Raphael Louis
Vaccination has made an enormous contribution to global and public health. Two major infections, smallpox, and rinderpest have been completely eradicated. Global coverage of vaccination against many important infectious diseases of childhood has been enhanced dramatically. Since the creation of vaccines involves scientists and medical experts from around the world, it usually requires 10 to 15 years of research before the vaccine is made available. The first step of this extensive process involves several years of laboratory research, in which scientists and researchers identify an antigen that can prevent and cure a disease.
Despite these successes, approximately 6.6 million children still die each year and about a half of these deaths are caused by infections, including pneumonia and diarrhoea, which could be prevented by vaccination. Usually, vaccine contains a part of a germ, such as bacteria or virus, that is called an antigen. For the most part, the antigen is usually separated or disabled before it is used to make the vaccine, so there is a chance it can make you sick. Accordingly, antigens are substances, often a protein, that stimulate the body to produce an immune response to protect itself against attacks from future disease exposure.