Yasmin Williams - HEALTH-WISEWE MAY often be concerned about protecting ourselves from infectious diseases. What can we do? Will it be costly? You can feel assured that we have the ability to protect ourselves!
Immunisation is a very good way to prevent infectious disease. It involves exposing a person's body to a particle called an antigen. This antigen may be a virus or a bacteria in a form which will not produce disease but which will stimulate the immune system which protects the body from disease and produce substances antibodies or 'sensitised' cells (cell-mediated immunity).
At a later date when the body becomes exposed to the relevant germ it would be in a position to 'mount an attack' and prevent illness. This is comparable to the acquisition of natural immunity where a person develops resistance to disease because he/she had the disease and the body is programmed to recognise and defend against a 'repeat attack'. However, disease does not always confer immunity and many diseases which are vaccine preventable can kill or cause significant illness or disability.
The antigen may be a vaccine or a toxoid. A vaccine is a suspension of live or inactivated virus or bacteria and toxoid is 'modified toxin'. Toxin is a disease-causing chemical produced by some bacteria. Toxoid, like the vaccine, produces a protective immune response. An example is 'tetanus toxoid' given to prevent lockjaw or tetanus after an injury, often by a rusty nail or a dog bite in our setting.
Antitoxins and immune globulins are agents given in a situation of acute disease, to protect the body for example, tetanus antitoxin or tetanus immune globulin given may be given to an 'unimmunised' case of tetanus. Hepatitis B immune globulin is similarly given to the 'unimmunised' as appropriate.
Vaccines have been an important tool in the public health war on infectious diseases. It is important to realise that no vaccine is 100 per cent safe or effective. Their use is wisely promoted as benefit outweighs risk.
Immunisation programmes often highlight eradication of a disease as a long-term goal. For example, small pox vaccination resulted in the eradication of this deadly (reported mortality 30 per cent) and disabling (blindness and body scars) disease in 1997, and now there is the Global Polio Eradication programme with the aim of a polio-free world by 2005.
Some people may think of immunising only children but I will share with you a list of immunisations (compiled from that given by (US) Centre for Disease Control and the Merck Manual) for consideration as routine immunisations for adults.
Dr. Yasmin Williams is a family doctor and public health specialist; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.
