ICMD – Why this coalition is important and needed

By Dr. Gordon Dickinson

Vaccination is a major contributor to the control and prevention of many infectious diseases.  These diseases, once a major cause of illness and death among children and adults of all ages, have been virtually eliminated in most communities. We speak of these as vaccine preventable diseases. Many of these preventable infections, almost a historical footnote in medical history, are not really gone. The bacteria and viruses persist and can cause disease in those who are not vaccinated.  Vaccines are an effective and safe way to prevent these nearly forgotten diseases.

Miami is a major port city in the United States. We have more international visitors than any other city in the country, with many visitors from countries where vaccination is not the norm and where infections continue to circulate. And because we are a major port of entry for visitors from other countries, as well as visitors from locations in the USA where vaccination rates have fallen, the possibility of re-introduction of many vaccine preventable diseases is high. We need to be prepared.

Knowledge is key to the prevention of infectious diseases, and effective communication of reliable information about diseases and vaccines is vital. A network of professionals and institutions can provide the infrastructure that that best prepares all of us, both healthcare providers and the public.

The current politicization surrounding the practice of vaccination has created confusion, and even at the highest levels of government there has been confusion and misinformation. Our national health system, once among the best in the world, has faltered. But the science has not changed, and the ICMD, composed of a broad coalition of scientists and health care providers in our county, have joined together to provide a local source of information about all aspects of vaccine preventable diseases and the vaccines that prevent them.

As in all walks of life, perfection is aspirational, and we recognize that vaccines are not perfect. However, reliable, science based information about vaccine preventable diseases and all aspects of vaccines is the best guide to vaccine practices. It is the goal of the ICMD to provide reliable, up-to-date information to healthcare professionals and the public. We are an independent source of information, driven not by profit nor by politics, but by the best information science can provide.