Ring Vaccination Research Paper

It's killed more than prostate cancer and breast cancer fatality rates together. Smallpox was the first disease to be eliminated from the world through public-health efforts and vaccination. Smallpox still poses a threat because existing laboratory strains may be used as biological weapons. Approximately one-third of people with smallpox died from the disease. Survivors were scarred for life. If the eye was infected, blindness often resulted.There are new experimental medications that might be effective in smallpox, but these have not been tested in human cases since the disease has been eradicated.The smallpox vaccine contains a live virus called vaccinia. It is administered by dipping a pronged piece of metal into the vaccine and then pricking the skin.

Despite smallpox’s long history of harm, killing nearly 300 million people in the twentieth century alone, it is now considered eradicated thanks to a vaccine and vaccination program lead by the World Health Organization. Because of its eradication,

For thousands of years, diseases have taken the lives of millions of people, wiping out towns and spreading across countries. Disease like the measles, mumps, whooping cough, chicken pox and hepatitis are just a few of the diseases that can be prevented through the use of vaccinations. Though vaccines do not make the bacteria that caused the disease to go away, it helps control the outbreaks within societies, keeping children from getting sick and preventing death. Without the prevention from vaccines, the bacteria from those diseases will start to flourish resulting in the outbreaks within communities. Herd immunity is when the majority of a community is immunized against a contagious disease; most members of the community are protected against that disease because there is little opportunity for an outbreak.

Imagine a quick spreading rash throughout the entire body, leaving not a single space behind; every opening and crevice in your body, including your mouth and eyes covered in painful bumps accompanied by high fever and severe body aches. Flat red spots transforming into fluid-filled lesions and soon oozing out yellow pus, evidently emitting a pungent odor to anyone who dared get close. The live virus present in the darkening crusty scabs that would soon fall off only to leave behind a deep pitted scarred filled complexion on anyone who was fortunate enough to survive. These scars would be forever remembered as the hallmark for the smallpox epidemic which tormented the world for over 3,000 years. (Riedel “Deadly Diseases”).

Known as ‘herd immunity’ or ‘community immunity,’ there lies an indirect protection of unvaccinated people when a large group of people is vaccinated against a certain disease. Therefore, if children are vaccinated against a disease, they are also protecting their family and friends. Additionally, according to Vaccines.gov, if enough people are vaccinated against a disease, about 80% of a population or less, the entire community has a lesser chance of getting the disease (Page 3). In other words, when a large age group of people, children, are vaccinated and therefore immune to disease, everyone else is protected as well indirectly. Furthermore, as well as unintentionally protecting peers who chose to be unvaccinated, children who are vaccinated are also protecting the subset of people that do not have the option to become vaccinated. There lies a small subset of people who cannot be vaccinated due to a variety of reasons including undergoing chemotherapy, or having severe allergies, HIV/AIDS, or even Type One Diabetes. The protection of these people is herd immunity (Epidemics: Opposing Viewpoints page 117). Concluding, by immunizing all youth, the compromised also become better protected as a whole. Also, one example of the representation in the introduction of of herd immunity is the pneumococcal vaccine. After the introduction of the

Until the development of the smallpox vaccine in 1796, inoculation using the live smallpox virus was the only way to protect people from the deadly disease. Those inoculated had a chance of contracting the full virus and potentially dying from the disease. When Edward Jenner discovered that he could use a similar disease found in cattle, he began the modern era of vaccination (The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, 2015). Over the next 200 years, smallpox was essentially driven extinct by vaccination programs. Due to vaccines, a disease that killed an estimated 300 million people in the 20th century alone now only exists in a Center for Disease Control laboratory. (Flight, 2011).

Smallpox is one of the most lethal virus’ known to man. It is devastating to individual systems, and it’s high level of contagion makes it a major threat to populations, as seen historically, before mass vaccination was available. For many years before an understanding about the virus was developed, thousands suffered and died from it, with no relief except perhaps that of a comforting nurse. As scientific inquiry advanced, so did the approach to dealing with the virus, beginning with its primitive inoculation, to it's eradication from the natural environment. In recent years, the study of the virus has lead to harnessing it in the laboratory with the constant threat of biological warfare. The virus now lays dormant in freezers of American

Smallpox is transmitted via face-to-face contact and /or exchange of infected bodily fluids with the affected individual. The disease is transmitted to a lesser extent via infected clothing and bedding. Humans are the only natural host for the virus. Therefore, there is no reservoir and the virus is not transmittable through animals or insects. The incubation period of the virus is nearly 2 weeks (7 to 17 days) during which the person is asymptomatic and non-contagious (Fenner et al., 129).

The history of smallpox goes back for thousands of years. It is thought to have appeared as much as 10,000 years ago and since then, it has claimed the lives of millions of people, many of whom have been famous figures in history. After a vaccine was discovered in 1796, countries throughout the world began the fight to eradicate the disease. This fight was won in 1980 as a result of the international effort headed by the World Health Organization. Today, smallpox is no longer a threat in nature but the virus is still stored in labs, from which a biological weapon could be made.

In India, when smallpox broke out, the blood from a survivor of the disease was rubbed in a cut on the skin of an uninfected person. An individual got infected with the disease but healed soon after. Throughout time, vaccinations have evolved through the work of scientists and doctors. In the 1700’s, Edward Jenner created the “vaccine” when he eliminated smallpox with cowpox. People were frightened of becoming a cow since the vaccination being inserted into their body contained a disease from a cow (Nova 1). Even though cowpox was completely harmless to the human body, people with strong religious views did not seem to think so. However, vaccinations have extremely improved from Jenner’s discovery. Vaccines now are safer with better

In the last several years, increased vaccination exemptions have resulted in multiple outbreaks of preventable viral diseases in the state of California. In response to school-wide quarantines and the threat of exposure to previously eradicated illnesses, recent legislation amended California state vaccination laws to reflect strict mandatory vaccination requirements. This paper explores the components of the California Senate Bill 277, implications for the public school system, and legal challenges to implementation of this Bill.

The world’s last naturally acquired case of smallpox occurred in Somalia, in 1977. In 1980 smallpox became the world’s first eradicated disease. The main component that led to smallpox’s eradication was the development of an effective vaccine; Edward Jenner developed the world’s first vaccine. Smallpox is no longer a threat due to three reasons: 1) there is an effective vaccine 2) its a lytic virus 3) there is no animal reservoir. This paper will discuss a variety of factors that played a role in eliminating smallpox: 1) is easier to contain as a zoonosis 2) is a crowd disease (spreads at a slower rate through human contact with larger populations) 3) as a lytic virus, it has an incubation period

‘Herd immunity’ or ‘community immunity’ is a societal idea to protect those who are vulnerable to diseases (“Herd Immunity”). When access to vaccinations are limited, the ‘herd’ is more at risk to infection diseases. Since vaccinations were first used, in 1796, they have been a massive part of our history to prevent the spread of disease, been limited to wealthy countries, and those who are against them. Even today, access to vaccinations are very limited and continue to affect the population.

Herd immunity’ refers to the resistance of a group attacked by a disease because of the immunity of a large proportion of the members and the consequent lessening of the likelihood of an infected individual coming into contact with a susceptible individual 9. Herd immunity is achieved by mass immunization against communicable diseases 10. However, not all vaccines are equally effective in providing herd immunity. For instance, though mumps vaccine has been available for several decades, mumps continues to be highly prevalent in several regions of the world, likely due to waning immunity over time and inadequate immunization coverage.

Although it is necessary everyone receives vaccines to become immune to diseases; a population can protect unvaccinated people. That is if 98% of the population in an area is vaccinated. The percentage of people that are up to date on their vaccinations is known as herd immunity. Health professionals prefer herd immunity be at least 98%; if the percentage decreases the population cannot protect the