Science & Public Health Vaccination started in the 1790’s after Edward Jenner performed the first vaccination in 1796. During Jenner’s time, 30-60% of people were diagnosed with smallpox and killed about 400,000 person per year, estimating a total of about 300-500 million deaths. Jenner noticed that the milk maids had fair skin and were immune to smallpox. He formulated a hypothesis that maids were exposed to cowpox and were therefore immune the to the deadly smallpox and he was correct. What he came up with was the idea to inject cowpox into humans with smallpox to cure them and this began the first ever vaccination.
What is the purpose of immunization programs? How do these programs work? Have they been successful at preventing
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A vaccine contains a weakened antigen, or a specific part of a bacteria or virus. However, the weakened bacteria or virus is not strong enough to infect you with a disease. Instead, the weakened bacteria or virus will be spotted by one of your antibodies and send a signal to your internal adaptive system to build a long lasting antibody that will kill the weakened bacteria or virus, and remember it’s identity. If parts of the bacteria or virus was injected from the vaccine, then your antibodies will remember how to defeat incoming bacteria and viruses of the same kind for many years to come. On the other hand, if a whole weakened bacteria or virus was injected, your memory cells will remember the bacteria or virus for the rest of your lifetime according to the New York State Department of Health, “...B cells [and the antibodies they create] can stay in your body for a lifetime and allow your body to remember the germ that stimulated their creation. Throughout your life, these cells will recognize and fight the actual disease caused by the germ when and if you come into contact with it.” The second time your body faces the disease again, your body will already have memorized the disease and call for an immediate immune response where your body will protect you from the disease before you even feel any