Page 38 - 2024 - Q4 - Minerva in Focus

MINERVA IN FOCUS Health Matters

The lifesaving power

of vaccines

by MedSolutions

Vaccination against
preventable and life-
threatening diseases is a pillar
of public health and remains
one of the most valuable tools
of the medical community.

Immunisations are a global public health suc- Aside from childhood vaccinations, adults with your primary care physician, who is
cess story, saving millions of lives every year. must consult with their primary care phy- familiar with your medical history and risk
A notable example of immunisation is the sician to ensure they are up to date on all factors, to determine which additional vac-
case of smallpox, first noted in 1350 B.C., recommended vaccinations. cines may be necessary. For instance, the
with cases found in Egyptian mummies. fairly recent RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus)
Smallpox killed millions of people over the The vaccines currently consid- vaccine may be recommended for individuals
span of thousands of years. It was very ered essential for adults are the with asthma, COPD, or other risk factors to
easily transmissible, killing three out of ten following: prevent serious respiratory infections.
infected people. With no known cure or vac- • Influenza (flu) vaccine Vaccines train our immune system to react
cine, the global community was, in fact, • Covid-19 vaccine and create antibodies for specific diseases
defenceless against the disease. • Tdap vaccine (protects against before we become sick. However, immuni-
The first vaccination attempts against small- tetanus, diphtheria, and whoop- ty after vaccination may require some time,
pox were recorded as early as 200 B.C. ing cough). Even if vaccinated therefore, it is important to plan ahead. A
According to the World Health Organisation as a child, booster vaccines vaccine may require several weeks to trigger
(WHO), “the ancient practice of variolation (additional doses) are recom- a response in our immune system, and we
(named for smallpox, also known as vari- mended every ten years. should not consider ourselves “protected”
ola or ‘la variole’) was widely used in Asia immediately after a vaccine.
and some parts of Africa. This consisted of Seafarers must be vaccinated for It is important to note that vaccination does
transferring small amounts of material from yellow fever and should also con- not always completely prevent illness. We can
smallpox sores to healthy people, resulting sider vaccinations for: still become infected and ill from the specific
in milder forms of illness and much low- • Hepatitis B disease against which we were vaccinated.
er mortality than natural infection. Written • Meningococcal disease (men- However, in such cases, the symptoms may
accounts from the mid-1500s describe a ingitis) be milder and not life-threatening. Influenza
form of variolation used in China known • Shingles (herpes zoster) and COVID-19 are good examples of this.
as insufflation, where smallpox scabs were • MMR (measles, mumps, It is always best to prevent rather than react
dried, ground, and blown into the nostril rubella) to illness, and vaccination is one of the most
using a pipe” [1]. • Pneumococcus effective ways to protect ourselves and our
The vaccine for smallpox was first introduced families from serious infectious diseases.
in May 1796, and the global eradication of Overall, vaccinations should be discussed
the disease was finally achieved in 1980, as with a primary care physician, who will con- [1]World Health Organisation
declared by the World Health Organisation. sider factors such as age, medical history,
Today, there are vaccines preventing more health status, and itinerary. Booster vac- For more country-specific
than 20 life-threatening diseases, saving cines (additional administration of vaccine information on vaccinations
approximately 3.5 to 5 million lives per year after initial dose) may be recommended for by country, scan the QR Code:
from conditions such as diphtheria, tetanus, certain illnesses to ensure increased effec-
pertussis, measles, influenza, and menin- tiveness (e.g. Tetanus Vaccine, Annual In-
gitis. Vaccination against preventable and fluenza Vaccine, and more).
life-threatening diseases is a pillar of public Every year, the medical community introduc-
health and remains one of the most valuable es new vaccinations and updates vaccination
tools of the medical community. guidelines. It is important to discuss these

36 ISSUE 30 / Q4 2024