Global Vaccination Summit held when? September 12th, 2019; What a coincidence

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

The word “Vaccine,” has become a trigger word for many; it is a word that now polarizes people, and can cause uncomfortable discussions, some ending in people being in their feelings because of opposing opinions.

It has been touted by our governments and mainstream media that vaccines, in general, are safe and effective tools for preventing and controlling the spread of infectious diseases. There are differing opinions when it comes to this statement; some individuals may be afraid of potential side effects associated with vaccines, and for good reason. We cannot ignore the increase in sudden deaths that have occurred in the last few years, and the increase in young people having heart attacks has reached disturbing numbers.

Advocates for vaccine reform have had concerns about the ingredients used in vaccines, such as preservatives, or adjuvants. Historical instances of medical malpractice, unethical experiments, or other negative experiences with the healthcare system has contributed to a general mistrust of vaccines and the medical establishment.

Vaccination policies shifted dramatically during COVID-19 with the rapid emergence of population-wide vaccine mandates, domestic vaccine passports and differential restrictions based on vaccination status. While these policies have prompted: ethical, scientific, practical, legal and political debate, there has been limited evaluation of their potential unintended consequences.

It took the pandemic to really put vaccines on center stage, and the spotlight on vaccine science has never been more intense. Researchers across the globe worked rapidly to produce a potential vaccine, in a trial monikered “Operation Warp Speed,” the vaccine development project announced by President Trump. It advocated for a vaccine to be made available in the US by the beginning of 2021, but for scientists and physicians, the term “warp speed” triggered concern. They knew that good science requires rigor, discipline, and deliberate caution. Any medical therapy approved for public use in the absence of extensive safeguards had the potential to cause harm, not only for COVID-19 prevention efforts and vaccine recipients, but also for public trust in vaccination efforts worldwide.

It was reported that long before coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), vaccine hesitancy and refusal were increasing. In 2019, the World Health Organization listed vaccine refusal as one of the top 10 global health threats. Pediatricians, in particular, frequently encountered resistance to childhood vaccinations, and as a result, it was reported that outbreaks of measles and other vaccine-preventable illnesses, such as pertussis and influenza, had increased.

Now here is the question; is this increase in vaccine hesitancy the reason that The European Commission and the World Health Organization co-hosted a Global Vaccination Summit on September 12^th, 2019 in Brussels, Belgium. The event took place under the joint auspices of the European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

This high-level one-day event aimed to bring together around 400 people, including: political leaders, high-level representatives from the UN and other international organizations, health ministries, leading academics, scientists and health professionals, the private sector, social media influencers, and NGOs.

The goal of this event was to propel global action against vaccine preventable diseases, and against the spread of vaccine misinformation. Very interesting, and quite the coincidence since two months later, the first word of an outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan was reported. The event was going to demonstrate EU leadership for vaccination, boost political commitment towards eliminating vaccine preventable diseases and engage political leaders and leaders from: scientific, medical, industry, philanthropic, digital media and civil society.

Their given rationale: the claim that vaccination is the most successful public health measure of modern times. According to their researchers and scientists vaccination prevents an estimated 2.5 million deaths worldwide each year and reduces disease-specific treatment costs.

They reported that despite its track record, many countries around the world are currently facing unprecedented outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases due to insufficient vaccination coverage rates. Unequal access to vaccines and in some places, threats to public confidence in vaccination were a cause for concern, and a major challenge for public health. WHO declared vaccine misinformation as one of the main health threats for 2019.

The event was structured around the following three round tables:

Roundtable 1: In Vaccines We Trust

Stepping up action to increase vaccine confidence.

Roundtable 2: The Magic of Science

Boosting vaccine research, development, and innovation.

Roundtable 3: Vaccines Protecting Everyone, Everywhere

Galvanizing a global response to assure health, security and prosperity through immunization.

I want to also mention that in October 2019 – two months before the first cases of COVID-19 were officially detected in Wuhan – the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in the United States organized an exercise to simulate what would happen in the event of a global pandemic.

“Event 201”, as it was called, didn’t get much mainstream media coverage at the time but the simulation was designed to test how governments, healthcare bodies, businesses and the general public could respond in the event of a hypothetical coronavirus outbreak. Again, this was only a month and a half away from the first outbreak.

It could all be coincidence, but to be honest, I don’t believe in coincidences. There remain forces at work; forces that are causing more harm to the global society than aid.