Agence France-Presse
April 23, 2014
WHO hits back at anti-vaccine deniers
Excerpt
The World Health Organization hit back on Wednesday against vaccine deniers who claim that immunisation is pointless, risky and that the body is better off fighting disease unaided.
“The impact of vaccines on people’s lives is truly one of the best things that one could see out there,” said Jean-Marie Okwo-Bele, head of the UN health agency’s immunisation and vaccines division.

Opposition to routine vaccination of children against contagious diseases such as measles and whooping cough has been on the rise in recent years, notably in the United States and Britain.
A hardline minority disputes the necessity of vaccination outright, while doubters focus on fears such as the alleged links between measles vaccines and autism, rejected by the overwhelming majority of scientists.

“We’re trying hard to contain and reverse the trend,” Okwo-Bele told reporters. “We have a huge proportion of people who believe in vaccines. They need to help us convey the messages,” he added.

The total or near-complete disappearance of many killer or crippling diseases in rich nations has bred complacency, according to the WHO.

“The important thing about complacency is that the number of susceptible people who resist or reject facts and information will accumulate, and the disease will come back, as you’re seeing in the United States with measles and whooping cough, which are terrible diseases,” said WHO immunisation expert Tracey Goodman….