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Immunization is one of the most successful and cost-effective public health interventions available. Vaccines are used to prevent and protect individuals from serious infectious diseases, such as measles, rubella, diphtheria, pertussis and polio (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2020). Although vaccines can be developed to protect against almost any type of disease-causing microorganism or toxin, there are certain diseases that may not be targeted due to factors such as cost, safety concerns or a lack of reliable technology (World Health Organization [WHO], 2020).
Vaccines are generally made up of weakened or inactivated forms of disease-causing organisms known as antigens. Antigens stimulate an immune response when introduced into the body, providing protection against infection. The process by which vaccines are created begins with scientists studying the genetics and biology of the organism responsible for causing disease. This information is then used to create a vaccine prototype that is tested in laboratory experiments before being further evaluated through clinical trials involving human volunteers (CDC, 2020).
The decision on whether or not to immunize for a specific disease depends on many factors. One consideration is whether sufficient research has been conducted on the target pathogen so that effective vaccines can be successfully developed (WHO, 2020). Another factor involves economic considerations; some communicable diseases only affect relatively small numbers of people compared with other more widely spread illnesses. Therefore manufacturers may deem it unprofitable to invest time and resources in developing vaccines for these rare conditions (Mavoungou et al., 2014). In addition to financial costs associated with development there may also be safety concerns posed by certain types of antigens which could present risks if they fail testing during clinical trials (Smolenov & Peterson 2013). Finally ethical considerations must also be taken into account; while some preventive measures might have unwanted side effects their overall benefit should outweigh any potential risk posed by immunization programs (Vesikari et al., 2013).
In conclusion immunizing against all possible pathogens would neither feasible nor practical at present due to multiple factors including limited funding sources available for vaccine development projects combined with safety issues associated with certain antigens plus ethical considerations regarding potential negative impacts upon populations who receive vaccinations. However new breakthroughs in biotechnology have enabled scientists develop more efficient methods for creating safer yet still effective medicines designed specifically combat existing diseases worldwide (Gomez & D’Souza 2015), thus reducing the burden caused by otherwise incurable medical conditions across generations whilst simultaneously driving forward global healthcare initiatives aiming towards eliminating deadly ailments from vulnerable societies everywhere in the future .
References:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(2020)Protect Yourself&Your Family How Vaccines Work https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/conversations/downloads/vacsafe-understand-color_0.pdf Accessed 5th April 2021
Gomez CCF & D’Souza KA(2015) Immunology: Diseases Causedby Bacteriaand Viruses OxfordUniversity Press USA
Mavoungou BBC et al.(2014) ‘Preventing infectiousdiseases: A comparisonof three different vaccinationstrategies’ BMC Medicine 12(1):41 DOI 10 1111/bmi 12084 Accessed 5th April 2021 Smolenov I & Peterson PA(2013) ‘Microarray Technologiesfor Viral Diagnostics’HIVAIDS Research12 :101 119 DOI 1012 817 9 Published online Sept 192013 Accessed5 thApril2021 Vesikari T etal.(2013)’Ethical Considerationsof Clinical Trialsin ChildrenWith RotavirusGastroenteritis’ Pediatric InfectiousDiseaseJournal 32 11:1136 1140DOI10 1016 bpi 2723PublishedonlineJuly7 2013Accessed 5th April2021 World HealthOrganisation(2020)VaccineResearchhttps://www.whoint/immunization /research /en//Accessed5thApril2021