When a vaccine is given, the human body produces antibodies against the foreign substance, thus creating a defense mechanism for immunity to occur. A vaccine is defined as “any preparation used as a preventive inoculation to confer immunity against a specific disease, usually employing an innocuous form of the disease agent, as killed or weakened bacteria or viruses, to stimulate antibody production” (dictionary.com). The epidemic of smallpox is one of the most groundbreaking moments in medical history, It created the usage of vaccination to be extremely normal. Smallpox had managed to kill millions of people, which was a large part of the population at the time. Edward Jenner came up with a vaccine that could treat the outbreak of …show more content…
As a culture are we getting vaccines because they are mandatory and a part of the social norm or is it because they actually work? Many infants and children are dying around the world due to preventable diseases; Dr. Robert Pearl says, “There is nothing more disheartening for a physician than watching a patient die from a preventable cause. And, of course, the loss for the family involved is unimaginable” (Forbes). The parents of children in underdeveloped nations of the world are in need of vaccines. However, in the United States it is a different story, where parents demand their children not to be vaccinated. Vaccines are readily available to people, yet they refuse for many different reasons. Most of the reasons given for not vaccinating children are because of religious reasons, forgetfulness, moral beliefs, monetary issues and the theory that vaccines cause other health related issues, such as autism. The citizens of the United States have been privileged with support from the government to vaccinate all people who requested to be vaccinated against preventable diseases. Many people around the world are powerless in getting vaccinated and die due to the lack of healthcare and resources and money. If parents have a choice to make about keeping their children protected then why are parents not vaccinating their children against preventable diseases? Immunizations
During the Revolutionary War, one of the main fears were not the enemies bullets, but fear of disease. One of the major viruses that people had to fear was smallpox. The continental army had more to fear than the British in the fact that British had been immunized, and the continental army had not. This was only the beginning of the problems from the smallpox epidemic that broke out in America.
This article was unique to read because it was actually selected excerpts from the Cumberland House journals of 1781 and 1782. Each excerpt described what kind of person was being affected such as age and gender and then described where the smallpox rash was first noticed. Smallpox was first brought to Mexico by the Spaniards in 1520, later reached Massachusetts and extended west a century later. On each occasion, it occurred in an epidemic form with an extremely high mortality rate. This article describes the first recorded smallpox epidemic on the western plains. The excerpts were handwritten diaries of daily events. The chroniclers were William Tomison and Matthew Cocking. Tomison’s account of the smallpox epidemic just 20 years before Jenner
With the major strides in medicine that have come about in the last few decades, the notion of a plague seems to be becoming less of a possibility and more a thing of antiquity. Around the latter half of the 20th century, doctors thought that disease as a whole would be eradicated with the new vaccinations and antibiotics that were being produced. For the first time in history it seemed as if diseases were under control. It was not long before the arrogance of modern medicine found new epidemics that were not so easily cured. To this day the only disease to be eradicated is smallpox, which was announced in the 1980s. Decades after achieving the eradication of small pox in nature, new pathogens like SARs, AIDS/HIV,
Armed with opposable thumbs and high-functioning frontal lobes, humans have historically battled disease, including the “the speckled monster”; smallpox. Known as a highly contagious virus, smallpox has been around since 10,000 B.C., and its plagues are responsible for causing millions of deaths. There was no knowledge of how to treat or prevent this disease from spreading until the idea of taking samples of dead smallpox cells and injecting them into a human was proven to build immunity. Over time, the treatment was perfected and has changed medical history by introducing the idea of the vaccine. Smallpox vaccinations eventually became mandated, and in 1979, smallpox was declared to be the first disease to ever be completely eradicated from
Humans eradicated smallpox. Through worldwide vaccination efforts, there has not been a single wild case of smallpox, the disease that killed nearly half those it infected, since 1978. This magnificent public health feat is being replicated worldwide for more than 20 pathogens, in the process protecting humans from a host of debilitating and deadly diseases. However, we cannot rest on our laurels. We still face numerous infectious diseases with effects just as devastating as smallpox. To combat these diseases, we must put new vaccine development and improvement at the forefront of our medical research.
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”).
When the Smallpox disease made an overpopulated England its territory, it thrived and wiped out thousands of people (“Smallpox Vaccine: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly”). Smallpox was a major threat to many countries and civilizations for thousands of years; however, the permanent cure for the disease began in England. During the eighteenth century, a physician by the name of Edward Jenner was credited with the invention of the most important piece of medical technology, the vaccine, and became known as the “Father of Immunology”. Although Edward Jenner encountered errors in his research, and people questioned the ethics of the vaccine trials, he used his knowledge, determination, and medical experience to explore a more efficient and advanced
Smallpox has been a feared disease throughout history due to huge epidemics resulting in a large number of deaths (Carson- Dewitt 2006). The name Smallpox, or the Variola Virus, was common around 570 AD and introduced by Bishop Marious of Avenches. Variola derives from the Latin word various meaning stained or various or mark on the skin (Milton 2012). Milder patterns of the virus can be called cotton pox, white pox, and the Cuban itch (OMICS International 2006). The word smallpox was first used in 15th century England in order to tell the difference between syphilis called “great pocks”, and the variola virus (Riley 2006).
Vaccines can prevent people from contracting diseases, which is one of the main reasons why people should be vaccinated. Diseases can affect people in many ways. For example, smallpox was a very infectious and dangerous disease that killed many people. This disease was so deadly that it killed more than 500 million people in the nineteenth century (“Smallpox Fast Facts”). When Jenner discovered the smallpox vaccine, many people soon began to get vaccinated. Since a lot of
According to the WHO, “Immunization currently prevents between 2-3 million deaths every year”. Parents haven’t been vaccinating their children due to fear of negative effects, thus putting others at risk. Vaccination should be enforced to keep ourselves and the people around us protected, especially now that preventable deadly diseases such as measles have been resurfacing in the U.S. If parents continue to refuse vaccinating their children, we’ll be facing more consequences. Parents should be forced to vaccinate their children because it will decrease the chances of outbreaks in the U.S., it will protect babies and people with impaired immune systems that can’t be vaccinated, and the benefits outweigh the risks.
When a vaccine is given, the human body produces antibodies against the foreign substance, thus creating a defense mechanism for immunity to occur. A vaccine is defined as “any preparation used as a preventive inoculation to confer immunity against a specific disease, usually employing an innocuous form of the disease agent, as killed or weakened bacteria or viruses, to stimulate antibody production” (dictionary.com). The epidemic of smallpox is one of the most groundbreaking moments in medical history, It created the usage of vaccination to be extremely normal. Smallpox had managed to kill millions of people, which was a large part of the population at the time. Edward Jenner came up with a vaccine that could treat the outbreak of smallpox. It only took around fourteen years to see that smallpox was no longer something people needed to fear. The vaccine for smallpox is one of the greatest evidence that vaccines can ad do work. When it comes to children being vaccinated parents seems to always have a extremely strong opinion. Though there is typically no lack of vaccines being distributed there still are some parents that delay vaccinations because they are genuinely concerned about severe allergic reactions or long-term side effects. Times went on and vaccines have become extremely common in America. Although some people view new medicine negatively, we can not disregard the fact that it has the capability to heal people because over time as it has proven throughout
Smallpox is an ancient and very deadly disease. Scientists think that smallpox first started around 10,000 B.C. in Africa. They also think that it spread from Africa to India by Egyptian merchants. Scientists have studied the mummy of the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses V., who died in 1156 B.C., and they think that he had smallpox. Smallpox was also known to be in China in 1122 B.C. There are also writings from India around that same time that mention smallpox. Smallpox is the only disease to ever be eradicated, which means it is no longer around. The last person to have it was in Somalia in 1977.
There are several epidemics in the world, but the one that stands out the most and has a large affect on people is smallpox. An epidemic is a widespread occurrence of and infectious disease in a community at a particular time. There are several epidemics and lots of them are very dangerous and can lead to very severe sickness or even death. For example there are more diseases that land in the epidemic “family” such as HIV, AIDS, Herpes, and Gonorrhea just to give you an idea on however I am going to talk about smallpox. HIV is the disease and AIDS is the virus leading to the final stage of HIV disease, which causes severe damage to the immune system. Herpes is and infection of the lip, mouth and gums due to the
First, in 1796, a doctor named Edward Jenner performed the very first vaccination. “Taking pus from a cowpox lesion on a milkmaid’s hand, Jenner inoculated an eight-year-old boy, James Phipps. Six weeks later Jenner variolated two sites on Phipps ' arm with smallpox, yet the boy was unaffected by this as well as subsequent exposures” (Minna & Markel, 2005)& (Cave, 2008). The first vaccination allowed people to recognize that it was beneficial for their health. It provided the base for the rest of the variations of vaccinations to come. Vaccinations began with the notion that it is rooted in the science of immunology. Throughout history, there have been many variations of this first vaccine for things such as small pox, mumps, malaria and guinea worm. (The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, n.d.)
A vaccine works by tricking the body’s immune system into creating antibodies that fight an innocuous form of the virus. The antibodies then remain in the body, and if the person encounters the real virus, they are protected against it. The history of vaccines actually goes as far back as 200BC India or China, when it was discovered that some diseases do not infect those who have already been infected by it. This discovery led people to infect themselves with inoculated matter, thus protecting them from the disease. The first vaccine dates back to 1796 when Edward Jenner developed the smallpox vaccine using a weakend version of the cowpox disease. The concept of vaccinations through inoculation is considered by many to be one of the great science revelations of the 20th century.