Measles Eradication: The Role of the Anthropologist

Abstract

In the Western response to infectious disease, priority has been given to preventive medicine and particularly to immunizations. The number of available vaccines is multiplying rapidly, and research directed at developing an even wider range of prophylactic agents is accelerating. Infectious disease continues to be the most important public health problem in the developing world, and vaccine—preventable disease is a cause of significant mortality and morbidity in these areas. Because the World Health Organization has called for the provision of immunizations to all of the world's children by 1990, it is likely that more anthropologists will be called upon to facilitate community acceptance of such programs. In addition to functioning as community mediators, anthropologists have other responsibilities with respect to immunization theory and practice. These include evaluating cost analyses, considering the legal and ethical aspects of immunizations, and examing the consequences of changes in epidemiological patterns in an evolutionary framework. It is also important to study the development of Western disease theory and associated practices in cultural and historical contexts.