country. He explained that vaccinations, however, are a double edged sword. There are 3 sides to them, the GOOD – Disease prevention, the BAD – Adverse reactions and the UGLY –Controversies arising from it. These controversies need to be dealt with in a rational manner as the benefits of vaccination greatly outweigh the risks.
In spite of the humungous advances in the field of medicines and the development vaccinations, today, 1.5 million children die every year from vaccine preventable diseases. This number is almost equivalent to 8 jumbo jets crashing per day. He left the audience with this thought urging them to think of the future of the same in our country and encouraging them to make a sincere effort to work for equal immunization privileges for children all over the country.
Guest Lecture Committee
MBA HHM Batch 2015-17
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