Topic 5.5
Key Concepts
- Vaccines have played a critical role in eradicating or controlling deadly diseases like smallpox, saving millions of lives and significantly reducing the global burden of infectious diseases.
- The development of vaccines, from early variolation methods to modern advancements, highlights the importance of scientific discovery and innovation in public health.
- Figures such as Edward Jenner, Louis Pasteur, and Ian Frazer have made groundbreaking contributions to vaccine science, laying the foundation for current immunisation practices.
Summary
In this topic, you have learned what vaccines are, their value to society and how they are discovered.
Vaccines contain a microorganism in a weakened, live, or killed state and proteins or toxins from the outside of the germ. They stimulate the body’s adaptive immunity to help prevent disease.
Vaccination is administering a vaccine to help the immune system develop protection.
Vaccines are still being invented today by leaders such as Prof Ian Frazer – these modern-day leaders build their vaccines on the science first developed by leaders such as Jenner and Pasteur.
Extension Activities
Imagine the Impact:
Write a short story, journal entry, or illustrated timeline from the perspective of a historical figure who witnessed the transition from variolation to vaccination. For example, you could write as Lady Montagu, Edward Jenner, or even an anonymous citizen who experienced the impact of smallpox eradication.
Questions to Guide Your Reflection:
How did the changes in medical practices affect this person’s life or community?
What might they have thought about the risks and benefits of these methods?
How would they have reacted to seeing smallpox eradicated in 1980?