Vaccines: Everything you need to know

For a long time vaccinations and the subject of vaccinations have been an interest for moms , those in the medical community who actually work with them and those who vehemently against them.

Also Read: Are your kids vaccinated against meningococcal meningitis?

As the world races to find a vaccination against the coronavirus which has brought the world, along with economies to a halt, the subject of vaccines is squarely in the spotlight for all.

Here’s an early timeline of vaccines…

1000

• It is believed that during this period the Chinese employed smallpox inoculation  as early as 1000 CE. This also thought to have been practiced was practiced in Africa and Turkey as well, before it spread to Europe and the Americas.
• In describing how this inoculation took place during the 1500’s  several accounts from the 1500s describe smallpox inoculation as practiced in China and India pointed towards a method which involved grinding up smallpox scabs and blowing the matter into nostril. Inoculation may also have been practiced by scratching matter from a smallpox sore into the skin.

1796

• Edward Jenner is credited with creating the first vaccine with his use of material from cowpox pustules to provide protection against smallpox to provide immunity to that disease.
• Edward Jenner’s innovations, begun with his successful 1796 use of cowpox material to create immunity to smallpox, quickly made the practice widespread. His method underwent medical and technological changes over the next 200 years, and eventually resulted in the eradication of smallpox.

1885

• When the world faced the arrival of rabies, it was Louis Pasteur who is credited with developing the 1885 rabies vaccine. Antitoxins and vaccines against diphtheria, tetanus, anthrax, cholera, plague, typhoid, tuberculosis, and more were developed through the 1930s.

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1.How do vaccines work? Do they work against viruses and bacteria?

Vaccines work to prime your immune system against future “attacks” by a particular disease. There are vaccines against both viral and bacterial pathogens, or disease-causing agents.When a pathogen enters your body, your immune system generates antibodies to try to fight it off. Depending on the strength of your immune response and how effectively the antibodies fight off the pathogen, you may or may not get sick.If you do fall ill, however, some of the antibodies that are created will remain in your body playing watchdog after you’re no longer sick. If you’re exposed to the same pathogen in the future, the antibodies will ”recognize” it and fight it off. If you’re exposed to the pathogen again, your immune system will recognize it and be able to fight it off.

2.People say that vaccines are linked to long-term health problems such as multiple sclerosis, diabetes, and autism. Is that true?

All vaccines have possible side effects. Most, however, are mild and temporary. Adverse effects from vaccines are monitored thoroughly via multiple reporting systems, and there is no evidence from these systems to support these claims.

3. What is herd immunity? Is it real? Does it work?

Herd immunity, also known as community immunity, refers to the protection offered to everyone in a community by high vaccination rates. With enough people immunized against a given disease, it’s difficult for the disease to gain a foothold in the community. This offers some protection to those who are unable to receive vaccinations—including newborns and individuals with chronic illnesses—by reducing the likelihood of an outbreak that could expose them to the disease.

4. Do we have enough safety testing with vaccines?

Vaccines are tested repeatedly before being approved, and continue to be monitored for adverse reactions after their release.

Source: https://www.historyofvaccines.org/content/articles/top-20-questions-about-vaccination#1

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