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Vaccines Topic Homepage
Vaccines Overview
Vaccines are preventative treatments which are used to control infectious diseases. The effective use of vaccines has led to the reduction, and in one case the eradication (smallpox 19791), of many diseases that pose a hazard to human health.
The adaptive immune system plays a vital role in the use of vaccines.2 This is a specialised system that protects the body against foreign pathogens through the...
... mechanisms of antigen recognition and memory.2 On the first encounter with a pathogen, the cells of the immune system identify the antigen and T and B lymphocytes are activated.2 B lymphocytes differentiate into plasma cells and produce specific antibodies against the antigen which will assist in destroying the pathogen.2 After infection, cells are stored, giving effective protection in the event of subsequent encounter by the same pathogen.2
Vaccines work by exploiting this immune response pathway.2 By exposing the immune system to a harmless inactivated or attenuated virus, or a part of the virus, expressing identical epitopes to the live virus, it is possible to prepare the body for infection with this virus. During subsequent exposure, the immune system is able to act quickly, before the disease becomes symptomatic.3
The first vaccine was discovered by Edward Jenner in 1798 and has been used to treat smallpox.1 Subsequently, development of vaccination programs has significantly reduced the prevalence of infectious diseases, such as tetanus4 and diphtheria.5
The current risk of an influenza pandemic is being controlled by the use of vaccines in healthcare professions, and those people at high risk.6 In 2009, a new vaccination programme was introduced. Its aim was to immunise young women against the human papillomavirus (HPV), as this has been shown to cause some cervical cancers.7
Aside from the obvious health benefits and reduced morbidity and mortality rates of the infectious diseases, vaccination programmes have economical benefits. This is particularly true when vaccines are combined, such as in MMR and DTaP/IPV/Hib vaccinations.8
1. Henderson D.A. Encyclopedia of Microbiology Smallpox, Historical. Elsevier Inc. Third Edition. 2009 ; 73-79.
2. DeFranco A. et al. Immunity: the immune response in infectious and inflammatory disease. New Science Press. 2007 : 2-3.
3. Amanna I.J. et al. Contributions of humoral and cellular immunity to vaccine-induced protection in humans. Virology. March 2011 ; 411 (2) : 206–215.
4. Tiwari T. International Encyclopedia of Public Health. Diphtheria. Elsevier Inc. 2008 : 195-199.
5. Thwaites C. International Encyclopedia of Public Health. Tetanus. Elsevier Inc. 2008 : 318-322.
6. Daems R. et al. Anticipating crisis: Towards a pandemic flu vaccination strategy through alignment of public health and industrial policy. Vaccine. December 2005 ; 23 (50) : 5732-5742.
7. Markowitz L. et al. Post-licensure monitoring of HPV vaccine in the United States. Vaccine. July 2010 ; 28 (30) : 4731–4737.
8. Szucs T. Cost-benefits of vaccination programmes. Vaccine. February 2000 ; 18 (18-1) : S49-51.
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Drug News
CHMP recommends approval of Imvanex (Bavarian Nordic) for Smallpox
01-06-2013The EU's CHMP has adopted a positive opinion recommending the granting of a marketing authorization for Imvanex vaccine, from Bavarian Nordic, for active immunization against Smallpox for the...
European Commission approves Hexyon/Hexcima (Sanofi Pasteur) Six in One vaccine
22-04-2013
Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi has announced that the European Commission, on 22 April 2013, approved Sanofi Pasteur’s 6-in-1 pediatric vaccine Hexyon/Hexacima...
UK and German approvals for FLUARIX TETRA (GSK) influenza vaccine
05-04-2013
GSK announced the marketing authorisation of its quadrivalent (four-strain) influenza vaccine in Germany and the UK. Following a decentralised procedure, Germany’s Paul Ehrlich Institut (PEI)...
Vaccines Drug Data - A-Z
Possible searches include drugs or medicines (by brand, generic ingredient or drug class), diseases, conditions and more.
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Recent Drug Updates
Menveo Group A, C, W135 and Y conjugate vaccine
21-05-2013Menveo is indicated for active immunization of adolescents (from 11 years of age) and adults at risk of exposure to Neisseria meningitidis groups A, C, W135 and Y, to prevent invasive disease. The...
Cervarix
07-05-2013Cervarix is a vaccine for use from the age of 9 years for the prevention of premalignant cervical lesions and cervical cancer causally related to certain oncogenic Human Papillomavirus (HPV) types. ...
Meningitec in pre-filled syringe
20-03-2013Active immunisation of children from 2 months of age, adolescents and adults for the prevention of invasive disease caused by Neisseria meningitis serogroup C. The use of Meningitec should be...
Medical Images
Online CME
Pneumococcal Vaccine May Be Effective Against Other Serotypes
Apr 2013
... and any other specialists who provide care for children receiving vaccinations. The goal of this activity is to provide medical news to primary care clinicians and other healthcare professionals in order to enhance patient care.
Clinical Trials
New Methods to Measure the Immune Response to Hepatitis B Vaccine
18-03-2013Hepatitis B vaccine is a safe and effective vaccine used widely throughout the world. Because of this it is a useful vaccine in which to develop new methods for studying immune responses. Measuring the immune response to vaccines helps us to understand how they work and whether they are likely to protect any individual..
... against infection. For most vaccines we measure the immune system's production of antibody after a vaccine has been given. The investigators want to develop new methods that give a far more detailed picture of the antibody response to vaccines than has previously been possible. These methods will investigate the genetic instructions used by each antibody producing cell to make antibody. These methods have the potential to give new insights into the way vaccines work, which could be applied to studying vaccines and vaccine schedules in the future.
A Phase I Study of Candidate Influenza Vaccines MVA-NP+M1 and ChAdOx1 NP+M1
18-03-2013This will be a randomised observational phase 1 study in 48 healthy volunteers aged 18-50. The study is assessing safety and immunogenicity of viral vectored vaccines ChAdOx1 NP+M1 and MVA NP+M1 in heterologous prime-boost regimens. A crossover design will allow comparison of the two vaccines. Volunteers will be..
... divided into 4 groups (n=12 in each group). Groups will be recruited simultaneously to control for seasonal changes in influenza. This is because at certain times of year there is likely to be a higher naturally acquired T cell response to influenza than at other times due to circulating influenza virus in the community.
Medical Videos
Medical Journal Abstracts
Conjugate vaccine introduction in the African meningitis belt: meeting surveillance objectives
Tropical Medcine and International Health
Nov 2012
The epidemiology of bacterial meningitis will change with introduction of meningococcal and pneumococcal conjugate vaccines in the African meningitis belt. The principal objectives of surveillance are to evaluate the impact of vaccination, to detect and investigate epidemics and provide material for research. The..
Adult vaccination in 11 Central European countries – Calendars are not just for children
Vaccine
Jan 2012
As Europe's population ages, disease morbidity and treatment costs in the adult population are likely to rise substantially, making this a pertinent time to review and revise preventive strategies such as vaccination. Vaccine uptake remains a problem for adults and there is a lack of coordinated programmes for..
Social Media
US Task Force says no point in screening for oral cancers
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Frailty. Is it an important clinical syndrome?
on doc2doc... with renal failure, heart failure, liver dysfunction, depressed immune system, undernourished patient and other conditions. Primum non nocere.Careful ...
To vitamin D or not to D? That is the question!
on doc2doc... treatment for rickets. We now know that vitamin D is involved in many immune processes, and a good supply is not just needed for bone health but for ...
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