The development of vaccines is often an overlooked topic. People tend to just care whether vaccines work, and not how they were made. A major argument against vaccines is that the ingredients could be dangerous, but before that judgement can be made a deeper look into the manufacturing and development of vaccines needs to be done. According to an article from The History of Vaccines, there are a number of steps involved in the production of vaccines. The first step is the creation of the antigen, the substance that causes an immune response. There are different approaches to this step depending on the kind of pathogen the vaccine is for. If it is a bacterial pathogen, then the bacteria will be cultured in a petri dish along with other cells (that will produce the antigen). A virus can be grown in cell culture. Some vaccines are even grown in chicken eggs; which is why some people have allergic reactions to them. The pathogen is then removed from the culture where it was grown and begins phase two. The second step in creation of a vaccine is “isolation.” The antigen which was created by the cells that the pathogen was cultured in are extracted. The antigen is taken out from the “growth medium” and is then purified to ensure that only the antigen remains. The last step of the process only happens in some vaccines. Sometimes they add other ingredients to help strengthen vaccines, or to improve their shelf life. The production of vaccines is important because it is a safe way to prevent disease. Antibiotics treat bacterial infections, but over time and exposure bacteria can become resistant to antibiotics. In vaccines, however, this doesn’t happen. A pathogen can’t become resistant to a vaccine. If they change their antigen changes therefore causing the vaccine to change as well. There may be boosters required, but techinically a pathogen can’t become resistant to its current vaccine. There is a lot more to the process of getting vaccines than just manufacturing them. The clinical development of a vaccine is often a lengthy process. According to the CDC, “the general stages of the development cycle of a vaccine an exploratory phase, pre-clinical stage, regulatory review and approval, manufacturing, and finally quality control. In order for a vaccine to become available for use it, must undergo rigorous testing by the researchers followed by testing from the FDA to insure its safety. The FDA is very careful when approving new types of drugs or vaccines. They have to take into account the research already done, but also thoroughly investigate the substance. There are many things they have to look into like the materials that are used in manufacturing, and any adverse reactions or side effects that could occurs. Even after a vaccine is approved it is still monitored to keep track of any long-term effects. After testing and research is conducted leading to the approval of a vaccine, they are then manufactured and sold to hospitals and pharmacies to be used. By the time people start to get vaccines they have been tested and research within an inch of their existence; even after their approval they closely monitored to make sure they are doing what they are supposed to be doing to ensure a safe and healthy population for years to come.
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All heroes have an origin story. What then is the origin story of vaccines? Where did they start? How were they developed? The smallpox vaccine is one of the oldest vaccines in medicine. It was developed by a scientist named Edward Jenner. Jenner discovered the vaccine while researching the disease. He discovered that people who were exposed to a similar, but nonlethal, disease called cowpox didn’t contract smallpox when exposed to it. The first vaccine was born, and it saved countless lives. Before the smallpox vaccine, people did know about inoculations. In fact, there is evidence suggesting that people began to inoculate themselves in China as early as 1000 CE according to an article from the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. There is no way to know for sure how long people have known about how to inoculate people. Perhaps is goes as far back as the Renaissance. Vaccines were a lot more dangerous in the past. For example, before the smallpox vaccine people did try and inoculate themselves. Doctors took the pus from a boil on someone with smallpox, and rubbed it in a small cut they made on their patient. The patient would get the disease, and if they survived they would be immune to smallpox. This was very dangerous, and not everyone survived this primitive form of a vaccination. After the smallpox vaccine was discovered, and the number of people getting sick with the disease decreased, vaccines passed their first big obstacle. People couldn’t ignore that this safe alternative to contracting smallpox was working. Since then, there have been a number of vaccines created, because of a drive to answers the question; if it works for smallpox, can it work for other diseases? Polio disease was devastating. It affected people all around the world, and was especially dangerous to children. Polio is a virus that attacks the nervous system. It makes it difficult to move, and eventually hard to breathe. Polio led to the creation of the iron lung which was an early form of a respirator which patients would often need to stay alive. Polio was even responsible for one of the Presidents relying on a wheel chair to get around. The disease ran rampant until Jonas Salk developed a vaccine for it. The vaccine again reduced the number of cases exponentially, and eventually led to the complete eradication of the disease in the U.S. The polio vaccine confirms that once again proves that vaccines work. It protected people from a terrible disease with no cure, and it allowed them to gain immunity without much risk. The vaccine did its job exceptionally well, and protected people from a disease. The vaccine passed its yet another obstacle in its journey. The measles is another disease that a vaccine was developed for. It is a contagious disease that is common in mostly children. The vaccine for the measles is a combined vaccine (called MMR) that also prevents the mumps, and rubella (also called the German measles). The MMR vaccine was like those before it; a safe way of gaining an immunity towards an illness. This vaccine though has been presented with one of the largest obstacles that any vaccine has ever faced. The MMR vaccine works, but has received quite a bit of skepticism from parents who refuse to vaccinate their children. A study was once published alleging that the MMR vaccine caused autism which led to a huge amount of people electing not to vaccinate. The fear, and confusion caused by the multitude of rumors surrounding vaccines has caused people to avoid them. This in turn causes the disease to continue to afflict people, and simply adds fuel to the fire by making it seem as though the vaccine isn’t working. Although the past has demonstrated the effectiveness of vaccines, and time has improved the efficiency of vaccines; they are still facing a large amount of skepticism. They like any hero have both an origin story, and a villain that they must overcome. Vaccines have overcome the obstacle of becoming noticed, and hurdled the barrier of being proven t. Now they must best the most challenging of all, fear. Vaccines have been around for a long time. They protect humans from many terrifying epidemics, such as polio and smallpox, that resulted in the deaths of thousands across continents. Study after study has been conducted; and they all show the effectiveness of vaccines at preventing infection. Still there are a large amount of people across the globe that are electing against immunizing their children. Why? After all this time why is it that parents are now choosing not to vaccinate? The anti-vaccination movement is actually not a new thing at all, according an article from the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. The article shows that there have been many movements dating back all the way to the 1800s. During that time, vaccines weren’t nearly as effective as they are now, and they carried risks that we don’t see today. Although vaccines are safe, there have been a lot of rumors circulating that suggested a link between autism, or other similar illnesses, and vaccines. This vaccine panic was originally caused by a study claiming there was a link between autism, and vaccines. A New York Times article explains, “The study was later disavowed by nearly all of the authors, then retracted by the journal in 2004.” Even though there have been several follow up studies that disproved the link, for example, a study published in The Journal of Pediatrics in 2013 showed no link between autism, and vaccines. The damage was already done, and people were already doubting the safety of vaccines. The anti-vaccine movement is typically made up of parents who are worried about the safety of their children. Sickness is one of the only things that a parent can’t protect their child from. With the swarms of rumors surrounding vaccines it can be hard to tell fact from fiction. Parents sometimes have a difficult time seeing past the scary stuff that they hear or read. One concerned mom, Skyler Smoot, says, “It just scares me. I’m confused.” Confusion is at the heart of the anti-vaccine movement. Another reason that parents may join the anti-vaccine movement is because it is much easier to believe another person than it is to believe numbers. If you hear a story about a kid who got really sick about the same time as they got a shot, what are you going to feel? It’s easier to relate to the sick child, and fear the vaccine, than it is to think about the study full of lifeless numbers that says vaccines are perfectly safe? It is easy for anyone to get caught up emotionally in the ideas, and stories of others; even if it is logical to listen to research. It also doesn’t help that no parent wants to take their kids to get shots. Some parents may decide to not vaccinate because it is easier than fighting with their kids or listening to them cry. Even though the anti-vaccination movement is not a new thing it still poses a major threat to people who depend on herd immunity. It’s especially ironic, because both sides of the movement want the same thing: healthy, safe kids. No one likes going to the doctor and getting shots. It is a pain we all felt, and the reason that makes me dread the beginning of a new school year. Even though vaccines they hurt, and I don’t like getting them I know that they are important. Not only to myself, but to others as well. So, what are vaccines? Vaccines are a partially dead or completely dead pathogen; sometimes bacterial, like the vaccine for meningitis, and sometimes viral, like the chicken pox vaccine. How do they work? When I think of how a vaccine works I picture it as if it is some ancient battle. The evil germ is weakened and have no chance to win against the immune system. Your body takes out the virus with ease, and learns from the attack. It upgrades its weapons (cells and antibodies) and keeps the enemy's battle plan, so if the invaders were ever to return they would never stand a chance. Vaccinations are important because they protect the person who gets it — and also people who don't. Some people can’t receive vaccinations because of other medical issues. Those who can’t have a shot can still be safe from infection, because of something called "herd immunity." Herd immunity is the idea that if a large group of people are immune to an infection, then the infection will not be able to exist within it; which will protect those who aren’t immune to it. Vaccines can reduce or eliminate some viral or bacterial infections. One example of this is with the Polio virus. Polio once ravaged the U.S. It infected and killed lots of people. Then there was a vaccine developed for it and now there are almost no cases today. Another example is the smallpox virus, which was completely eradicated. It's strange to think of a pathogen as something good for you, but a vaccine contains a virus or bacteria, and it helps protect you from the infections that can lead to more severe problems. Would you rather have a tiny prick, or end up in the hospital? |
AuthorMy name is Katie Flexer, and I will be researching vaccinations. Archives
April 2018
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