#Vaccinehesitancy

A new comprehensive study published in The Lancet has sounded a worldwide alarm: after five decades of progress, childhood vaccination coverage is stagnating or even retreating, leaving millions of children increasingly vulnerable to deadly yet preventable diseases. The analysis, released this week and drawing on 50 years of country-level data, warns that the number of “zero-dose” children—those missing even the most basic vaccines—remains distressingly high, with global immunisation efforts hampered by growing inequalities, the lasting shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic, and an upsurge in vaccine hesitancy and misinformation (Washington Post; The Lancet).

A resurgence of ancient medical ideas is reshaping public health discourse in unexpected ways, as evidenced by recent moves in the United States under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Drawing on the centuries-old miasma theory—which proposes that diseases arise from “bad air” or pollution—Kennedy has implemented policies and made public statements that challenge the contemporary scientific consensus around vaccines. The revival of this long-discredited framework echoes far beyond American borders, offering important lessons for Thailand as it contends with its own vaccine hesitancy and public health challenges (NPR).

In a sobering assessment this week, a leading US infectious disease expert declared that the world may have moved into a “post-herd immunity” era for measles, as vaccination gaps spark resurgent outbreaks across multiple countries. The statement comes as the United States faces its worst measles outbreak in decades, with more than 930 cases reported this year alone—a harbinger that the protective barrier of community immunity is crumbling (The Guardian, MSN).

A recent viral personal account has reignited the debate over vaccine hesitancy, shining a spotlight on the real-life consequences faced by those raised in anti-vaccination households. The article, published by BuzzFeed and titled “17 Brutally Honest Confessions From A Woman Who Was Raised By Anti-Vax Parents,” offers a candid look at how parental skepticism toward vaccines can shape every facet of a child’s development—physically, emotionally, and socially. Its frank revelations underscore issues of public health and personal risk that resonate worldwide, including in Thailand, where anti-vaccine sentiment has gained traction in some circles.

The specter of polio, a disease once on the brink of global eradication, is looming large yet again as new reports from 2025 reveal troubling spikes in Afghanistan and Pakistan, compounded by global aid disruptions and vaccine skepticism1. For Thai readers, these developments sound an urgent warning: even diseases thought to be “conquered” can return if public health vigilance lapses, offering a stark lesson relevant to Thailand’s ongoing immunization efforts and pandemic preparedness.