The science of modern medicine may appear as sophisticated and technologically advanced to outside observers, and some techniques and pharmacological interventions lead to unstable outcomes or are difficult to forecast. Many patients are successfully treated by them. Yet there remain those illnesses which cannot be treated at all, and a significant proportion of the latter are the result of infection by what are known as viruses. The main imperative in approaching an untreatable virus is vaccine formulation development.
The standard response nowadays to infection is to resort to an antibiotic. However, viruses do not respond to these, because they are not biotic organisms. Technically, they are not alive, so antibiotic measures are useless in trying to eliminate them. Surgery and other procedures, such as radiation, are equally non-applicable. The only sure measure is a vaccine.
The principle behind a vaccine is extremely simple. It is similar to the virus in question, so it elicits the same response in the patient's body, but it does not have the same serious or lethal outcome. It therefore causes the body to start producing antibodies, once the immune system has registered that the virus-like particles are in the system.
These antibodies are only manufactured by the human immune system. They entirely eliminate the viral particles. Once the infection has been destroyed, though, the antibodies remain in the system indefinitely, preventing any future recurrence of that specific virus. By using immunization, life-long immunity is therefore generated without authentic infection taking place.
This is the reasoning behind the vaccination of small children against well-known viral infections such as smallpox or polio. They then remain safe for the rest of their lives, because they already have the viral antibodies in their systems. A basic, cliched illness, like smallpox, may once have been a massive problem to the human population, and the most important intervention in their elimination was the development of the smallpox vaccine.
Some very serious illnesses are caused by viruses, such as AIDS, Ebola, one of the two forms of meningitis, and, as mentioned previously, polio. All of these illnesses can cause permanent negative outcomes or even death. Trying to develop a vaccine to treat them is therefore an important activity in modern medicine, and one which sometimes enjoys attention in the media.
Over time, however, a virus may mutate and return to a medication-resistant state. It either mutates into a new genetic form (strain), or simply develops resistance against the patient's antibodies. As frightening as this may sound, it is an ongoing phenomenon, as seen, for example, in the case of the influenza virus, which presents in a new strain every year. There is no immunization process against it because it mutates too quickly.
As effective as a vaccine may be, the public should also be aware that sensible personal health habits are important too. Observing simple principles of personal safety and health are important in limiting or preventing infections and epidemics, especially where the disease is incurable, such as AIDS. In such cases, there is no vaccine, and so relying on one is neither an option nor is it necessary.
The standard response nowadays to infection is to resort to an antibiotic. However, viruses do not respond to these, because they are not biotic organisms. Technically, they are not alive, so antibiotic measures are useless in trying to eliminate them. Surgery and other procedures, such as radiation, are equally non-applicable. The only sure measure is a vaccine.
The principle behind a vaccine is extremely simple. It is similar to the virus in question, so it elicits the same response in the patient's body, but it does not have the same serious or lethal outcome. It therefore causes the body to start producing antibodies, once the immune system has registered that the virus-like particles are in the system.
These antibodies are only manufactured by the human immune system. They entirely eliminate the viral particles. Once the infection has been destroyed, though, the antibodies remain in the system indefinitely, preventing any future recurrence of that specific virus. By using immunization, life-long immunity is therefore generated without authentic infection taking place.
This is the reasoning behind the vaccination of small children against well-known viral infections such as smallpox or polio. They then remain safe for the rest of their lives, because they already have the viral antibodies in their systems. A basic, cliched illness, like smallpox, may once have been a massive problem to the human population, and the most important intervention in their elimination was the development of the smallpox vaccine.
Some very serious illnesses are caused by viruses, such as AIDS, Ebola, one of the two forms of meningitis, and, as mentioned previously, polio. All of these illnesses can cause permanent negative outcomes or even death. Trying to develop a vaccine to treat them is therefore an important activity in modern medicine, and one which sometimes enjoys attention in the media.
Over time, however, a virus may mutate and return to a medication-resistant state. It either mutates into a new genetic form (strain), or simply develops resistance against the patient's antibodies. As frightening as this may sound, it is an ongoing phenomenon, as seen, for example, in the case of the influenza virus, which presents in a new strain every year. There is no immunization process against it because it mutates too quickly.
As effective as a vaccine may be, the public should also be aware that sensible personal health habits are important too. Observing simple principles of personal safety and health are important in limiting or preventing infections and epidemics, especially where the disease is incurable, such as AIDS. In such cases, there is no vaccine, and so relying on one is neither an option nor is it necessary.
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