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Timothy Hartnett An Investigation on the Use of Vaccines and Their Implications Vaccination, when most people hear that word, they think of protection against horrible pathogenic diseases that can ruin their immune system and potentially, cause irrevocable damage. It would be correct to adopt that thought, however, most people dont know enough about what vaccines are made of and how they work, let alone have enough knowledge make an informed decision on whether or not to immunize, whether it be ourselves or others. Before we jump to decisions we should know what a vaccine is and how its made. The first thing to know is that a vaccine is a weakened or dead form of a virus or bacteria that can potentially harm us and cause disease. A simple fact that leads us into the question, what are the processes to make them? According to www.imunizeforgood.com vaccines for viruses have to be grown in primary cells, such as chicken eggs for the influenza vaccine or human cells for vaccines like the hepatitis B. Bacterial vaccines have to be grown in a bioreactor. To put that in other terms, Merriam Webster states that a bioreactor is a device or apparatus in which living organisms, especially bacteria, synthesize useful substances. Once these bacteria or viruses are grown in their substance they are isolated to get an antigen, which is part of the microorganism that provokes the body to fight bacteria with whats known as antibodies. Finally these antigens are added to preservatives like formaldehyde. It is used to inactivate viruses so that they dont cause disease (Smithson). Thus creating a vaccine. History of safe use in the manufacture of certain viral and bacterial vaccines is vital to the success of vaccinations. Next thing to know is how they are given. As a GPN and prospective RN student, I can tell you that most of them are given by whats medically known as IM or intramuscularly. This

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fancy word just means into a muscle. The muscles generally used are the Deltoid in the shoulder, the Vasitus Lateralis in the side of the leg, and the Gluteus in the buttocks. Generally, these are given with a 23-25 gauge needle and virtually painless. For children it will seem more traumatic but tolerable. Given that vaccinations tend to be temporarily traumatic to children, the next logical question is whether or not we should vaccinate them. In an interview with Johnathon Miller a medical student at Albany Medical College I asked him his opinion on the matter. He stated, I believe that we as a westernized medical civilization over vaccinate our children for many things unnecessary. I then proceeded to ask him to elaborate on that and he gave me the example of varicella (the chicken pox vaccine). He said that when he was little and there was no vaccine. People got the actual disease when they were younger but didnt get it as severe as they would have as adults. I then said to him isnt the point of a vaccine, to eliminate the possibility of getting the disease at any point in ones lifetime. He then proceeded to say we dont know exactly how long these vaccines last there just simply hasnt been enough time to test them. In cases studied, people who got the disease as adults got a more severe case than the children affected (Miller). Thinking about safety in vaccines got me thinking about those that arent approved by the FDA. So according to the Food and Drug Administration, vaccines that are used experimentally can only be given at universities and you have to be in a trial. It also states that all vaccines given in a medical office are approved for safe use. Giving a good hope yet still peaking curiosity, its important to find out how the approval process works (Hamburg). I went on a search to find this information and I found out that the center for biologics evaluation and research is responsible for this. Also that they do this in 3 phases, the first being the

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conduction of safety studies on a small group of individuals closely monitoring them. Then they do the same with hundreds in phase 2 and finally, thousands in phase 3 before its a proved and the vaccine hits the market. (Hamburg). With information in hand now Id like to turn to reasons people are against vaccines. Through my research I found two good points in a book entitled Vaccines: Are They Really Safe and Effective. One was that it is possible for any vaccine to cause immune suppression, not vaccinating can give children and adults the opportunity to build a strong immune system to fight off a disease (86). Another is that vaccines can clog and disrupt the lymphatic system eventually leading to leukemia and other lymph disorders (90). As students enter high school and college one should think about the fact that it is required to get certain vaccines. For example, I could not start taking college classes until I received my Meningococcal vaccine for Meningitis. Understanding that all that these institutions and government are trying to do is protect but some feel that it should be their choice. On the contrary, its time to look at the other side those who are for vaccination. Just taking a look at the charts put out by the CDC for certain diseases, one can find a steady decrease over time. For example, in the United States from the year 1951-2001, cases of Measles dropped from 700,000 to nearly nothing (Freiden). Some people might think about the possibility of others getting sick from their own disease. For example someone who is vaccinated against the flu and doesnt contract the disease versus someone who rejects it and gets sick, thus giving the disease to close family and friends. Some might feel that its one of the best ways to prevent that.

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Finally, I conclude with what I take away with all of this. After all of the information I feel that it is important to vaccinate. Even though there are inherent flaws and uncertainties attached to vaccines, the benefits far outweigh the risks and we should do our best to protect ourselves and others. We should all take away our own opinion and with the knowledge in hand, we can do just that.

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Works Cited

Bioreactor. Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, N.D. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. Freiden, Thomas. Vaccination Safety. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 25 Sept. 2013. Web. 18 Nov. 2013 Hamburg, Margaret. Vaccines, Blood & Biologics. Vaccines. Food and Drug Administration, 10 Apr. 2013. Web. 15 Nov. 2013. Miller, Johnathan. Personal Interview. 5 Nov. 2013. Miller, Neil Z. Vaccines: Are They Really Safe and Effective? Santa Fe, NM: New Atlantean, 2002. Print. Smithson, Terry. Respect the Facts: Protect Your Child. Colorado Childrens Immunization Coalition, Sept. 2010. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.