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Andrew Santos
Professor Holly Batty
English 113a
14 November 2014
Essay #3
Introduction
Vaccines are arguably the most controversial triumph in science. Most people claim that
vaccines are great because of their ability to stop epidemics. Others may not concede to these
comments and say that it is an unnatural way an it may lead to further dangers in the future as
seen in bestselling novel The Postmortal. In this website the argument will be how can vaccines
be helpful by presenting different articles from trained professionals that work in the field. I will
demonstrate many opinions from different people and compare them to my personal.
Although many people are starting not to take them in the present because theyre
unnatural, Im going to stick to my moral values on what is the greater good and fight for my
race as vaccines have helped the human race survive many years and have eradicated epidemics.
This will be the way I will explain how vaccines are generous to the human race.
History of the vaccines
Vaccines have helped many people throughout the years. Since the early 1000s it started
when the Chinese smallpox inoculation (the introduction of a pathogen or antigen into a living
organism to stimulate the production of antibodies) was practiced and treated. But it all didnt
end there as Edward Jenners innovations begun with his successful 1796 use of cowpox material
to create immunity to smallpox, quickly made the practice widespread. His method underwent
medical and technological changes over the next 200 years, and eventually resulted in the

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eradication of smallpox. Louis Pasteurs 1885 rabies vaccine was the next to make an impact on
human disease. (vaccines.gov)
How do Vaccines Work?
Vaccines teach the immune system by mimicking a natural infection. When a person
receives a vaccine, the body reacts by making protective substances called "antibodies". The
antibodies are the body's defenders because they help to kill off the germs that enter the body. In
other words, vaccines expose people safely to germs, so that they can become protected from a
disease but not come down with the disease.(vaccines.gov )
Various specialized cells, each type designed to fight disease in a specific way, carry
much of the immune systems work out. The invading microbes first run into the vanguard of
this army, which includes white blood cells called macrophages (literally, big eaters). The
macrophages engulf as many of the microbes as they can. These macrophages sound the alarm
for specialized defensive white blood cells called lymphocytes, which are called T cells and B
cells.(vaccines.gov)
An example for this would be the yellow fever vaccine, first widely used in 1938,
contains a weakened form of the virus that doesnt cause disease or reproduce very well. Human
macrophages cant tell that the vaccine viruses are weakened, so they engulf the viruses as if
they were dangerous. In the lymph nodes, the macrophages present yellow fever antigen to T
cells and B cells. A response from yellow-fever-specific T cells is activated. B cells secrete
yellow fever antibodies. The weakened viruses in the vaccine are quickly eliminated. The mock
infection is cleared, and humans are left with a supply of memory T and B cells for future
protection against yellow fever. (vaccines.gov)

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Vaccines Today
The middle of the 20th century was an active time for vaccine research and development.
Methods for growing viruses in the laboratory led to rapid discoveries and innovations, including
the creation of vaccines for polio which reached epidemic proportions in the early 1900s in
countries with relatively high standards of living, at a time when other diseases such as
diphtheria, typhoid, and tuberculosis were declining.
Researchers targeted other common childhood diseases such as measles, mumps, and
rubella, and vaccines for these diseases reduced the disease burden greatly. Innovative
techniques now drive vaccine research, with recombinant DNA technology and new delivery
techniques leading scientists in new directions. Disease targets have expanded, and some vaccine
research is beginning to focus on non-infectious conditions such as addiction and allergies. The
ongoing epidemic has been the Ebola virus that originated in West Africa researchers are looking
for a vaccination but to no avail.
Article #1
Mandatory Vaccinations: No Middle Ground by Erin Walkinshaw
This article discusses the argument about the possibility of the government implementing
mandatory vaccinations and how people are reacting to it in Canada. He interviews professionals
and asks them their opinions on the matter. Some say it should be mandatory to school children
and health care workers because theyre more at risk than anyone but that there would be
exemplifications for everybody. Others contradict saying that the mandatory vaccinations arent
completely trustworthy and the vaccines themselves are still considered an experiment.

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Dr. Ian Gemmill, past chair of the Canadian Coalition of Immunization Awareness and
Promotion, a nongovernmental advocacy organization states, Immunizations are the safest,
longest-lasting and most effective way to prevent communicable diseases.

The numbers suggest that mandatory immunization policies are appropriate in certain
environments, says Gemmill. There are some circumstances, like schoolchildren [and] for sure,
health care workers, where there are compelling arguments that can be made and should be
respected around requiring people to be immunized. But its not true for every single vaccine and
every single circumstance. He adds In those kind of situations, where there is a true rationale
to control outbreaks and protect individuals, it makes sense that this be made mandatory.
While medical reasons are justification for exemptions, religious and philosophical
arguments dont carry as much cachet, he says. I have more trouble with those but I think we
have to respect the whole issue of religious beliefs.
Legislated vaccination policies are acceptable as long as the exemptions are broad
enough to ensure people still have a right to choose, argues Trueman Tuck, managing director
of the Canadian Coalition for Health Freedom.
Other even object a mandatory program with exemptions. Invasive medical procedures
of any kind that carry a risk of injury and death must always be left to the discretion of the
patient, or the patients parents in terms of a minor, says Edda West, coordinator for the
Vaccination Risk Awareness Network. Public health care officials are coercing parents by not
informing them of their choice. Moreover, vaccinations should never be made mandatory
because they carry the risk of injury and death and are essentially experimental, she adds.

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Opponents also argue that more parents would object to vaccinations if they knew the
frequency of adverse reactions. But Canadians have no way of knowing how often those occur
because governments dont make those numbers public says West.
Gemmil ends the interview by saying Its a shame people dont remember the damage
diseases such as whopping cough and measles did in the past, if they remembered that I think
they would be like our grandparents. They would have no second thought. It would be obvious
that a vaccine is not only desirable but essential as part of a childs health.
I could compare this to how some people protested against the cure in The Postmortal.
They didnt want to live an unnatural life and this is how it is reflected in the real world from a
religious perspective. I have had many different points of view by reading this article and I could
understand how people wouldnt want to live an unnatural life.
Article #2
In this article the author explains what are vaccines and how have they helped us
throughout our lifetime. Douek gives comments about his research saying that there might be a
possibility of treating the cancer and HIV. Vaccines and research have allowed us to fight and
prevent some of the epidemics that we have had and he fully supports them. The author is a
scientist and does research on human immunology. He is very inclined to vaccines and thinks
theyre a major building block in the future. He explains what are vaccines and how they could
help us to fight other possible viruses or diseases in the future by backing his facts up with
showing other scientists discoveries and theories. His article gives a good scientific and in detail
explanation to what vaccines are.
One of the great success stories of medicine must surely be the development of vaccines
that elicit protective immunity against infections. Since the introduction of the first widely used

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vaccine against smallpox, vaccines against more than 24 infectious pathogens have been
licensed, saving countless lives, preventing needless suffering, and fostering socioeconomic
stability. Yet, at the same time, infectious diseases for which there are no vaccines claim millions
of lives yearly. Pathogens such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), tuberculosis, and
malaria have proven elusive and a more challenging target for vaccine development he states.
He concludes his article by saying Vaccine development is not a linear endeavor; rather,
many factors must conspire to fund, design, produce, and deliver effective vaccines to improve
the health of humanity. He has convinced me that vaccines could be a major help and I feel like
this could go out to many people and explain them their use by specialist on immunizations
himself.
Article #3
The author talks about vaccines as a triumph in medicine. And states that despite all of
the research we still havent found the vaccine for every illness. There are still some poor
countries that still get the diseases that we have had a vaccine for since they are hard to mobilize.
The vaccines are hard to maintain because they have to be at temperature level and to not spoil
them in harsh environments. But even though he is afraid of these diseases arising he states that
he has confidence in the powerful government and industry.
I feel that if the The Postmortal had a better government and could run the economic of
the world it would have all worked out. I dont have faith that this would work and feel as if the
fate as of what happened in The Postmortal is inevitable.

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Conclusion
These articles has given me a better view of what are vaccines and given me a better
reasoning when thinking about the controversial argument if they are necessary of not. Now I
understand why the people in the book didnt like the vaccines and why some people in the
present dont take them. My answer to this argument is that many people may be entitled to their
different points and some of them have a lot of reasoning behind them but Im thinking about the
future I would want there to be many more generations after ours and by having vaccines is the
way to go. And by these articles I have supported my point about vaccines having stopped the
epidemic of polio and the smallpox. Aside from that is has also been used through thousands of
years and the future research there might be behind vaccines is imaginable. It is a vital part for
the future of the human race and I would encourage people to use it.