The Invention of Vaccinations

Discoveries

Vaccinations allow a body to develop immunity to a pathogen by stimulating the immune system. A vaccine is substance that contains an agent the looks like a pathogen and is typically injected into the bloodstream.

The first lab created vaccine was by French biologist Louis Pasteur, after whom the process pasteurization is named. He was working with chicken cholera. He cultivated the bacteria in chicken broth, but found the bacteria had spoiled and didn’t induce the disease in the chickens. When he tried to inject the same chickens with fresh bacteria he found that they were immune to the disease. Pasteur also created vaccines for anthrax, swine erysipelas and rabies.

Vaccinations work by stimulating the immune system to develop antibodies without actually giving the person the disease. Vaccinations are now commonplace in many medical systems. They have hugely reduced the number of people dying of communicable diseases. Vaccinations have been responsible for the eradication of smallpox.

The first vaccine was delivered to a human was by Edward Jenner. Jenner developed this vaccine in 1796 when he noticed that milkmaids did not catch smallpox if they had been previously infected with cowpox. He injected a boy with material from an infected blister of a woman with cowpox. He later injected the boy again with smallpox, but noted he did not develop the disease. He wrote this in a paper named "An Inquiry into the Causes and Effects of the Variolae Vaccinae", which is where the term vaccine comes from. His paper was translated into many languages and thousands of people were vaccinated as a result.

Important Vaccine Discoveries

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Frequently Asked Questions about The Invention of Vaccinations

What is a vaccine?

A vaccine is a product that helps the body develop protection against specific diseases by stimulating the immune system to recognize and fight germs, such as viruses or bacteria.

How do vaccines work to prevent illness?

Vaccines work by introducing a harmless part of a germ into the body, training the immune system to recognize and fight the real germ if it ever enters the body, helping to prevent illness.

Why are vaccines important for schools?

Vaccines are important for schools because they help protect students and staff from contagious diseases, reduce outbreaks, and create a safer learning environment for everyone.

What are examples of common vaccines given to children?

Common vaccines given to children include the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, polio vaccine, chickenpox vaccine, and the flu shot.

What is the difference between a vaccine and medicine?

A vaccine helps prevent diseases before someone gets sick by building immunity, while medicine is used to treat or cure diseases after someone is already sick.