The opposite data can be found in the Internet about the factors which contributed to decline of infectious diseases:
1) rigorous vaccinations schedules
e.g. https://www.unicef.org/pon96/hevaccin.htm
or
2) better hygiene
e.g. http://www.medicinekillsmillions.com/articles/truth-about-decline-of-the-infectious-diseases.html
As I am not an epidemiologist, I would like to ask you for solid, high quality scientific data indicating which hypothesis seems to be true.
Thank you!
Actually not only vaccine and hygiene but many factors e.g perception are behind the decrease of infectious diseases
Let me give a good argument...no country of the so-called first world has worsen hygiene conditions during the last 10 years. However, several of them (UK, USA, Germany, Spain and others) are seing increasing numbers of measles, diphteria, and other vaccine-preventable diseases. Interestingly, vaccination rates are decreasing in those same countries during the last 10 years due to specific non-scientific vaccine-rejection movements.
What conclusion can you extract from that data? (all the data I am giving to you is public data from their corresponding Ministries of Health that you can check by yourself).
Vaccination prevents more diseases than Hygiene. I am a vaccinologist that currently works in Brazil, where Hygiene is faaaarrr from desirable and we can protect kids in the most critical areas by doing simple vaccination campaigns.
Vaccines have played a major role in prevention of vaccine preventable diseases (VPD). Hygiene has been critical in the decline of infectious diseases. But a combination of both including other factors like improved diet, good exercise habits, anti-smoking movements, safer work places to avoid occupational hazards, seatbelts and car safety measures, improved infrastructure engineering and the list is long....has contributed to the decline of morbidity and mortality due to most preventable conditions. Our efforts going forward should be to build on what we have achieved so far and harness the technological advances to jump onto the next level of defeating the disease burdens. We have eradicated small pox via vaccine and on the verge of eradicating polio, we can surely do more through consented efforts by all sectors....
Sanitarianism, devised by engineers not medical personnel, was and remains the greatest effect on public health, radically improving the health and numbers of the British population during the 19th century.
Vaccination is more specific but in case without available vaccines the hygiene is one way in prevention.
In general, the better hygiene shoud be accompanied the better vaccination strategy. This is because each of them will be buffer the fails other.
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