title: Vaccinations against bacterial infections.
abstract: 1. As with any therapeutic measure, prophylactic vaccination is to be jugded by the correlation between benefit and harm or expenditure. By benefit is meant a not to short-lived substantial decrease in the morbidity and/or mortality. Harm refers to the number and severity of side effects in the individual child vaccinated and expenditure means the economic burden placed upon society. 2. The evaluation of many vaccinations at present varies between two extremes: On the one hand vaccination procedures are considered to provide an opportunity to eradicate most of the infectious diseases, on the other hand there is a tendency to assess side effects more drastically the more likely the danger of the particular disease seems eliminated once and for all. 3. An attempt is made to discuss the achieved or achievable standard of vaccination measures against bacterial infections in the light of 3 classes of vaccines. The first class involves well established and commonly used vaccines such as BCG and DPT vaccines although differences in opinion exist on their future employment. 4. The second class involves newer vaccines or vaccines that are under development as for instance vaccines against meningococci, pneumococci, H. influenzae and enteropathogenic E. coli. 5. The third class includes vaccines whose realisation at present appears to be yet difficult or hardly feasible, for instance vaccines against enterotoxins of enteropathogenic organisms, against lues, gonorrhea or for example against organisms of the infectious hospitalism.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001500:BCG Vaccine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004168:Diphtheria Toxoid / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D013552:Swine; D013745:Tetanus Toxoid / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D001500:BCG Vaccine; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines; D004168:Diphtheria Toxoid; D013745:Tetanus Toxoid