The Importance of Vaccinations
Drinking snake venom to develop resistance to snake bites was one of the earliest demonstrations of the practice of immunisation. In 1796, Edward Jenner performed what would be the foundation of today’s modern vaccinology. To confer immunity to smallpox, Jenner used cowpox (vaccinia virus) to vaccinate a thirteen year-old boy which then led to the development of the smallpox vaccine. This breakthrough would be largely expanded due to the works of Louis Pasteur which created the definition of vaccines, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, to be a “suspension of live (usually attenuated) or inactivated microorganisms (e.g., bacteria or viruses) or fractions thereof administered to induce immunity and prevent infectious disease or its sequelae.” Further developments of vaccines up until today has continued to create immunisations against different diseases.
In respect to the field of immunology, vaccines are made of non-disease causing virus or bacterial particles. When injected into our bodies, our immune systems are stimulated and respond by creating long-term memory T cells—this ensures immunity towards the virus or bacteria in the long run.
There are primarily 3 ways to produce a vaccine:
Using a live, attenuated (weakened) virus such that it is incapable of doing any harm to the patient. This vaccine type creates an immune response that is more natural and robust.
Using a dead virus—although there is a lack of a realistic immune response, the memory T cells are still created within your body. This type of vaccine does have advantages towards patients with weaker immune systems (ex. children and seniors).
Using only part of the virus. This would create a “subunit” vaccine where, in most cases, the antigens (‘markers’ that lay on the surface of the virus) are used.
In light of this, there are, of-course, other methods in which vaccines are produced, especially in modern-day science. Given the advantages of vaccines, why would many people on a global scale refuse vaccines? According to the strategy officer of the Immunization Action Coalition, L.J. Tan, “around 60 percent” (Campbell) of parents fall into the category of being vaccine-hesitant.
There have been recent studies exploring the reasons behind their hesitancy, and some have shown that they fall into 4 categories: "religious reasons, personal beliefs or philosophical reasons, safety concerns, and a desire for more information from healthcare providers” (Mckee and Bohannon). Religious reasons include the notion of vaccines not aligning to their religious principles, while personal or philosophical reasons revolve around ideas like natural immunity being more advantageous for their children’s immune system in the long term. Safety concerns gear towards the question of how safe a vaccine really is, and its long term effects. This is perhaps due to certain media coverage on vaccines that portray the dangers of them, or even through conversations with friends or family. The last of the 4 categories is the desire to gather more information about certain vaccines. Some parents may refuse to give their child a vaccine because of a lack of information in respect to its side effects or benefits.
It is important to shed light on the misinformation on vaccines circulating communities today, both in the online world and the real world. Yes, there are some downsides to vaccines as aforementioned. However, it has to be understood that vaccines act as vital, preventable measures in the long run. Vaccines are especially important for babies, for their developing immune systems are more susceptible to infections. Additional ingredients in vaccines such as adjuvants are also deemed safe for your body, and make the vaccine even more effective. Vaccines have to go through strict guidelines by the CDC and FDA in the United States to ensure its safety to the general public. There are intense lab testing, and vaccines can take years to fully be available to patients—this goes to show the level of safety in today’s vaccines.
References:
Campbell, Leah. “Why People Refuse Vaccinations.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 15 July 2019, www.healthline.com/health-news/why-some-parents-are-afraid-to-vaccinate-their-kids#How-most-people-view-vaccinations.
McKee, Chephra, and Kristin Bohannon. “Exploring the Reasons Behind Parental Refusal of Vaccines.” The journal of pediatric pharmacology and therapeutics : JPPT : the official journal of PPAG vol. 21,2 (2016): 104-9. doi:10.5863/1551-6776-21.2.104
