Although the medical and scientific evidence suggests that the benefits of preventing suffering and death from infectious diseases outweigh rare adverse effects of immunization, governments around world are struggling to roll out immunisation programmes effectively.
Anti-vaccination movements in some countries have been so strong enough to jeopardise not only the specific immunisation programmes but also the whole research and development activities. Sadly my home country, Japan is one of the most significant in this regard, considering the potential contributions in this particular field which otherwise should be made by the country.
Many critics are from the fields of natural and/or holistic medicines mostly based on traditional wisdom. I think the very idea of inducing a cunning enemy itself, even after converted or neutralised, into our bodies to fight against its former friends contradicts our intuitive knowledge.
However, one of the best known traditional wisdom may be fully supportive to immunisation programmes.
Sun Tzu said, "The enemy's spies who have come to spy on us must be sought out, tempted with bribes, led away and comfortably housed. Thus they will become converted spies and available for our services."
When I hit upon the idea that healthcare as warfare against health problems is also based on deception, this phase came upon and I realised that immunisation was taking the same steps.
We identify the infectious agents, cultivate them as they are isolated and contained. Finally they are made into or used to create immunisation agents which are available for our immunisation services.
So if Sun Tzu was around today, I would not surprise seeing him to act as a profound promoter of immunisation programmes.
The English texts of Sun Tzu's 'The Art of War' are from The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Art of War, by Sun Zu
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