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[[Image:Vaccine.jpg|right|thumb|350px|[[Avian flu]] vaccine development]]

[[Image:Vaccine.jpg|right|thumb|350px|[[Avian flu]] vaccine development]]

A '''vaccine''' is an injection of a specialized [[protein]] designed to create an immunity to a particular disease (see [[antigen]]). The primary mechanism that a body uses to identify infections is a protein molecule called an [[antibody]]. The ingredients of vaccines used today are available from the [[CDC]].<ref>http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/downloads/appendices/B/excipient-table-2.pdf</ref>

A '''vaccine''' is an pharmaceutical product containing an [[antigen]] designed to stimulate the production of antibodies abainst a particular disease or diseases.  

Traditionally a few highly tested vaccines were mandatory for children to protect against deadly or severe diseases, such as [[smallpox]] and [[polio]]. In the 1990s, vaccine manufacturers began introducing and persuading states to require numerous additional vaccines for non-deadly and even sexually transmitted diseases. About one-third of the states have philosophical exemptions entitling parents to decline the vaccines; 48 out of 50 states have religious exemptions; all states have medical exemptions, but they are hardest to obtain.<ref>http://www.nvic.org/state-site/state-exemptions.htm</ref><ref>http://www.vaccinesafety.edu/cc-exem.htm</ref>

Other diseases that have been drastically reduced since the invention of vaccines include [[measles]], [[mumps]], [[rubella]], and typhoid.{{cn}}

 

If the body produces an antibody against a particular disease or toxin it can identify the infection early on and the [[immune system]] can destroy it. Vaccines work by exposing the body to a form of the disease in such a way that it is much less likely cause illness but still allows antibodies to develop. This confers a level of immunity to the organism vaccinated.<ref>http://www.howstuffworks.com/immune-system7.htm How stuff works: Antibodies</ref>

 

There are four major types of vaccines and they are differentiated by what antigen is used. Live attenuated vaccines are created from the actual disease in question, however before injection the [[pathogen]] is [[attenuated]] (weakened) by growing successive generations of the pathogen in poor nutrient conditions. It is possible for these vaccines to still cause an infection. Inactivated vaccines are created from pathogens that have been killed, usually with the use of a preservative [[formaldehyde]]. Toxoid vaccines are created by using toxins produced by the pathogen, before injection these toxins are exposed to heat and chemicals that inactivate the toxins, but [[antibodies]] that are produced to these deactivated toxins will also protect against the real toxin. Finally, component vaccines use pieces of the pathogen in the injection. These pieces often consist of unique protein segments that stimulate the production of antibodies.<ref>http://www.drspock.com/article/0,1510,4866,00.html The Main Types of Vaccine</ref>

Since the adoption of mass vaccination programs, many diseases have been curbed. [[Smallpox]], a deadly disease responsible for the deaths of millions, has been entirely eliminated through vaccination, excepting some strains maintained for research. Responsible for an estimated 300 to 500 million deaths worldwide in the 20th century, vaccination programs of the 19th and 20th century were effective at curbing the disease, and in 1979 the World Health Organization declared smallpox to be eradicated.

Since the adoption of mass vaccination programs, many diseases have been curbed. [[Smallpox]], a deadly disease responsible for the deaths of millions, has been entirely eliminated through vaccination, excepting some strains maintained for research. Responsible for an estimated 300 to 500 million deaths worldwide in the 20th century, vaccination programs of the 19th and 20th century were effective at curbing the disease, and in 1979 the World Health Organization declared smallpox to be eradicated.

[[Polio]], for example, killed over 3,000 people in the United States in 1952 [http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/vsus/VSUS_1952_2.pdf], and afflicted such noted persons as President [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]], actor Alan Alda, and musician Itzak Perlman. When doctors began using a vaccine to fight polio, it practically eradicated the disease in the developed world.  

[[Polio]], for example, killed over 3,000 people in the United States in 1952 [http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/vsus/VSUS_1952_2.pdf], and afflicted such noted persons as President [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]], actor Alan Alda, and musician Itzak Perlman. When doctors began using a vaccine to fight polio, it practically eradicated the disease in the developed world.  

==Influenza Vaccine==

==Influenza Vaccine==

Bulging or swollen [[fontanelle]]s have been linked with many vaccines commonly given to infants, such as the [[diptheria]]-[[tetanus]] (DPT) vaccine. Many families, out of concern for their child's health, have sought legal justice for the potential health damage.<ref>http://legaljustice4john.com/fontanellebulging.htm</ref>

Bulging or swollen [[fontanelle]]s have been linked with many vaccines commonly given to infants, such as the [[diptheria]]-[[tetanus]] (DPT) vaccine. Many families, out of concern for their child's health, have sought legal justice for the potential health damage.<ref>http://legaljustice4john.com/fontanellebulging.htm</ref>

== Common Misconceptions Surrounding Vaccines ==

== Common Misconceptions Surrounding Vaccines ==