Vaccines
Vaccines are given to people and animals to prevent diseases (known as vaccine preventable diseases)
such as measles, mumps, influenza, rabies, distemper and others. These vaccine preventable diseases
are caused by microbes such as bacteria or viruses. Vaccines against the diseases consist of weakened or
killed forms of these microbes that are unable to cause the disease. Sometimes vaccines just consist of
parts of a microbe.
Disease causing strain of
microbe
Weakened form of microbe used
as vaccine
A vaccine made from parts of the
disease causing microbe
Vaccines are given when you are healthy and will help your body quickly destroy disease causing
microbes if you are ever exposed to them in the future.
How do vaccines prevent disease?
When foreign bacteria or viruses enter your body, your immune system responds by producing
antibodies. Antibodies are Y shaped proteins in your blood that bind to microbes and kill them.
But it takes a while for your immune system to work and during that time, the microbes multiply and
make you sick. So while your immune system and antibodies can’t act fast enough to prevent you from
getting sick they usually can destroy the foreign microbes eventually and you will begin to feel better.
Antibodies remain in your bloodstream even after you are well. If you are exposed to the same microbe
again, the antibodies will quickly respond to it and they can keep you from getting sick again. Your
immune system’s “memory” is why you will only get some diseases like chicken pox once.
Vaccines contain the same microbe that causes the disease but it is dead or weakened and cannot grow
enough to make you sick. When a vaccine is injected into your body, your body still sees it as a foreign
invader and will begin to make antibodies. These antibodies will circulate in your bloodstream long after
the vaccine was given and can prevent you from getting sick if you ever are exposed to the actual
disease causing germ.
From the CDC website http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents/vaccine-decision/prevent-diseases.html
Why get vaccinated?
Some vaccine preventable diseases have become very rare in the United States. Polio and diphtheria
outbreaks were once common but are rarely seen in the US today. So why get vaccinations against these
diseases?
Until we can completely eliminate a disease, it is important to keep vaccinating people and animals. The
next outbreak of a vaccine preventable disease in the US is just a plane ride away. A recent measles
outbreak in Ohio began after some unvaccinated people returned home from a mission trip. They had
caught measles in the Philippines and brought the disease back to Ohio
with them where it began to spread among their unvaccinated
neighbors.
When people get vaccinated, they stop the spread of disease.
From the CDC website http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/whatifstop.htm
It is our responsibility to get vaccinated so we help keep other people
from getting sick like elderly people and others with weak immune
systems and infants who have not had all their vaccines yet.
Vaccines – Not just for people.
Not only people can get vaccinated. Vaccination of animals is also
important to prevent the spread of disease through animal populations. Pets can be vaccinated against
diseases such as rabies, distemper and kennel cough.
Farm animals can be vaccinated too. Healthy farm animals lead to safe animal food products such as
milk, cheese, eggs and meat.
@ OARDC
Scientists at OARDC are working on developing a universal flu vaccine. The flu virus is continually
changing resulting in different strains of virus. You’ve probably heard of strains of flu, for example the
H1N1 or H3N2. Even if you have had flu before, your immune system does not recognize and attack new
strains of the virus so you can get sick again.
Each flu season, researchers use scientific data to predict which strains will need to be used to make
that year’s flu vaccine. If you want to be protected, you need to get the vaccine each year. Scientists are
working on a universal flu vaccine that would target parts of the virus that do not change rapidly and
therefore could be effective against all strains and possibly eliminate the need for a yearly flu shot. A
universal flu vaccine might also be effective in animals. Animals such as pigs and birds get the flu too.
Other scientists at OARDC are working to develop vaccines to protect food animals such as chickens and
pigs from diseases and ensure a healthy food supply.
Conclusion
Vaccines are a safe way to prevent people and animals from getting sick. Talk to your doctor or the local
health department about what vaccines you should get. Your veterinarian can give you information
about vaccinations for your pets.
Comic from: http://parasiteecology.wordpress.com/cartoons/