What is Vaccine?

Since the discovery of vaccine, many of the diseases (including those with super high mortality rate like rabies and tetanus) can be prevented.

Unknown to many (maybe you already know), vaccines actually are not that different from the natural way our body produces or develops immunity.

So, vaccine uses this process to simulate/boost/develop or immunity toward certain pathogen. It actually contain parts of the virus/bacteria or the whole virus/bacteria that is either dead or severely crippled (so as to not cause the real disease).

The antigens that these vaccines carry will be taken up as foreign antigens, which will then be registered by our immune system. Specific antibodies will be produced and the white cells will be ready to search and eliminate the pathogens.

So what about the vaccines that prevents cancer?

Vaccines (as at the time of this article) don't actually directly prevent cancer themselves. They prevent the viruses/bacterias that cause cancers.

For example, HPV and cervical cancer. The HPV vaccine which became available just not too long ago were used to stop Human Papilloma Virus, which causes 90% of the cervical cancer cases.

To know more about vaccines, please do comment your questions below, or visit your doctor. 😉