A vaccine is used to protect animals and humans against specific diseases. It causes the immune system to “remember” a specific pathogen, so if the same pathogen enters again, the immune system immediately starts the protection process. A vaccine is taken orally or injected and is given on a schedule for babies and children.
Types of Vaccines
There are four types of vaccines: live, attenuated vaccines are used against microbes that cause measles, chickenpox, mumps, and yellow fever; inactivated vaccines, used against the whooping coughs, rabies, and hepatitis A; subunit vaccines, used against the HIB-flu virus and hepatitis B; toxoid vaccines, used against tetanus and diphtheria.
Side Effects
Vaccines may have side effects. Some mild side effects include soreness, swelling, and redness at the injection site. Also, some side effects are associated with rash, fever, and achiness. There are rare side effects, which include seizures or life-threatening allergic reactions. A type of serious side effect is for 1 year or younger babies, which is SIDS.
Development
Generally, vaccines take 10-15 years of research to be created. They are created by taking weakened bacteria or viruses that cannot reproduce as well or reproduce at all. There are four ways to weaken bacteria or viruses: to change the virus’s genes so it reproduces poorly, changed by cell culture adaption, how the vaccines for measles and mumps were created; destroying the genes of the virus so it can’t reproduce at all, how the Polio vaccine was created; using only a part of the bacteria or virus, how the HIB and hepatitis B vaccines were made; purifying and killing the toxin released from the bacteria, how diphtheria and tetanus vaccines were made. Vaccine consumers are exposed to the bacteria or viruses enough to make them immune to it but not to make them sick. Vaccines contain antigens, preservatives, adjuvants, and additives. Today, vaccines contain fewer antigens than the past.
Vaccine History
Louis Pasteur first suggested three methods to eliminate the infectious and growing organisms: exposure to heat, filtration, and exposure to chemicals/chemical solutions. This was the first vaccine concept developed. In 1717, Mary Montagu introduced smallpox variolation, which was scraping the skin to introduce the pus, a form of a vaccine except using the format of scratching instead of injecting. In 1796, Edward Jenner developed the smallpox vaccine by variolation as well, and in 1840, the British government banned variolation, and it was officially classified as a vaccine. In 1962, Jonas Salk developed the Polio vaccine that successfully brought the high 45000 cases down to 910 cases. Creating vaccines in the modern days may be easier, but in history, the production of vaccines took quite a bit longer.
Health Impacts
Vaccines annually save 6 million deaths worldwide, and the 9 diseases with vaccines over decades in the US had a 99% decrease in incidents. If someone has a weak immune system and cannot be vaccinated, but the people around them are all vaccinated, they are protected as well. Even vaccines that people don’t see benefit from extending life expectancy. Simply vaccinating children can protect them and their families from the flu. Diseases that relate to pathological immune activation, for example, allergies and auto-immune diseases, those diseases have a chance of being treated or prevented by vaccines. The counter-vaccine for cervical cancer is the HPV vaccine which reduces over 70% of the cases of cancer. Pneumococcal disease vaccines and shingles vaccines allow healthier aging. The current vaccine advancements such as nasal spray vaccines for influenza provide an efficient way for long-lasting immunity. With the help of vaccines, infant and child mortality rates rise, so women are less concerned about their children dying, therefore fewer children will be born, which is a significant health, social, educational, and economic benefit.
Economic Impacts
There are also economic benefits of vaccines. Vaccines allow individuals to help economic growth by having better educational, cognitive, and physical performance. If several antigens are delivered by a single vaccine, vaccine savings are increased too. If someone has failed to be vaccines, it can result in disability payments and lost working days. Combination vaccines ensure high coverage by sticking to previous immunization schedules, along with better compliance, coverage, and safer injections. The annual return from investing in vaccines is slightly underestimated at 12-18%.
Social Impacts
Lastly, vaccines can have social impacts too. Vaccines can provide outcome related gains, including strength, attendance, cognition, and attainment. In the same way, vaccines provide behavior related gains, including consumption and fertility choices. In addition, vaccines allow community externalities, including herd effect, indirect protection, and the prevention of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. New vaccine delivery technologies can provide easier delivery routes without compromising efficiency. Traveling becomes safer too, because vaccines are available for the most common travel diseases, influenza, and hepatitis A, along with rabies, yellow fever, hepatitis B, measles, and other possible diseases. Most importantly, the advance in DNA vaccines is the only possibility to protect people against biological weapons.
Conclusion
In conclusion, vaccines have health, economic and social impacts that are beneficial, and as Jonas Salk had campaigned for, “there should be mandatory vaccination, and that public health should be a moral commitment.”
Bibliography
Andre, F E, et al. (2011, March 4). Vaccination Greatly Reduces Disease, Disability, Death and Inequity Worldwide. Retrieved October 1, 2020 from www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/86/2/07-040089/en/
Department of Health. (2014, July). The Science Behind Vaccine Research and Testing. Retrieved October 1, 2020 from www.health.ny.gov/prevention/immunization/vaccine_safety/science.htm
ABPI. (2018, July). Economic and Social Impact of Vaccines. Retrieved October 1, 2020 from www.abpi.org.uk/publications/economic-and-social-impact of-vaccines/
Offit, Paul, and Louis Bell. (2020). How Are Vaccines Made and Why Do They Work? Retrieved October 1, 2020 from www.pkids.org/immunizations/how_they_work.html
Poland, Gregory A, et al. (2002, June 1). New Vaccine Development. Retrieved October 1, 2020 from www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1123275/
Sandner, Lionel. BC Science Connections 8. Nelson, 2016.
Thompson, Noelle. (2019, March 2). Differentiating RNA & DNA Viruses. Retrieved October 1, 2020 from www.sciencing.com/differentiating-rna-dna-viruses-4853.html
Toumi, Mondher, and Walter Ricciardi. (2015, August 12). The Economic Value of Vaccination: Why Prevention Is Wealth. Retrieved October 1, 2020 from www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4802700/
History of Vaccines. (2018, January 17). Vaccine Side Effects and Adverse Events. Retrieved October 1, 2020 from www.historyofvaccines.org/content/articles/vaccine-side-effects-and-adverse-events
Written by The Nine Eves
The Anonymous Helpers TAH)
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