Vaccination is one of the most important achievements in the history of medicine.
It all started over 200 years ago—in 1796, to be exact—when Edward Jenner, an English physician, noticed that people with Cowpox lesions on their hands were immune to Smallpox. He proceeded to demonstrate that an eight-year-old child became immune to Smallpox after being inoculated with Cowpox material. Cowpox is caused by a virus transmitted from animals to humans, leading to localized skin lesions. Smallpox, on the other hand, is a highly contagious and often fatal disease caused by the Smallpox virus. Due to the immunogenic similarity between the two viruses, inoculation with the less pathogenic Cowpox virus triggered an immune response capable of protecting against the more dangerous Smallpox virus.
The term “vaccine” was coined from “vacca,” the Latin word for cow. This historical fact is important because it highlights that vaccination is not a human invention but rather a discovery of a natural phenomenon.
Throughout our lifetime, we are exposed daily to millions of germs, naturally developing immunity that protects us from future reinfections. The same occurs through vaccination.
Over the past 200 years, countless vaccines have been developed simply by isolating non-infectious components of disease-causing organisms or by using weakened versions of these organisms that do not cause significant illness. The inoculation of these vaccines triggers an immune response, allowing our immune system to develop immunologic memory (antibodies) that prevent or mitigate future diseases caused by those organisms.
Despite their success, vaccines have always faced opposition. From the very beginning, in the 1800s, Antivax movements spread throughout Europe. At that time, highly contagious diseases like Smallpox killed millions of people every year. Governments felt compelled to mandate vaccinations to save lives. The main objections from Antivax groups were directed more at the compulsory nature of vaccination, which they believed violated personal liberty. Additionally, skepticism about the causes of diseases fueled opposition. Many believed that weather-related phenomena, rather than infectious agents, were responsible for illnesses.
Today, Antivax movements also cite violations of their civil liberties to justify their opposition to vaccinations. Of course, many also question their efficacy and attempt to draw unfounded links between vaccinations and medical conditions like Autism.
Regardless of personal beliefs about vaccines, their efficacy is undeniable. In fact, by the year 2000, Measles was declared eliminated in the USA. Yet today, over 150 new cases of Measles are reported annually in the country, with 99% occurring in unimmunized children.
It is important to note that in the 1800s and 1900s, infectious diseases were the leading causes of death in the USA. Today, heart disease and cancer top the list. Vaccines have eradicated or significantly reduced the prevalence of diseases such as Smallpox, Tuberculosis, Polio, Hepatitis B, Measles, Mumps, and Haemophilus Influenza type B. These illnesses that once killed or debilitated millions of people worldwide.
The extreme social polarization and politicization of medicine are among the greatest threats humanity faces today, yet these issues are sadly underestimated.
As a physician with over 40 years of experience, I firmly believe that the world would be a much better and healthier place if vaccines were more accessible, more affordable, and more widely distributed. Antivax movements should be more concerned about the health risks posed by what we eat and drink rather than vaccines.
About Dr. I- Affectionately known as “Dr. I.,” Dr. Impeduglia, a native of Italy, earned his medical degree at the University of Rome, La Sapienza. Soon after graduation, Dr. I. moved to the Washington area where he learned English and was a fellow scientist at the National Institute of Health in Bethesda.
In 1989, Dr. Impeduglia joined White Oak Pediatrics. He led the team for over twenty years, growing the practice and becoming a part of the community. In 2022, White Oak Pediatrics and Aspen Pediatrics joined forces, and Dr. Impeduglia became the Medical Director. Dr. I and his wife Stefania have three adult sons with 6 grandchildren, all former and current patients of White Oak Pediatrics.
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