Types of Vaccinations - Essay Example

Vaccination Name Date Course Introduction Vaccination is the process of administering an antigenic material that stimulates the immune system of an individual leading to an adaptive immunity towards a given pathogen. The vaccines play an important role in terms of preventing infections among the individuals who have been vaccinated. The use of vaccines is also considered as the most effective methods of preventing the diseases that are infectious (Ahmed, 2011). Disease such as measles and polio are prevented through the use of vaccinations. On the other hand, the use of vaccination was responsible for the eradication of small pox in the world. This after the disease had killed more than five hundred million people in the world in the twentieth century. Most of the children are usually vaccinated so as to ensure that they do not contract the diseases in their later stages of growth and development. The vaccines are usually developed after a long study of the pathogens and thus developing a mechanism to kill them. However in some isolated cases, the vaccines have been reported to cause some injuries. The use of vaccines in some cases has also led to opposition from the religious groups although it use is being embraced in most parts of the world. The paper discusses the concepts of vaccination. Concepts of Vaccination Methods of administration Vaccination is usually carried out through several methods depending on the disease that is being prevented. The use of oral administration is a common method that is used for the purposes of administering a vaccine. Polio vaccine can be administered to the children through the oral vaccination. This method has proved to be efficient especially among the children. The use of injections is also a method of administering a vaccine. This method is effective as the vaccine is directly induced in the blood stream and hence its efficiency. It can be used both in children and adults. Among the adults, the method can be used for administering the tetanus vaccine. Typhoid vaccination can also be administered through injections. Transdermal method is also used although it is not common. This utilizes the ability of the skin to absorb the vaccine into the body. The three methods are commonly used although other methods like puncturing are also used for the purposes of vaccination. The method of administering the vaccine is usually determined during the process of manufacturing the vaccine (Danchin, 2011). How it works The main purpose of vaccination is to ensure disease prevention through boosting the immune system of the body by introducing an immunogen. The response of the immune system is usually stimulated once the vaccine which contains the infectious agent is introduced in the body (Vedvick, 2013). The vaccines also play an important role in terms of reducing the severity of the disease. This is considering that some of the vaccines can be introduced to the body once the patient has already contracted the disease. This is common for the diseases like rabies and it was also effective in the control of smallpox. The control of cancer is also done through the administration of the vaccine when an individual has already been diagnosed with the particular cancer. The vaccines usually trigger a response that leads to immunity by ensuring that it is not harmful to the body as compared to the disease itself. The vaccines may have some side effects on the body with symptoms of the disease being experienced in some instances. This however lasts for only a shorter time as it is not harmful as compared to the disease itself. The mechanism of stimulating the arms of the immune system is thus important during the vaccination process and it is also the main objective. The vaccines may contain different types of adjuvant depending on the disease that is being prevented. The adjuvants are the organic or inorganic substances that are responsible for the stimulation and boosting of the immune system. Rapid and great response is usually produced by the vaccine and hence enabling the immune system to deal positively with the pathogens that causes the diseases. Some of the bacteria are also more efficient due to their composition. Several vaccines contain preservatives which plays an important role in terms of preventing contamination from fungi or bacteria that may cause diseases. The influenza vaccine that is used for vaccinating children contains a high amount of preservatives (Pulendran, 2011). The preservatives do not have much effects on the body and hence its use. The amount is however controlled during the manufacturing process. Types of vaccinations An inactivated vaccine is a type of vaccine that is usually used during the vaccination process. This type of vaccine is composed of a virus or bacteria that has been grown in culture then killed through the use of heat or other appropriate method such as the use of formaldehyde (Hernandez-Avila, 2009). The virus or bacteria are usually destroyed for the purposes of ensuring that they cannot replicate. However despite the destruction, the immune system is still able to recognize them and hence stimulating response. The vaccine is not infectious at this stage although it depends on the efficiency of the manufacture. This is because poor methods of manufacture can lead to infections that may prove fatal. Booster shots are also required for the purposes of reinforcing the immune system. This is because the vaccines do not have the ability to reproduce. The types of inactive vaccines that are usually used during vaccination include both the viral and bacterial vaccines. The examples of viral vaccines include the polio and influenza vaccines. On the other hand, the examples of bacterial vaccines include the thyroid, cholera and plague vaccines. The vaccination of polio is usually done among the children to avoid the infection of the disease which affect the limbs at a certain stage of growth and development (Maldonado, 2012). Attenuated vaccines are also used during the vaccination process for disease prevention. This type of vaccine is usually composes of live viruses or bacteria that causes diseases. The levels of virulent rate is however low. The viruses and bacteria however have the ability to replicate although at a slower rate (Devlin, et al, 2012). During the process, the viruses and bacteria continue to produce antigens to the immune systems. The antigen produced is however stronger as compared to the initial ones. This means that the need for boosters is not necessary and hence its advantage as compared o the other types of vaccines. The development of this type of vaccine involves subjecting the bacteria or virus in a controlled condition. This ensures that the virus or bacteria can only produce a certain amount of virulence. Altering the genetics of the virus and bacteria for the purposes of producing a required virulent is also an important practice during the development. The measles and mumps vaccines are the examples of the viral attenuated vaccines. The rabies vaccine which is now available in two different attenuated forms is also an example of a viral attenuated vaccine. The examples of a bacterial attenuated vaccine include the typhoid vaccine. The virus-like particle vaccine is also used for the purpose of vaccination. This type of vaccine is derived from the protein of the virus. The particles usually bears a resemblance of the virus that it was derived from (Alves, 2010). However the main difference with the virus is the lack of nucleic acid that is contained in the virus. The absence of the nucleic acid hinders the virus from being infectious and hence preventing it from causing the diseases. This type of particles is also highly immunogenic due to their repetitive and multivalent structures. The virus-like vaccine is also efficient in terms of preventing the viral diseases that are highly infectious and may cause fatalities among the victims. Altering the genetic code of the virus is also important during the manufacture of this type of vaccine. The main type of virus-like particle vaccine is the hepatitis B vaccine. Studies are also being conducted to develop a virus-like vaccine for influenza. The main advantage of this type of vaccine is its ability to provide stronger protection which is also long lasting (Barr, et al, 2009). The subunit vaccine is also commonly used for the purposes of carrying out vaccination. This type of vaccine is unique from the other types as an antigen is introduced to the immune system of the body without the need for introducing the viral organism. The method of manufacture of the vaccine involves the isolation process of the virus or bacteria that is intended to be used for the manufacture of the vaccine. Unlike the other vaccines, this vaccine may not be efficient enough as the isolation of virus or bacteria may lead to the uniqueness of the virus or the bacteria. The immune system may therefore not be able to recognize the pathogen and hence the failure of the vaccine to produce the desired results. The vaccine is also not effective as compared to the others as it leads to the weaker antibody response. The effects of the vaccine to the body is however minimal. This type of vaccine is used for the purposes of developing the hepatitis B vaccine. Future considerations are also being made to develop the Ebola and HIV vaccines (Herbst-Kralovetz, et al, 2011). This is due to the complicated nature of the diseases and the risks that are involved in inducing the virus. Vaccination policies and controversies Throughout the world, vaccination has been recognized as the most effective and efficient method of dealing with infectious diseases. In most countries, the vaccination against some diseases like polio is mandatory and it is done at the childhood stage. The people who fail to undergo vaccination are usually liable for prosecution as they encourage the continual spread o the diseases (Beutels, 2010). However in most of the countries, the people facing various conditions may be exempted from vaccination as it may have a negative impact on their health. People with certain allergies as well as complications with the immune system may be exempted from vaccination. It is through the mandatory policy of vaccination that diseases like smallpox were eradicated in the world. Despite the gains and benefits of vaccination, some controversies have also been witnessed. Some religious groups are opposed to the vaccination process with some people arguing that vaccinations do not work. Some of the vaccines that are usually administered to the children a few days after birth have also been linked to several conditions such as autism (Schwartz, 2012). On the other hand some people have complained of injuries due to the vaccines. This has attracted legal battles with some of the companies being directed to compensate the victims. Such moves were however opposed as it hindered the manufacture of vaccines. The vaccination process has however continued to experience great success due to its positive results in terms of disease prevention. New Types of Vaccines in Development Diseases continue to kill millions of people throughout the world. This has lead to the dedication to development of new vaccines for several diseases. Rotavirus diarrhea is one of the diseases that kill millions of children in the developing world (Parashar, 2012). A vaccine is being developed by various institutions to counter the disease. AIDS has also been responsible for the deaths of millions for about three decades. The complex nature of the disease has caused a lot of problems in terms of treatment as there is no known cure. Researchers allover the world are carrying out experiments for the purposes of developing a vaccine. This is an indication that vaccination is the most effective method of preventing diseases. The vaccine for other diseases like the ovarian cancer is also underway as the disease is among the killer diseases in the world among the women. Malaria has led to the deaths of millions of people in the world. The disease is more sever in the developing countries and it is responsible for the deaths of millions of children every year. However, the discovery of the malaria vaccine is considered as a major break through in the history of modern medicine. The vaccine is set to be released soon for use after it was developed by GlaxoSmithKline (Seder, 2013). Scientists allover the world are thus focusing more on the development of vaccines as it reduces mortality rates as well as the cost of treatment. Conclusion In conclusion, the vaccinations process is important in terms of preventing diseases. The vaccines are usually used to boost the immune system and hence preventing the disease. Several types of vaccines are usually used during the vaccination process. The vaccines are different due to the methods that are used during the manufacturing process. The vaccines are also administered through the use of various methods. It is evident that the method used is dependant on the type of vaccine. Policies have also been developed for the purposes of dealing with the issues related to vaccination. It is also evident that vaccination has attracted controversies despite its positive impacts. New vaccines are also undergoing development to deal with the diseases can continues to claim millions of lives of people. It is also evident that a breakthrough has been made for some of the most deadly diseases. References Parashar, U, 2012, 2008 estimate of worldwide rotavirus-associated mortality in children younger than 5 years before the introduction of universal rotavirus vaccination programmes: a systematic review and meta-analysis, The Lancet infectious diseases, 12(2), 136-141. Pulendran, B. (2011). Systems biology of vaccination for seasonal influenza in humans. Nature immunology, 12(8), 786-795. Ahmed, R, 2011, Immunological mechanisms of vaccination, Nature immunology, 12(6), 509-517. Danchin, M, et al, 2011, Intussusception following rotavirus vaccine administration: post-marketing surveillance in the National Immunization Program in Australia, Vaccine, 29(16), 3061-3066. 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