Vaccines against the human papillomavirus, measle, mumps, and rubella

 Vaccines against the human papillomavirus, measle, mumps, and rubella

Vaccines are an important part of keeping humans safe but historically a lot of people seem to be against them.  In the age of COVID-19 people seem to be changing their minds about vaccines due to the pandemic nature of COVID-19. Looking at older vaccines such as ones against smallpox, human papillomavirus, measles, mumps, and rubella we can see a different view on them.

The way vaccines function is to make our bodies be prepared to protect themselves against the disease if the body is exposed to it. The vaccine will emit a small nondangerous piece of the organism, then your body will learn and build a new antibody. Now the body knows how to defend against this organism.  Later if the body does encounter this organism it already has antibodies to fight against the pathogen.

One person having the vaccine will help their fight if they happen to get the disease. But some people have bad reactions to certain components of vaccines so they are unable to get them. To help protect these people it's important to know about herd immunity, this allows a community to protect the ones who are not vaccinated by being able to fight off the disease and stop spreading to ones in danger. 

 

Besides the people who are advised by a medical professional to not receive a vaccine, there are other people who chose not to get vaccines and are against it. Different reasons include some such as false studies that spread lies and having the inconvenience of getting them. An example of a vaccine that many people do not take is the flu vaccine which is needed once a year and doesn't cover all strains of the flu.  People will simply not take it for feeling it is unnecessary. 

In conclusion vaccines against different diseases are very important to protect ourselves, and have been used as early as 1798.  Vaccines are used to make our bodies stronger and ready to fight off disease. They also protect those who are unable to get vaccinated for medical reasons from the spreading of disease.  

References

Boulanger, Amy. “Anti Vaxxers: Understanding Opposition to Vaccines.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 14 Nov. 2014, https://www.healthline.com/health/vaccinations/opposition#results.

---. “Vaccines: Who Should Avoid Them and Why.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 20 June 2018, https://www.healthline.com/health/vaccinations/immunization-complications.

“How Do Vaccines Work?” WHO | World Health Organization, https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/how-do-vaccines-work. Accessed 6 May 2021.

“Timeline | History of Vaccines.” History of Vaccines - A Vaccine History Project of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia | History of Vaccines, https://www.historyofvaccines.org/timeline/all. Accessed 10 May 2021.