Collaboration between the Health System and Education is Essential for Vaccination Coverage

The practice of immunization dates back hundreds of years.Over the 18th and 19th centuries, systematic implementation ofmass smallpox immunization culminated in its global eradicationin 1979. The 20th century saw great successes at developing vaccines and reducing the burden of infectious diseases such as yellowfever, hepatitis B and influenza.1Despite the achieved success of vaccination, rumorsabout vaccine/vaccination have long circulated or perpetuated incommunities. For instance, vaccination can cause autism2,3; mercury in vaccines acts as a neurotoxin3; vaccines are a ruse to sterilize children4; vaccines are contaminated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).4In places where illiteracy is high and access toinformation is limited, these rumors are hard to debunk such thatthe populace is prone to accepting anti-vaccine “facts