¶ … vaccination process is one that dates back as far as the 1700's; the process took place using a needle that was inserted in a smallpox blister that had ruptured and then that same needle would be inserted under the skin of an uninfected individual (Okonek & Peters, p.1). This process did not have a high success rate, but there were instances when this process did prove to be effective at protecting against smallpox outbreaks. In order to understand how a vaccine works one should know some basic terminology. The disease causing organisms contain proteins called "antigens" which stimulate the immune response. The resulting response is the production of "antibodies." These proteins bind to the disease causing organisms and lead to their eventual destruction. In addition, during the immune response "memory cells" are created, these cells remain in one's blood stream and keep the body from contracting the disease (Okonek & Peters, p.2).
An important fact to consider when attempting to create a vaccine for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is the importance of being able to have the body create antibodies. Researchers have revealed details of the first experimental Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) vaccine that actually produces antibodies that attack and kill the kinds of HIV found in humans (BBC Online Network [BBCON], p.1). This breakthrough vaccine was developed by freezing the HIV virus in the act of breaking into a cell. This was accomplished by using a formaldehyde-based solution .Research has proven that the only way to see the proteins that make-up the HIV virus is to see it while breaking into the cell (the virus's most vulnerable state) (BBCON, p.1). In conclusion, the best way to create a vaccine would be to follow the above procedures, then do trials to see how effect the vaccine will be. Once a viable vaccine is created, one can mass-produce the new vaccine for distribution.
Works Cited
BBC Online Network. "Sci/Tech HIV vaccine breakthrough." BBC Online Network 14 Jan. 1999. 30 July 2005 .
Okonek, B.A., & Peters, P.M."Vaccines-How and Why?" The National Health Museum 2005. 30 July 2005 .
