Did Lara Logan Say That Kids in South Sudan Would Be Better off Without Vaccines?
The Real Truth about Vaccines
Why does Lara Logan seem to think that kids in South Sudan would be better off without vaccines?
She thinks they are somehow being disabled by Bill Gates’ vaccines…
Did Lara Logan Say That Kids in South Sudan Would Be Better off Without Vaccines?
That’s right.
Lara Logan, in a chat with Aaron Siri, seems more concerned about suspected vaccine injuries than known vaccine preventable diseases.
“I am an African, so forgive me if I take this very personally. I know they’ll be people. I said I don’t have the right colour skin. I don’t care what they say. In South Sudan, a place I have been, there’s no infrastructure for disabled people. Being disabled is a death sentence. And how many kids have been disabled because of Bill Gates’s vaccines?”
Lara Logan
Are you surprised?
While that is typical thinking for anti-vaccine influencers who believe that all vaccines are poison, we rarely see them talk about it outside more highly industrialized, economically advanced countries.
How do you think her idea plays in South Sudan?
“There was no immunisation available in South Sudan when I was born to immunise children against polio. I was left with a weak lower back, a deformed and painful right foot, and a very weak left leg. My left leg is 2 inches shorter than my right leg which makes balancing difficult when walking. I bend forward when walking, putting a lot of strain and pain on my lower back. I now suffer from post-polio syndrome, which is associated with headaches, muscle, bone and joint pain, fatigue, and general body exhaustion. I limp and have a lot of falls causing injuries.”
Esther Simbi - My Polio Story
Let’s talk a look at polio infections and deaths first.
“James is a true inspiration to me and everyone who crosses his path. Being paralyzed by polio could have destroyed his life but instead, the father of two turned it into his life’s biggest mission and is making a difference in thousands of children’s lives. “I don’t want any other child to suffer like me when vaccines have come to save their lives,” James finishes.”
A polio survivor working against all odds to save lives for others
How many people got sick and died or survived with paralytic polio before they were able to eliminate wild polio in Sudan?
“Sudan was one of the countries that adopted WHA resolution to eradicate poliomyelitis by the year 2000. Eradication efforts started in 1994 triggered by occurrence of a major polio outbreak. The conducted activities resulted in eradication of the endemic virus in the country and occurrence of a high quality AFP surveillance and OPV vaccination coverage. The first importation in 2004 - 2005 from Chad causes 158 polio cases in 18 States of the country. The importations in 2007, 2008 and 2009 caused limited outbreaks. The last polio case reported in the country was from Port Sudan, Red Sea State in the 15th of March 2009.”
Review of Expanding Program on Immunization (EPI) in Sudan 2018
A lot!
Did they have the infrastructure to take care of the thousands of children and adults who were crippled because they had gotten sick with paralytic polio?
“I have always been afraid that my son could be attacked by polio because he was not vaccinated but today my fear is relieved. I have seen people crippled for life by polio,” said an emotional Ms. Abdelnabi.
First polio immunizations of the year in southern Sudan
No, they did not, and they still don’t…
“Thousands of polio sufferers struggle to survive in Southern Sudan. Those without the use of their legs must crawl through the dirt to get from point A to point B. Education and employment are usually out of reach.”
People Vs. Polio
Can you imagine how much worse things would be if they had not gotten wild measles under control with aggressive polio vaccination campaigns?
How about measles?
“The main finding of the present study was a very high case-fatality rate for measles during pregnancy. Nearly one-fifth of the pregnant women with measles during the study period died.”
Case-fatality rate associated with measles during pregnancy in Kassala, eastern Sudan
Measles was a big killer in Sudan in the pre-vaccine era.
“Three years of war in Sudan have dismantled vaccination programmes and collapsed disease surveillance systems, fuelling deadly, preventable epidemics.”
Three years on, outbreaks everywhere: MSF urges end of barriers to boost Sudan’s vaccination programs
And it still is.
Tragically, there have still been hundreds of measles deaths in recent years in South Sudan.
“South Sudan has one of the highest under-five mortality rates in the world. Over 38,000 children under five die annually, mostly from preventable illnesses. Malaria, diarrhoea, and pneumonia are responsible for over 75 percent of these deaths”
Support essential health care for all
But, even with recent set-backs, it is important to understand that deaths from measles, pertussis, diphtheria, meningitis, and tetanus, etc. used to be even worse.
So to say think that these kids would be better off without vaccines is a ridiculous statement.
Getting sick with many of these vaccine preventable diseases is a death sentence in South Sudan!
“Persistent localized and inter-communal violence, amid a fragile and increasingly strained peace process, continues to pose a serious and escalating threat to civilians in South Sudan.”
South Sudan
And considering all of their other problems, the last thing that is needed in South Sudan is for anti-vaccine influencers like Lara Logan to convince people to stop vaccinating and protecting their kids.
More on the Benefits of Vaccines
Review of Expanding Program on Immunization (EPI) in Sudan 2018
South Sudan: ‘No child anywhere should suffer from polio’ – UN health agency
Case-fatality rate associated with measles during pregnancy in Kassala, eastern Sudan
A polio survivor working against all odds to save lives for others
How one girl from Sudan overcame polio to become an international swimming champion
‘Erosion of a country’s future’: What has the war cost Sudan?