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Are parents still taken in by the immunization mantra? Not quite. They now want information on what is being injected into or administered orally to their babies. They want categorical assurances on safety of vaccines and evidence of long term immunity against disease.
When a disease causing micro–organism enters the body, the immune system is stimulated to fight the invader. The fighter cells produce antibodies to neutralize the invasion. If the individual’s immune mechanism is compromised by poor nutrition or environmental hygiene, or drug abuse, the body takes a longer time to marshal its response.
Vaccines are injections that contain small amounts of bacteria or virus, with the harmful elements removed. Bacteria causes diseases such as diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus, while viruses lead to polio, hepatitis, rubella, measles, mumps, chicken pox and rabies. When vaccines are injected, they artificially stimulate the body to produce antibodies. Consequently, when the real invader enters, the system is already geared to recognize the enemy and antibodies are promptly released to do battle.

Vaccine manufacturing relies on the use of live organisms. These are ‘Cultured’ (grown) in the laboratory. For multiplication, the bacteria or virus depends on the presence of other micro–organisms that it can feed on – and these are provided by animal or human cells. By entering the cell and destroying it, the organism then finds the means to grow.
The organism is killed or kept alive depending on the specific vaccine requirement. For instance, vaccines like oral polio, rubella, measles and mumps utilize the live but weakened (attenuated) virus. The rabies and the Salk polio vaccine utilize the ‘Killed’ virus which undergoes treatment with heat and drugs. Although dead, the parasite still stimulates an antibody response.

Read more: Why Vaccinate Children?