Vaccination

Starter: What is the difference between passive and active immunity? Learning outcomes: Define vaccine (D) Describe the successful features of an effective vaccination feature (C) Explain ethical issues (B) Interpret data for an example (A)

SPEC REFENCE: 3.1.6

KEYWORDS: VACCINE: ETHICS: MMR: DATA

 How many vaccines have you heard of?

Anthrax, chickenpox, dipthiria, hepititis, influenza, MMR, pneumonia, polio, rabis, shingles, smallpox, tetanus, TB, typhoid, yellow fever

 What is immunity? the ability of an organism to resist infection What is a vaccine? A dead/weak pathogen Introduced into body to stimulate complementary B cells to produce B memory cells Later, if the live pathogen enters your body, B memory cells divide rapidly & differentiate to form many B plasma cells B plasma cells release many antibodies which destroy the pathogens before they have time to damage your body (& make you ill)

Features of a successful vaccination programme

Vaccine must be economically available in sufficient quantities to immunise all the population Few side-effects, if any (so as not to discourage people from getting vaccinated) Means of producing, storing & transporting the vaccine Means of administering the vaccine properly & at the appropriate time (staff training) Vast majority of the population must be vaccinated, at the same time so transmission of the pathogen is interrupted (herd immunity)

Why vaccination does not eliminate a disease entirely

Some people (e.g. with defective immune systems) arent made immune by vaccination People may develop the disease after vaccination but before immunity has developed Pathogen may mutate, changing its antigens so immune system no longer recognise it (e.g. influenza virus) May be many varieties of a pathogen, so cant be vaccinated against all of them Some pathogens hide out of reach from immune system (e.g. cholera pathogen) Some individuals refuse to be vaccinated for religious, ethical or medical reasons (e.g. MMR vaccination)

MMR vaccination protects against ____________________

"Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and is the result of a neurological disorder that affects the normal functioning of the brain, impacting development in the areas of social interaction and communication skills. Both children and adults with autism typically show difficulties in verbal and non-verbal communication, social interactions, and leisure or play activities.

(Autism Society Of America (ASA) )

AfL Criteria of an excellent graph

Correct graph type Title Independent variable on x axis Dependent variable on y axis Label both axes & include units Appropriate scales Data plotted accurately using Xs Line of best fit

A graph to show the link between MMR vaccination & number of cases of autism in the USA, study by Dr Wakefield
600 500 cases of autism in California 400 300 200 100 0 MMR vaccine introduced

year Would you worry if your child was due to be vaccinated?

MMR vaccine
1988, combined vaccine for measles, mumps & rubella introduced into the UK

10 years later a study was published suggesting that there was a higher incidence of autism among children who received the triple MMR vaccine than those who had received separate vaccinations
Parents then opted for (understandably) 3 individual vaccinations or (due to mistrust of vaccinations in general) no vaccination at all, leaving their children unprotected - so the incidence of MMR increased

MMR vaccine cont.

A number of facts have emerged since the first research which linked MMR vaccine to autism: The author was being paid by the Legal Aid Board to discover whether affected children had a legal case Another study in Japan found no link between MMR vaccine & autism The sample size of the initial research was very small (12 children) The journal that published the initial research was not aware of all these facts

A graph to show the link between MMR vaccination & number of cases of autism in the Japan, study by Dr Honda
40 35 MMR vaccine introduced

30
cases of autism per 100,000 in Japan 25 20 15 10 5 0 1988

MMR vaccine banned 1989 1990 1991 1992 year 1993 1994 1995 1996

More detailed research carried out in Japan showed no link between the MMR jab and autism.

 Autism experts point out that many of the symptoms of autism first appear around the age of 14 months. Why is this information relevant to the debate on whether MMR vaccine & autism are linked?
MMR vaccination given & autism symptoms appear at same time

 How might an organisation funding research influence the outcome of that research without dishonestly altering the findings?
Might present findings in incomplete/biased fashion, ignore unfavourable findings, fund only research that is likely to produce evidence that it seeks, withdraw funding for research that seems likely to produce unfavourable findings

 All scientific evidence should be initially treated with caution:

To be universally accepted, a scientific theory must be first critically appraised & confirmed by other scientists in the field. This takes time. Some scientists have vested interests because they are funded by people from organisations who are anticipating a particular outcome from the research Scientists personal beliefs, views & opinions may influence the way they approach or represent their data Facts presented by the media, companies, governments & other organisations may be biased New knowledge may challenge accepted scientific beliefs; theories are being modified all the time!

Plenary
1. What does MMR stand for? 2. What is a vaccine & how does it work? 3. Give 2 reasons why new scientific evidence should be treated with caution Hwk: problems with controlling cholera and TB and REVISION