Overview of Immunization
Immunization, or vaccination, is an important part of public health, helping to prevent various diseases. Vaccines have had a significant impact on our health, making diseases that were once deadly much less common now. Because of vaccines, we’re living longer and healthier lives.
The concept of vaccination started back in 1796, when Edward Jenner used a virus found in cows, to protect a 13-year-old boy from smallpox. This led to the creation of the first smallpox vaccine two years later. Since then, vaccines have been developed for many different diseases. In fact, because of widespread vaccination, smallpox was fully eradicated worldwide in 1979.
The World Health Organization prioritizes vaccines and is working toward the goal of every person being vaccinated throughout their life. Part of this goal include the Global Vaccine Action Plan, started in 2012, which is attempting to prevent millions of deaths by 2020 through better access to vaccines. An important milestone in this plan is the worldwide ending of polio.
A vaccine works by helping your body build immunity to a particular disease. When we get sick, our body’s immune system recognizes the germs causing the illness as foreign objects. Vaccines contain a harmless version of these germs, either in a weakened form, killed form, or parts of the germ like a protein. When you get a vaccine, your immune system sees these parts and starts to build a defense against them. This ‘memory’ can help your immune system respond more quickly and effectively if you ever come into contact with the actual disease. Without vaccines, the immune system might not be fast enough to prevent the disease from becoming serious or even fatal.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have given advice on how to administer vaccines safely. This includes social distancing and using personal protective equipment correctly. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) also emphasizes that keeping up to date with regular vaccinations is vital during the pandemic. This stops other diseases from spreading and causing more health problems.
Anatomy and Physiology of Immunization
Vaccines help your immune system protect you from diseases. They do this mainly through two types of cells in your immune system called B-lymphocytes and T-lymphocytes. B-lymphocytes and T-lymphocytes can each respond to different disease-causing antigens. Antigens are like alarm bells that alert your immune system to foreign substances, such as bacteria or viruses that enter your body. Usually, both these cell types work together in a response that’s described as T-cell-dependent immunity.
Sometimes though, an antigen triggers only B-lymphocytes and they start producing antibodies without the help from T-lymphocytes. Antibodies are like your body’s special weapons against harmful invaders. This type of immunity is termed T-cell-independent.
When you get a vaccine, it introduces antigens into your body to kickstart these immune responses. The vaccine material is broken down by immune cells called macrophages. They then display pieces of the antigen on their surfaces using something called major histocompatibility complexes (MHC, which comes in two forms, MHC-I or MHC-II). This display triggers the release of molecules that stimulate more immune responses.
In the case of T-cell-dependent immunity, T-helper cells recognize the antigen and tell B-lymphocytes to reproduce and produce antibodies. As B-lymphocytes multiply, some transform into plasma cells specifically designed to produce antibodies. Different antibodies have different functions, such as neutralizing toxins, damaging the membranes of bacteria to help digest them, preventing viruses from multiplying, and stopping bacteria from sticking to surfaces inside your body.
When a vaccine is introduced, the first antibodies produced are mainly a type called immunoglobulin (Ig) IgM. Over the next few weeks, the immune system starts producing more of another type, IgG. Vaccines can have different forms such as live attenuated vaccines, killed or inactivated vaccines, subunits, or toxoids (like the tetanus vaccine).
Why do People Need Immunization
Childhood vaccinations are very important to protect children from a wide range of viral and bacterial infections and related health issues. These recommendations are different in various areas because susceptibility to diseases varies from place to place. For adults, they should get a flu shot annually and a tetanus-diphtheria vaccine every decade. Additionally, they should get the tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis shot at least once when they’re grown up to protect against whooping cough, which is particularly dangerous for young children or those who can’t be vaccinated.
Furthermore, adults who were born after 1956 and didn’t get vaccinated for measles, mumps, rubella, or chickenpox during their childhood should get these vaccinations as adults. Vaccinations for human papillomavirus, hepatitis A, and hepatitis B are also suggested for adults. The meningococcal vaccine is specifically recommended for adults at a high risk of infections, like college students living in dorms or military personnel in barracks. The pneumococcal vaccine is also advised for adults at high risk for lung infections, such as those suffering from chronic lung disease like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
“Passive immunization” is suggested for people who can’t develop antibodies, like those with a weakened immune system. This type of immunization is also used when a person may develop a particular disease before their body can produce enough antibodies to fight off the disease – the example given here is rabies exposure. If someone is exposed to rabies, they may develop the disease before their body can produce the necessary antibodies through the standard (or “active”) immunization process.
The COVID-19 vaccine is recommended for anyone over the age of six months, even those who have previously had a SARS-CoV-2 infection. This includes people who are still experiencing long-term symptoms after recovering from COVID-19.
When a Person Should Avoid Immunization
It’s quite uncommon for someone to not be able to get vaccinated, but it does happen. The main reason someone can’t get a vaccine is if they are allergic to it, or any of the ingredients in it. People with weakened immune systems, like those who have acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or another immune deficiency, need to be careful when getting a vaccine that contains a weakened version of the live virus. These kind of vaccines should not be given to pregnant women unless there is a very high risk, like during a polio outbreak, because there’s a chance the live vaccine could harm the unborn baby.
People with severely compromised immune systems typically should not receive live vaccines. It’s also important to think twice before vaccinating a child who is currently dealing with a moderate to severe illness, whether or not they have a fever. This is because it can be hard to figure out if a fever after vaccination is because of the illness or a reaction to the vaccine, and this can make it more difficult to manage the illness.
According to the CDC, children with severe combined immunodeficiency or a past history of intussusception, a condition where part of the intestine slides into the next part, should not get the rotavirus vaccines. And according to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, if a patient has a history of encephalopathy, a type of brain disease, within seven days after getting a vaccine that contains pertussis (whooping cough), they should not get more doses of any vaccine that contains pertussis.
Equipment used for Immunization
Immunizations, also known as vaccines, are given using syringes and clean needles. The specific size and kind of syringe and needle used can vary. This depends on the vaccine being given, how it’s being administered, and what the doctor prefers. The doctor will also wear personal protective equipment, like medical gloves. To make sure the area on the skin is clean before giving the vaccine, alcohol or another type of skin cleaner is used. Once the vaccine has been administered, a simple band-aid, or a piece of gauze and tape, can be used to cover the area.
Who is needed to perform Immunization?
Immunizations, also known as vaccines, are given by a range of healthcare professionals. These individuals have different roles and responsibilities in healthcare but are all qualified to administer vaccines. These include medical assistants, practical nurses (nurses that are licensed to do many tasks including giving medicine and treatments), registered nurses (nurses that have graduated from a nursing program and have a license), nurse practitioners (advanced practice registered nurses), physician’s assistants (health professionals who practice medicine as a part of a healthcare team with physicians), physicians (medical doctors), pharmacy technicians (persons who assist pharmacists), and pharmacists themselves.
Preparing for Immunization
Vaccines are made differently based on who creates them. Many vaccines are combinations that protect against more than one disease. These include the measles, mumps, rubella (known as the MMR vaccine), and tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis vaccines. Vaccines might be packaged in single doses, or multiple doses. Some come ready to inject in a syringe, while others have to be put into a syringe from a vial before being given.
If you’re taking antiviral drugs like acyclovir, famciclovir, or valacyclovir, you should stop taking them 24 hours before getting the varicella (chickenpox) vaccine. It’s also advised that you shouldn’t take these antiviral medications for 14 days after getting the varicella vaccine. This helps make sure the vaccine can work as effectively as possible.
How is Immunization performed
Usually, vaccines are given through a method called “intramuscular injection”, which means they are injected directly into a muscle. Some vaccines, however, are given differently and are administered either under the skin (this is what “subcutaneous” means) or through the skin (referred to as “transdermal”).
Possible Complications of Immunization
Just like any other medicines, vaccines can sometimes cause side effects too. After getting a vaccine, some people may experience mild symptoms like a fever, tiredness, or muscle aches. These symptoms are actually a sign that your immune system is reacting to the vaccine and starting to build protection against the disease. Usually, these symptoms only last for a couple of days. You may also have some swelling or redness where the vaccine was given, and that spot might be sore.
Very rarely, some people might have a severe allergic reaction to the vaccine or one of its ingredients, known as anaphylaxis. An even rarer side effect is something called Guillain-Barre Syndrome, which affects your nerves. Guillain-Barre is very rare and can be life-threatening. It starts with tingling and weakness and can cause paralysis, even of the muscles you use to breathe. It’s not clear why some vaccines might cause Guillain-Barre.
Remember, while these side effects might sound scary, they’re extremely unusual. For most people, the benefit of getting vaccinated and protecting themselves from serious diseases is much greater than the small risk of side effects.
What Else Should I Know About Immunization?
Vaccinations are very important for keeping people healthy. They help to prevent diseases and make our lives longer and better. However, some people are against vaccinations. Because of this, diseases that we thought were gone for good are starting to come back. It’s unfortunate that vaccines are sometimes not considered as important as they should be by doctors and patients.
For kids, parents often do not know when their kids should get each vaccine. This means that sometimes kids do not get all the vaccines they should on time. Another main reason why kids might not get their vaccines on time is because they miss their doctor’s appointments. Systems have been developed to remind patients about their appointments and these have been successful in making sure more people get vaccines on time.