What are vaccines and what is their purpose - Essay Example

?Vaccine What are vaccines and what is their purpose? The present epoch witnesses numerous infectious diseases which may be communicable, hazardous or fatal. Prevention from infectious diseases is of paramount significance. Vaccines are a preventive measure adopted to safeguard living beings especially humans from infectious organisms. Vaccines are medical preparation of attenuated or dead micro-organisms which are known to cause a particular disease. Vaccines are administered in order to stimulate the immune system of the body to generate antibodies in opposition to the disease causing pathogen. Thus, the motive or purpose of vaccine is to generate immunity/ antibodies which attack pathogens like viruses and bacteria and to check the proliferation of pathogens thereby preventing the spread of infection. The term vaccine is derived from Latin word vacca- meaning cow. Vaccines are medicines which are prepared from either dead or attenuated micro-organisms responsible for causing infection when live or active. They are micro-organisms of a type that are responsible for causing a particular condition of disease. Weak or attenuated forms when administered stimulate the immune cells of the body to generate antibodies against the disease causing organisms called antigens. Vaccines enable the white blood cells of the body to develop a specific response against the definite pathogen, thereby, vaccines prevent the body against the infection caused by that particular invading pathogenic micro-organism. However, immunity can be procured naturally when a healthy individual comes in contact with the pathogenic micro-organism present in the environment, the body responds naturally by creating antibodies against the microbe or antigen, but the process is slow. If the microorganism is lethal and the body is not able to boost the production of enough antibodies, in the absence of antibodies serious symptoms may occur which could eventually become fatal (Peters, 2009). Artificial active immunity is obtained by means of vaccines, as they boost the body's immune system to respond speedily against the invading pathogens. Vaccines contain dead or attenuated or incomplete particles of the micro-organism or treated toxins of the micro-organism. Through vaccine, pathogenic microbe gains entry in the body in a weak form (which is not potentially capable of producing condition of disease). Immune system of the body generates antibodies in response to these pathogens and thus when the active, live virus attacks the body, it is prepared to safeguard itself. The antibodies remain in the body for a particular duration or for life time depending upon the nature of vaccine and the pathogen (Jones, 2002; Peters, 2009). Antibodies generated by the body are highly specific. Antibodies generated by the immune system against polio virus (antigen) are capable of providing protection only against polio virus and are ineffective against other pathogenic organisms. Vaccines are responsible for developing long lasting immunity or the active immunity. Vaccines need some time/ boosting to complete the development of antibodies. In some diseases immunity developed against the causal organism, persists for life-time, for instance, immunity developed after polio vaccine is for entire life while for tetanus, immunity against the pathogen requires boosting after every 10 years, called booster doses (Jones, 2002; Peters, 2009). Prevention against disease causing pathogens is the primary task for survival and well being. Vaccines are being given right from the inception stage. After birth, child is immunized against diphtheria, whooping cough (pertusis), tetanus (DPT); mumps, measles and rubella (MMR) as combination. Polio vaccine is given as oral doses in order to generate herd immunity to prevent polio in community. With proper vaccination dreaded diseases like small pox is eradicated from the planet. Essentially, vaccines must be given appropriately to control other dreaded diseases as well (Jones, 2002; Peters, 2009). How do you balance the overall risks and benefits of vaccinations that most infants and children receive. Vaccines are extensively considered as imperative, cost-effective and secure public health interventions. A method to save lives and guard health and well-being of the individuals. Besides public health intervention, the legitimacy and safety of immunization has repeatedly been confronted. However, vaccine related damages instigate numerous controversies. On one hand, conventional view enumerates the benefits being provided by the vaccines in terms of prevention and security of children from various dreaded diseases, on other it potentially deviates the parents from vaccinating their wards. Numerous controversies persists about vaccines right from the infancy stage of vaccine to the present age because of its imposed risk. Diseases also pose risk, it is therefore essential to balance the overall risks provided by the diseases with the risks being imposed by vaccines. No vaccine can be considered to be perfectly safe. Vaccines are known to cause adverse reactions or the true reactions in cases where vaccines are found to be linked with explicit laboratory verdicts or a detailed clinical syndrome. Basically, epidemiological examination is required to estimate if the appearance of symptoms in vaccinated children surpass compared to those anticipated predicaments in unvaccinated control cases. For instance, reports reveal the onset of autism after administration of MMR vaccine. Moreover, juvenile diabetes, Gulf War syndrome are also found to be associated with MMR vaccine (Web. Vaccines, n.d.; Casiday, 2005). There are numerous other potential risks associated with vaccines. Attenuated virus vaccine causes infection which otherwise could be prevented by vaccine. It is evident that live polio vaccine should never be administered in children who are in proximity to HIV cases. Reports reveal that attenuated polio virus can dive to the individual with HIV (with compromised immunity) and produce polio. Reports are available where normal parents developed polio after vaccinating their child with attenuated polio vaccine. In order to safeguard children and also to prevent themselves from predicaments of vaccination, the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) emphasized on generating awareness amongst parents (Web. Vaccines, n.d.). Statistics and info on successful vaccines and vaccines with adverse affects on patients. One severe adverse reaction possibly occurs in one million vaccinations, however, this cannot be justified for the advantages of vaccine far outweighs the hazards imposed by the vaccines. Considering the fact that new and resistant strains of pathogenic microbes are emerging due to various human activities including overuse of antibiotics which ultimately leads to antibiotic resistance, it is challenging for the researchers to devise vaccines in order to meet such confrontation with the microbial world. Absence of vaccine could not only be hazardous but potentially swipe the human race. A comparative account could further provide a wider aspect of vaccination and its significance- Disease condition of Measles: Results in Pneumonia- 6 in 100 cases; it may result in encephalitis cases in every one individual among 100 cases. Absence of measles vaccine may be fatal and cause death of 2 individuals in 1,000 measles cases, while congenital Rubella Syndrome is reported to be prevalent in one individual per 4 cases, where women comes in contact with the pathogen in early days of pregnancy (Web. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d). On the contrary, if MMR vaccine is provided, encephalitis or severe allergic reaction occurs in one individual among one million vaccinations (Web. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d). In a similar manner diphtheria is responsible of causing one death in 20 patients, while tetanus is responsible for causing two deaths per10 individuals. Pertusis cause pneumonia and is responsible for one death per 8 reported cases, pertusis may result in encephalitis where one death occurs in 20 reported cases. Pertusis is responsible for one causality among 1,500 reported cases. Vaccine for these three disease condition is given in combination called DTaP which is reported to cause 1 death due to continuous crying in 1000 vaccinated individuals; moreover 1 death is reported to occur due to convulsions in 14,000 vaccinated individuals; while acute encephalopathy is reported to occur in 0-10.5 individuals among 1 million vaccinated children (Web. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d.). The success of the vaccine depends on the minimal adverse reaction as well as prevention from the pathogenic micro-organism for which the vaccine was given. However, adverse reactions occur which may vary in prevalence ratio marking the success of the vaccine (Ward, 2000). Some successful therapeutic vaccines associated with the pre-existing diseases involve hepatitis B and C; human papilloma virus, HIV, anti-cancer vaccines, autoimmune illness vaccine, anti-fertility vaccine (Ellis, 1999). On the other hand various vaccines are known for their adverse effects such as measles vaccine (Stratton et al, 1994; Expanded Programme on Immunization, 1992), BCG (Smith and Starke, 1999) and polio (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1997) vaccines. There is a wide scope for more research to be carried out on numerous benefits provided by vaccines. However, rate of return depends on country, income group and on the type of vaccine being delivered Immunization does not strengthen economy but it is a cost-effective method to improve the cognition and success of the children in their working age. An awareness is desired towards the importance of vaccine. There are fallacies prevailing in the society against vaccine especially in under-privileged population. Appropriate education can not only save their lives but also help in controlling the disease prior to its epidemic form. New diseases of animal origin are emerging in human population such as AIDS/ HIV and swine flu. Moreover, diseases are becoming challenging to treat due to resistance against antibiotics developed by the causative organisms. Essentially, one needs to take care and get vaccinated to combat diseases. However, the fact cannot be denied that some of the vaccines are too expensive for a common people, efforts are desired in this direction to provide maximum advantage to all groups (Jones, 2002; Malone & Hinman, n.d.). Reference Casiday R. 2005. Risk and trust in vaccine decision making. Durham Anthropology Journal. 13 (1): 1-9. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. [online] Available at: . [Accessed on 11 November 2013]. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 1997. Poliomyelitis prevention in United States: introduction of a sequential vaccination schedule of inactivated poliovirus vaccine followed by oral poliovirus vaccine. Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 46 (RR3): 1-25. Ellis RW. 1999. New technologies for making vaccines, In: Plotkin SA, Orenstein WA, eds. Vaccines, 3 Ed. Philadelphia, PA. WB Saunders Co. 881- 902. Expanded Programme on Immunization. 1992. Safety of high-titre measles vaccines. Weekly Epidemiological Record, 67: 357-361. Jones M. 2002. Vaccination. [online] Accessed on 24 October 2013. Available at: . [Accessed on 11 November 2013]. Malone KM, Hinman AR. Vaccination Mandates: The Public Health Imperative and Individual Rights. [online] Available at: . [Accessed 11 November 2013]. Peters D. 2009. What is the Purpose of Vaccine. [online] Available at: . [Accessed 11 November 2013]. Smith KC, Starke JR. 1999. Bacille Calmette-Guerin vaccine. In Plotkin SA, Orenstein WA eds. Vaccines, 3rd Edition. Philadelphia, PA, WB Saunders Co. 111-139. Stratton KR, Howe CJ, Johnson RB. 1994. Adverse events associated with childhood vaccines: evidence bearing on causality. Washington, DC, National Academy Press. Vaccines. [online] Available at: . [Accessed 11 November 2013]. Ward BJ. 2000. Vaccine adverse events in the new millennium: is there reason for concern? Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 78(2): 205-215. Read More