Since the invention of the first vaccine over 200 years ago, vaccinations have tremendously alleviated the burden of infectious diseases globally, currently regarded as an outstanding medicine achievement saving millions of lives. Nevertheless, various concerns still exist among people, especially about the effectiveness and safety of serums. This paper aims at explaining the work of vaccines, describing traditional and contemporary methods used for vaccination, and determining the diseases vaccines were applied to. The paper also addresses worries people have concerning vaccines and gives specific vaccination recommendations supported by scientific evidence.
Explanation
Vaccinations play a critical role in protecting the human organism from numerous infections by directly affecting the immune system. A vaccine is a biological suspension of killed or weakened microorganisms, their toxins, or surface proteins, which are introduced into the body to prevent particular diseases. Specifically, it develops the active acquired immunity against a hazardous agent and encourages the immune system to assault and eliminate the pathogens.
Strengthened by a vaccine, T- and B-lymphocytes, the antibody-producing cells, become sensitized and react to the hostile invaders if they ever enter the body for a long period or even the whole life (“Understanding,” 2018). In addition, vaccines can provide passive immunity by delivering lymphocytes or antibodies made by human donors or animals. It is worth noting that not only do vaccines work on an individual level, but they also safeguard the entire population by forming “community immunity” or “herd immunity.”
The Types of Vaccines
Presently, several types of vaccines are in use, presenting diverse strategies that decrease infection risk without harming persons. The first type is live attenuated vaccines that contain a weakened or asymptomatic form of bacteria injected into the body. Since the virus is enervated, it does not pose significant potential harm, but the immune system can memorize its antigens to attack in the future (“Understanding,” 2018). Such vaccines target such illnesses as measles, mumps, influenza, and others but should not be utilized for people with weakened immune systems. The second type is inactivated vaccines that have killed previously virulent microorganisms to teach the immune system to combat their live versions. Compared to attenuated vaccines, this type is safer and easier to store, but they are weaker and need several repeated injections (“Understanding,” 2018). Inactivated vaccines are used against dangerous diseases, including hepatitis A, polio (IPV), and rabies.
Subunit vaccines comprise a fragment (a certain protein or carbohydrate) of microorganisms to induce an immune system without provoking sickness. They are employed against hepatitis B virus or human papillomavirus (HPV). In this key, conjugate vaccines work, instructing the immune system to distinguish antigens camouflaged by bacteria, specifically Haemophilus Influenzae Type B (Hib), under sugar molecules (“Understanding,” 2018).
Another type is toxoid vaccines that have deactivated previously harmful chemicals of some bacteria, such as Diphtheria and Tetanus. Among the novel types, RNA vaccines are applied, comprising the nucleic acid RNA of viruses, including COVID-19. Finally, there are experimental vaccines such as DNA Vaccines and Recombinant Vector Vaccines. For example, the latter contains DNA from a particular harmful pathogen encoded in another bacterium that serves as a vector for the DNA (Rauch et al., 2018). This trains the body to detect and destroy several viruses simultaneously, including Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), Ebola, and Zika.
The Current Situation
The impact of vaccinations on the occurrence of diseases over the last century is immense. According to WHO, vaccines avert over 20 life-threatening diseases and about 3 million deaths every year (“Vaccines and immunization,” n.d.). In the USA, due to the vaccination campaign starting from 1980, the government has managed to liquidate hazardous diseases such as Diphtheria, Japanese encephalitis, Mumps, Pertussis, Measles, Tetanus, Rubella, Yellow fever, and others, totally (“WHO vaccine-preventable diseases,” 2020). Overall, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), since 1924, vaccinations have prevented above a hundred million cases of smallpox, measles, polio, hepatitis A, rotavirus, and pertussis (Ventola, 2016). These diseases no longer inflict as severe a threat as they did 100 years earlier.
Nevertheless, there are still considerable concerns and controversies on vaccines’ safety, especially those against measles, mumps, HPV. In particular, people and even some experts argue that inoculations have serious adverse effects and can predispose children to health or developmental disorders. Indeed, a possible small risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), other neurodevelopmental disorders, and autoimmune syndromes have been detected after influenza vaccination (DeStefano et al., 2019).
However, it is worth noting that the hazard of these diseases’ development is significantly higher if vaccination is not followed (DeStefano et al., 2019). Moreover, it has been estimated that nearly vaccine-preventable conditions cause 50,000 Americans’ deaths each year, 99 percent of which happen in adults (Ventola, 2016). Therefore, it is unreasonable to avoid vaccination and be subjected to the risk of death or severe illnesses.
Conclusion and Recommendations
The paper has explained the work of vaccines, described traditional and contemporary vaccine types, and addressed worries people have concerning vaccines. In summary, it is worth noting that vaccination is one of the most reliable ways by which parents can protect their children from numerous potentially harmful illnesses. Nowadays, all vaccines undergo prolonged, sometimes, multiyear careful testing and licensed and monitored by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which guarantee their utility. Thus, it can be recommended to consult with a personal or family medical professional to set a clear immunization schedule. For example, before leaving healthcare facilities, infants should obtain 3 doses of the vaccine against hepatitis B.
By two years of age, babies should receive inoculations against 14 preventable diseases, including chickenpox, diphtheria, Hib, tetanus, polio, hepatitis A, influenza, pneumococcal, and others. Then, children can visit doctors for check-ups once a year. Finally, in adolescence and adulthood, individuals can also take HPV, Tdap, seasonal flu, meningococcal conjugate vaccines.
References
DeStefano, F., Bodenstab, H. M., & Offit, P. A. (2019). Principal controversies in vaccine safety in the United States. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 69(4), 726-731. Web.
Rauch, S., Jasny, E., Schmidt, K. E., & Petsch, B. (2018). New vaccine technologies to combat outbreak situations. Frontiers in Immunology, 9, 1963. Web.
Understanding how vaccines work. (2018). CDC. Web.
Vaccines and immunization: Overview. (n.d.). WHO. Web.
Ventola C. L. (2016). Immunization in the United States: Recommendations, Barriers, and measures to improve compliance: Part 2: Adult vaccinations. P & T: A Peer-Reviewed Journal for Managed Care and Hospital Formulary Management, 41(8), 492–506.
WHO vaccine-preventable diseases: Monitoring system. 2020 global summary. (2020). WHO. Web.