Vaccines: Why Do Vaccines Protect Against?

Do you ever wonder why you are given shots from your doctor? Those shots are most likely a vaccine. Based on articles from, “Gale online Learning,” and, “World eBook,” it is obvious that vaccines are the invention that has had the biggest impact on humanity. That is because, it keeps you from getting sick, builds your immune system, and leads to reduced healthcare cost.

Before vaccines were invented, whenever an individual contracted a disease, it would easily spread to the people who were in contact with the individual. Many became carriers of the disease, resulting in an outbreak. No one was immune from the disease, thus making the vast majority a suitable host for the pathogen. In 1796, British physician Edward Jenner created the first vaccination for smallpox by applying matters of fresh cowpox lesions on an infected eight years old’s hand (Riedel 2005). The fundamental principle behind vaccine is by injecting an antigen (usually a killed or weakened bacteria cell) into a host body; the antigen will imitate an infection and attack the host body. However, since the antigen is weakened or dead before being administered, it will not make the body sick. The antigen triggers the immune system to produce T-lymphocytes1, B-lymphocytes2 and antibodies to attack the affected cells, as though the body was infected with a disease. In the future, when the vaccinated individual encounters the disease, his or her immune system will recognize the pathogen and immediately produce the needed antibodies to fight it, preventing the individual from infected (“Understanding How Vaccines Work” 2013).

Ever since the invention of the first vaccine more than two centuries ago, there has been plenty of controversy over the morality, ethics, effectiveness, and safety of vaccination and immunization.

Vaccinations are produced by developing a live, but weakened or inactive form of a disease. This weakened form of the disease, is then introduced into the body via injection, inhalation, or ingestion. Providing the body with this inactive version of the disease, the body’s natural defense mechanisms are triggered and begin creating antibodies against the disease, which in turn, allows

When one is given a vaccine, the body’s immune system fights the disease or virus causing the body to become immune to the disease. Before vaccines, the only way to become immune to a disease was too simply contract the disease and hopefully live with no serious side effects or passing on the potentially deadly illness or dangers in a wide-spread epidemic. Vaccinations have been saving lives for over 200 years now. Below is a chart showing the successful impact vaccinations have had in the United States.

Underlying Human Biology: A vaccine is used to help members of the public have a immunity to a specific pathogen it does this by triggering the person's immune system to produce its own antibodies because the immune system reacts as if it actually has the pathogen when it doesn't, This is know as active immunity. This is used so if the person that received the vaccination and they come into contact with what they were vaccinated against then their immune system will react knowing how to overcome it much faster with fewer symptoms showing up. The Vaccine contains either An inactivated

In today’s society we use many vaccines that help prevent many different diseases. Some of these are live, attenuated vaccines, inactivated vaccines, subunit vaccines, toxoid vaccines, conjugate vaccines, DNA vaccines, recombinant vector vaccines. There are also multiple benefits of children getting there vaccinations early. There are also some downsides to vaccinations which will looked at directly as well. The importance of these vaccines are a great help and ultimately outweigh the shortcomings to this.

Vaccines have the potential to eradicate diseases. Vaccines completely destroyed smallpox in the United States. The last case of smallpox in the United States was in 1948. The author quotes the UNICEF who states, “There were 500 cases of polio in 2014 worldwide, down from 350,000

Vaccinations can also completely eradicate virus and diseases all together. Smallpox, for example, has no mandatory vaccination because it is believed that it no longer exists. By 2012 most diseases such as mumps and rubella, have decreased by 99% because of vaccinations (Vaccine).

262). Vaccinations work by using two forms of immunity, active and passive. Active immunity occurs when the immune system is triggered by a person receiving a vaccination to produce antibodies for a specific disease process as if they have contracted the actual disease. From this point on if the person is exposed to someone infected with the disease their body will recognize it and release antibodies to fight against it. In contrast, passive immunity does not result from the person themselves receiving the vaccination but rather from antibodies a baby receives through the placenta from its mother. Passive immunity generally lasts from a few months to a year at the most which will cover children until they are able to receive their own immunizations. Children are the on the front line when it comes to spreading and preventing contagious

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a vaccine is a product that stimulates someone’s immune system to build up immunity to a specific disease, which then protects that person from that disease (Vaccines and Immunizations). A vaccine is beneficial to making sure children and even

Why do we have vaccinations? Is it so that vaccinations help people not get diseases and can help people get over what they have? Vaccinations are a good thing to have so that it helps stop a virus and not get others around you sick. Many people believe vaccination is a good thing to have.

Vaccinations/Immunization, allows for individuals to become resistant to infection, caused by a pathogen. Vaccines, either oral or injected, are prepared with a weakened or dead disease causing microorganisms /pathogens. This vaccine is given with the intensions of provoking a immune response to the disease, on a minor level. This vaccination allows for the immune response to create antibodies, and memory cells, so that if infected with a strong version of the pathogen, the body will be immune.

The CDC estimates that vaccinations will prevent more than 21 million hospitalizations and 732,000 deaths among children born in the last 20 years (CDC). Smallpox once killed 35% of its victims, and now it is the only disease considered eradicated worldwide. Many other diseases have been eliminated in the Americas, including polio, rubella, and hepatitis. The countless lives and money saved by eliminating these diseases far outweigh the small, unproven risk that vaccines may be harmful.

Benjamin Franklin spoke of the remorse he felt relating to his son’s death and regret of not vaccinating him when he had the chance; he wrote “in 1736 I lost one of my sons, a fine boy of four years old, by smallpox, taken in the common way. I long regretted bitterly, and still regret that I had not given it to him by inoculation. This I mention for the sake of parents who omit that operation, on the supposition that they should never forgive themselves if a child died under it; my example showing that the regret may be the same either way and that, therefore, the safer should be chosen.” Franklin did not vaccinate his son because he was already ill with another disease; he did not want to risk his son’s health by vaccinating him and causing