Understanding the host–pathogen interaction saves lives: lessons from vaccines and vaccinations

Saving time saves lives.

C onsider the following 3 patient stories: Reluctantly, A.B. heaved his bulk out of the air-conditioned car and into the hot, bright afternoon sun. The walk across the steaming macadam parking lot left him breathless, and his hand shook as he buried the cigarette butt into the sand on top of the shining brass receptacle guarding the entrance to the casino. His head pounded with the exertion, an...

Education saves lives.

issue of WMJ describe a community-based social marketing and education campaign created in an attempt to increase immunization rates in vulnerable populations. the authors used interviews to assess how and what neighbors need to know about immunization practices and then developed a series of posters on basic themes directed toward a number of health habits. Some of these messages appeared on b...

Lessons in giving vaccines: soft tissue complications of vaccinations.

Adverse reactions to vaccines vary from the mild to fatal.1 Systemic reactions can be attributed to the vaccine itself, but local reactions are often due to hypersensitivity to other agents in the vaccine. These include adjuvant (e.g. aluminium hydroxide), stabilizers (e.g. gelatin), antibacterial preservatives (e.g. mercury-based thiomersal) and antibiotics (e.g. neomycin). There are many othe...

Simply put: Vaccination saves lives.

Few measures in public health can compare with the impact of vaccines. Vaccinations have reduced disease, disability, and death from a variety of infectious diseases. For example, in the United States, children are recommended to be vaccinated against 16 diseases (1). Table 1 highlights the impact in the United States of immunization against nine vaccine-preventable diseases, including smallpox...

An Ounce of Prevention: Tobacco Control Saves Lives, Saves Money