Mistakes in the field of health policy can cost lives. This must always be foremost in our minds. If we fail to respect these concerns, we will pay a high price. And I want to be sure that we can give them a straight answer. The future of vaccines I am particularly concerned, for example, about how we can prevent the spread of communicable diseases.
Vaccines are an important weapon against that spread.
Many diseases of childhood, such as polio, whooping cough, diphtheria and measles, have been controlled by vaccines, at least in developed countries. Vaccination has certainly reduced morbidity and mortality in, for example, influenza and hepatitis B. Vaccination campaigns, coupled with improvements in urban sanitation and water supply and the use of antibiotics, brought about a dramatic decrease in the incidence of infectious diseases. And when the history of this century is written, these campaigns will be rightly identified as the biggest factor in increasing life expectancy to the levels currently enjoyed in the developed world. Unfortunately, this success has not been sustained. Nor are there any grounds for complacency.