Vaccination today plays a crucial role in global public health, providing a critical defence against infectious diseases. There is, however, a margin of error in the public perception that a vaccine will never infect the corresponding pathogens. It is urgent that we correct and clarify this misconception.
Vaccines work by stimulating the human immune system to generate antibodies or immunocellary memory for specific pathogens. For example, a new coronary vaccine can induce the human immune system to recognize the new coronary virus’s stabbing protein, thus producing antibodies. When a true new coronary virus is invaded, these antibodies can be rapidly combined to prevent further intrusion into human cells or to mark the virus for immunocell identification and removal, significantly reducing the risk and severity of the infection. Like many people who have received a new corona vaccine, most of them are infected with light diseases, with a significant decrease in the incidence of severe diseases, amply demonstrating the excellent effectiveness of vaccines in preventing serious diseases and reducing mortality.
But the protection of vaccines is not absolute. On the one hand, the effectiveness of vaccine protection is constrained by a number of factors. There are differences in the effectiveness of different vaccines, such as certain influenza vaccines, which can fluctuate between 40 and 60 per cent. This means that even when vaccinated, there is a risk that some segments of the population may not have access to adequate immunization protection and risk infection. At the same time, the health status of the inoculation, such as age, state of health, immune function, etc., has a significant impact on the effectiveness of the vaccine. Groups such as the elderly, children and people with immuno-deficiency may be less responsive to vaccines in their immune systems, with lower levels of antibodies produced or short immuno-immunological memory maintained, thus increasing the likelihood of infection.
On the other hand, the properties of pathogens themselves pose challenges to vaccine protection. Many pathogens, such as influenza virus, new coronary virus, are highly variable. Influenza viruses vary every year, creating new strains of poison; new coronary viruses, such as Delta, Omikron and others, are also emerging. Vaccines are usually developed on the basis of specific strains or antigen designs, and when there is a drug strain with greater variability, vaccine-induced antibodies may not be effectively identified and medium and new strains, leaving the inoculations at risk. In the case of the Omikian variant, there have been several mutations on stingling proteins, which have to some extent affected the protective effects of vaccines, resulting in infection among some of the vaccinated.
Moreover, the timing of vaccinations can gradually diminish their effectiveness. As time passes, the levels of antibodies in human blood will gradually decline, as will the memory of immunosuppressors. For example, studies show that antibody levels are significantly lower after a period of time for new coronal vaccinations, which results in reduced resistance and increased infection rates in the later stages of the disease.
Although vaccines cannot ensure that they are never infected with the corresponding pathogens, they remain our powerful weapon against infectious diseases. Vaccination can be effective in reducing symptoms, severe disease rates and mortality rates, reducing the risk of disease transmission and providing an important safeguard for individual and group health. We need to be properly aware of the role and limitations of the vaccine and be active in vaccination, while maintaining personal protection measures, such as wearing masks, maintaining social distance and handwashing, if we are to better protect ourselves and others in the fight against infectious diseases and to build strong health lines.
