Normally, it is better to prevent than to cure. When it comes to health, handling preventive measures is much cheaper and less costly compared to the management of a full-blown disease. Vaccines come handy as an ideal way of preventing one from acquiring a disease by enhancing their immune system. Vaccines are typically designed using a part of the microbe, which is a weakened form of the disease-causing organism or its surface protein. In this case, the body’s immune system is prompted to act against the vaccine, and any other associated elements in future. Therefore, the measure prevents the disease from affecting somebody. Detailed below is an explanation of how vaccines operate, a comparison between traditional and modern methods of creating vaccines; some of the illnesses averted due to vaccination, the frequency of these diseases in the last 100 years, why some people are skeptical about vaccinating their children, and advice to my friend.
How Vaccines Work
Vaccines prepare the body to fight and eliminate disease-causing agents in the body. In the human body, lymphocytes are responsible for fighting against invaders. They produce antibodies, which act against viruses and bacteria that gain entry into the body. In the process of fighting these foreign invaders, one is protected from getting particular ailments and diseases (Ventola, 2016). Unfortunately, the method of producing antibodies may take long leading to infections such as measles. In such cases, vaccines act by triggering the production of antibodies earlier before the diseases causing organisms gain entry into the body. Thus, the antigens find the antibody ready to combat, thus, this helps prevent the occurrence of the disease.
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The Contrast between Traditional Methods and Biotechnology Techniques
The traditional methods of preparing vaccines involved obtaining a weakened form of the antigen or its surface protein to help fight micro-organisms associated with this antigen in future. The process involved only part of the antigen as the main component (Ventola, 2016). On the other hand, biotechnology techniques require a series of modifications on the antigen. Usually, a weakened form of the antigen is not actively involved in the process. Hence, real antigens are used but separated by monoclonal antibodies to prevent harming the body. Then also, peptides are synthesized and used as vaccines.
Some of the Diseases Children Are Frequently Vaccinated against and the Impact of the Vaccine on the Frequency of Diseases in the U.S.
In the U.S., some of the conditions that children are routinely immunized against include adenovirus, rabies, smallpox, typhoid fever, tuberculosis, anthrax, yellow fever, and cholera (Ventola, 2016). So far, vaccination has been a success in the fight against these conditions. Before vaccines were introduced, infections were prevalent in the world, and they harmed the entire population. Therefore, vaccines have a significant impact on the health of the American populace and global society. They have drastically minimized the occurrence of diseases which were once prevalent (Oku et al., 2017). For instance, Smallpox was a major global pandemic. It is due to vaccinations that it was eradicated. Measles has also been reduced across the world due to vaccination. Thus, vaccines have significantly minimized the frequency of significant diseases in the world.
Why People Are Worried about Vaccines and Why the Misconception is wrong
People are skeptical of giving their children vaccines due to misconceptions attached to them. Some people think that vaccines are associated with some abnormalities in the world. For instance, there are people who associate measles with autism. Since many people fear autism, they tend to avoid introducing their children to this vaccine with the fear that they may contract autism. Then also, some people tend to think that giving their children several vaccines at once overloads their immune systems (Pluviano et al., 2017). The vaccines are thought to weaken the immune system making them susceptible to various medical conditions. Then, there are those who think that once a disease has been completely eradicated, there is no need to continue giving their children the vaccine (Ward et al., 2017). For instance, some people do not give their children polio vaccines since it has been reported to have been successfully eradicated from American society.
However, the allegation and misconceptions do not have a scientific basis. Studies indicate that vaccines cannot cause any adverse effect on the immune system when they are combined or given at once (Ward et al., 2017). This defeats the allegation that such combinations overload the ability to fight antigens in their bodies. Then also, studies show that the prevalence of preventable conditions can increase if the population stops taking vaccines as required (Ward et al., 2017). This can be due to imported cases of the disease as people move from one place to another in the world. Concerning the issue of deformities and disabilities caused by vaccines, there is no substantial evidence to prove that. Thus, the vaccine is safe, and everyone is required to adhere to this requirement.
Advice to My Friend
My friend should not be worried about a range of vaccines scheduled for the child. Vaccines are meant to protect children against diseases that may be imported by people moving across various geographical locations. Then also, vaccines cannot burden the child’s immune system. Moreover, studies have established that it is safe to combine vaccines safely. They only prepare the body’s natural resistance to fight disease-causing microorganisms.
Vaccines are critical in enhancing the overall health of society by preventing the spread of diseases. Vaccines work by triggering the natural body immunity to fight invading disease-causing microorganisms. Notably, they are created using the weakened form of the micro-organisms or its proteins to activate antibodies to fight similar micro-organisms in future. Some of the diseases for which vaccines are given to children include measles, polio, smallpox, and many others. Since the introduction of vaccines, the prevalence in the above ailments has reduced. Some people avoid vaccines due to misconceptions, which have no scientific backing. Therefore, my friend should go ahead and allow the child to be vaccinated accordingly.
References
Oku, A., Oyo-Ita, A., Glenton, C., Fretheim, A., Eteng, G., Ames, H.… Lewin, S. (2017). Factors affecting the implementation of childhood vaccination communication strategies in Nigeria : a qualitative study. BMC Public Health, 17(1). Retrieved from https://sci-hub.tw/10.1186/s12889-017-4020-6
Pluviano, S., Watt, C., & Della Sala, S. (2017). Misinformation lingers in memory: Failure of three pro-vaccination strategies. PloS one , 12 (7), e0181640. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5547702/
Ventola C. L. (2016). Immunization in the United States: Recommendations, Barriers, and Measures to Improve Compliance: Part 1: Childhood Vaccinations. P & T: a peer-reviewed journal for formulary management , 41 (7), 426-36. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4927017/
Ward, P. R., Attwell, K., Meyer, S. B., Rokkas, P., & Leask, J. (2017). Understanding the perceived logic of care by vaccine-hesitant and vaccine-refusing parents : A qualitative study in Australia. PLOS ONE, 12(10), e0185955. Retrieved from https://sci-hub.tw/10.1371/journal.pone.0185955
