💉just look away, this will be quick.

from smallpox to the flu: vaccines and their entirety

in honor of the one and only beloved flu season, we are going to talk about what prevents us from going back to the pandemic of 1918 and many more tragedies. vaccines have been one of the most important and greatest innovations in modern medicine, saving countless lives from the spread of disease. as flu season approaches, we should probably play a little homage to what protects us every year. 

📷 photo courtesy of CDC

small pox: the first killer 

the history of vaccines goes all the way back to the 18th century, when smallpox was very infectious and killed millions of people within populations around the world. but, this would be solved when edward jenner, an english physician, came up with a discovery based on an observation he had made. he observed how milkmaids contracted cowpox, were immune to smallpox. jenner than took material from an infected cowpox sore, and inoculated it into the arm of a boy named james phipps. after exposing this boy to smallpox, he found out that phipps did not contract the disease. this was his first successful demonstration of a vaccine, which funny enough, comes from the latin term “vacca” which means cow. 

📷 photo courtesy of WHO (World Health Organization)

how vaccines work 

at their core, a vaccine introduces a component of a pathogen (like a virus for example) into the body. this is usually in the form of a weakened or inactive part of the germ, even sometimes a section of their genetic code. this in turn, triggers the immune system to produce a response, like from antibodies, without actually causing the original disease within the host body. essentially, the body learns to recognize and fight the introduced pathogen if it encounters it again in the future. this helps individuals vaccinated build immunity and contributes to the broader herd immunity. 

the flu challenge 

the flu virus has been proven to be unique in nature because it mutates rapidly, with the strains that circulate annually change every year. unlike the vaccines for diseases like polio, for example, where they provide long-term protection, flu vaccines need to be updated to the new popular strains predicted for that year. since the first flu vaccines were developed during the time of world war ii, vaccinating against the flu has been a regular part of public health efforts. based on this annual research, manufacturers and companies produce vaccines that target those specific strains, reducing the severity and spread of the flu each season. 

to sum it up: next steps 

from the first smallpox vaccine to the annual flu shot your doctor tells you about, vaccines have been an important tool in trying to improve global health by preventing the spread of infectious diseases. 

so this flu season, please take a moment to get your flu shot and your loved ones as well if you can. stay safe everyone!

📚 book recs on the topic

• how vaccines work - by david miles

• you bet your life: from blood transfusions to mass vaccination, the long and risky history of medical innovation - by paul a. offit m.d.

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