The First Vaccine: A Turning Point in the History of Medicine

One of the most remarkable achievements in the history of medicine has been the development of vaccines. Vaccination plays a significant role in protecting our immune system, as it helps our immune system become familiar with a specific virus. In the future, if our body comes into contact with this virus, the immune system will be able to recognize and fight it off effectively. 

The rationale against immunization is to activate our body’s adaptive immunity. This process occurs by exposure to the antigen in a form that does not cause disease but stimulates the immune system. The activation of adaptive immunity causes the formation of memory cells. Thus, when we are exposed to the same antigen, our body is protected since it has developed immune memory. Vaccinations, or immunizations, work by triggering an adaptive immune system response. The vaccine helps develop long-term immunity, usually following recovery from naturally occurring infections. 

Vaccine development occurs in three phases. Phase one of vaccine development evaluates the vaccine’s safety and ability to generate immune responses among a small number of people. The second development phase tests hundreds of individuals to determine the correct dosage level. The final phase tests thousands of individuals to analyze the safety and effectiveness of the drug. These phases conclude the vaccine life cycle, which strives to maintain safety at every phase.

The first vaccine was developed in 1796 by the English physician Edward Jenner against smallpox, an infectious disease caused by the variola virus. During this time, mortality from smallpox was extremely high, with the mortality rate for children reaching 90%. In an attempt to solve this issue, Jenner used cowpox as a vaccine against smallpox since the cowpox virus offered protection against the related smallpox virus. Thus, Jenner inoculated a boy with material from cowpox blisters and later exposed him to smallpox. The boy’s survival initiated the spread of this method, which dramatically decreased the number of smallpox cases. The process is called vaccination since “Vaccinia” is a mild disease caused by cowpox.

From the introduction of the smallpox vaccine in the eighteenth century to the advanced vaccines available today, the development of vaccines highlights the ongoing efforts to combat infectious diseases and drastically improve global health. 

Thank you for reading,

Ilana Saidov

Sources: 

Vancurova, Ivana. “Suppression and Activation Immunotherapies; Vaccination.” Lecture.

Shors, Teri. Understanding Viruses. 3rd ed., Jones and Bartlett Learning, 2017.