Vaccine during childhood an adult maketh

Amid debate on what it will take for life to go back to normal — away from the lockdowns, quarantines, social distancing, constant handwashing, mask wearing and a news cycle that is consumed by the Covid-19 pandemic — most experts and commentators agree on the eventual need for “herd immunity”, which can be brought about by exposure to the coronavirus or a vaccine.

Necessity is the mother of invention. The global efforts by pharmaceuticals, researchers and scientists to develop a Covid-19 vaccine is, undoubtedly, a great reinforcement of this adage.

A vaccine could just be the turning point in the management of the pandemic and the best way to achieve herd immunity. But then, most experts say we are 12-18 months away from one.

Faced with Covid-19’s impact on the economy and its ripple effects on the livelihoods of a large population that makes just enough to live one day at a time, that is a lifetime. But even as we worry about the economy, what seems to be missing from the discussion is the pandemic’s impact on other disease areas.

Mothers are worried about taking their infants for routine vaccination for fear of exposing them to the coronavirus. Yet, as we place our hopes on a vaccine that may be far away, our decisions could have consequences that will remain even after the Covid-19 threat.

Eighteen years ago, I sat in a queue at a health clinic in Nairobi, waiting for my first-born to receive her routine vaccination. I wanted her to grow up protected against diseases such as polio, tetanus, whooping cough, chickenpox, rotavirus, mumps and rubella — diseases that Covid-19 has made sure we are not talking about.

As I sat there, next to other mothers whose children were screaming after a needle had been stuck in their arm, I was focused on my daughter’s immediate health needs. It never occurred to me that I was also safeguarding her future options and opportunities — and I was definitely not thinking about her university admission.

Reality kicked in when she turned 18 and was invited to enrol in an institution of higher learning. They needed not only her academic certificates but also immunisation certificate! Because of a decision I made 18 years ago, she is studying in South Africa, making adult decisions around self-care, self-quarantine and self-discipline.

I cannot help but reflect on the role of vaccines in our lives. Had my daughter not got those vaccines, would she have gone through school, unscathed and untouched by the various outbreaks? Maybe not. What I know for sure is that, without that immunisation card, the institution would not have admitted her, which would have changed the course of her life.

I would do it all over again. In fact, I did so with my youngest daughter, who is seven. The only difference is that, when she turns 10, I will once again be lining up at the clinic to see her get the free HPV vaccine, which prevents cervical cancer.

But I am concerned that once the pandemic is contained, we will go back to a healthcare system that will have lost the precious gains from vaccines. Many of the existing vaccines cannot wait for 18 months. While taking precautions to keep ourselves, our children and care workers safe, let us get our children vaccinated on schedule.