The folly of imported ignorance: Why Sri Lanka must reject the foreign anti-vaccine delusion

For decades on end, Sri Lanka has stood as a global beacon of public health success. Our nation's commitment to comprehensive, routine immunisation has cultivated a shield against catastrophic diseases, resulting in one of the highest vaccination coverage rates in the world. This is a profound, hard-won victory, achieved through the diligent work of our healthcare professionals and the commonsense trust of the people of our nation.

- BY DR B. J. C. PERERA

Yet, a dark, utterly ill-informed wave of antiscience propaganda is now crashing upon our shores, primarily driven by the most dangerous kind of imported ignorance: the celebrity-endorsed, politically-charged vaccine hesitancy emanating from the United States of America. We are witnessing the spectacle of high-profile American political figures, completely divorced from scientific reality, attempting to dismantle public health achievements across the globe, including our own. This is not a harmless debate; it is an assault on our children's lives and a direct threat to the herd immunity that protects our entire society.

Let us first establish the facts, a concept that those in the anti-vaccine movement treat with utter contempt. Despite sustained attempts to discredit us on many a front, including allegations denoting us as a barbaric race, Sri Lanka is recognised worldwide as the ultimate triumph of a Public Health System that has gained so very much and shown sterling results with extremely limited resources.

Sri Lanka's vaccination programme, run by the Epidemiology Unit and the Ministry of Health, is a model of efficiency and unbelievable coverage. While recent figures show South Asia's DTP and measles coverage regionally surpassing pre-COVID levels, Sri Lanka's individual data is a testament to extraordinary efforts. For routine childhood vaccines like BCG, DTP, and the first dose of Measles-Containing Vaccine (MCV1), coverage percentages consistently hover at 97-99%. Our nation achieved measles elimination status in 2019, a monumental milestone that few nations can claim.

This success is measured in children who did not die, in families who were not devastated, and in the sheer economic productivity saved by avoiding mass epidemics. Our high coverage is the very definition of a functioning society, placing public welfare above individual paranoia.