Devex: Opinion: The real problem with vaccine hesitancy
Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance

“…The only thing preventing most diseases from coming back is the fact that an average of 86% of the world’s children now receive basic vaccination … This is a huge accomplishment, but it has also helped create a false sense of security that modern medicine can make infectious disease a thing of the past. The reality is that there are very few diseases that can be completely eradicated, like smallpox. For the vast majority of them, we can at best keep them at bay. The fundamental failure to understand this is what lies behind vaccine hesitancy. If we don’t solve this problem now and start to recognize the relentless nature of this battle, then there is a very real risk they will start to make a more significant comeback as more people, unfamiliar with the diseases become complacent…” (9/18).