9 Disease-Preventing Vaccines That Changed Humanity Forever

Vaccines work against diseases by equipping the immune system with antibodies before any potential contact with the infecting agents. While all diseases spread differently, vaccines offer a robust protection against fatal symptoms and death.

Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, discussions surrounding vaccine research and development have been inserted into the public sphere. While naysayers will have you believe that vaccines are an evil capitalist conspiracy, countless human lives have been saved since the first vaccine against contagious diseases was developed in 1896 to prevent the deadly smallpox virus.

In this list, we refer to 9 deadly diseases that were brought under control using effective vaccines:

Smallpox

English doctor Edward Jenner noticed that milkmaids who had recovered from cowpox, a relatively milder ailment, were protected from smallpox. To this end, he decided to create an antibody formula against the then-dangerous smallpox in 1796.

Smallpox has now been eradicated, and Jenner's canon creation in the form of vaccine has saved roughly 530 million lives.

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Rabies

Caused by a dog bite or a bat bite, rabies is a viral infection of the brain which inflames it and causes impairment in spinal cord function as well. It mostly always is fatal after reaching this stage.

The vaccine for rabies was developed in 1885 by Louis Pasteur, who administered the first dose himself.

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Tetanus

Tetanus is caused by bacteria which invades the body and produces poison to cause muscle contractions. Also known as lockjaw, the disease causes the infected person's jaw and neck muscles to lock, making it almost impossible to open the mouth and to swallow anything.

The first vaccine against tetanus was developed by a team of German scientists led by Emil von Behring in 1890. In 1924, the first tetanus toxoid was discovered and produced.

Typhoid

A bacterial infection, typhoid causes high fever, vomiting, and diarrhea. Usually passed through infected food and water, the infection can be fatal sometimes.

The vaccine against Typhoid was developed by British pathologist Amroth Wright in 1896.

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Whooping cough

A highly contagious respiratory tract infection, whooping causes is signified by a intense coughing following by a wheeze that sounds like "whoop". First available as a licensed vaccine in 1914, the the combined vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and whopping cough was rolled out in 1948.

Before the vaccine was made by Pearl Kendrick and Grace Eldering, 6,000 kids died yearly due to whooping cough.

Flu

Considered a common viral infection, the flu is largely seasonal and can be fatal among at-risk groups, similar to Covid-19. It attacks the lungs, throat and the nose with symptoms ranging from fever, chills, cough to headaches.

In partnership with US Army, Thomas Francis, Jr and and Jonas Salk served developed the first inactivated flu vaccine in the 1940s.

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Polio

Short for Poliomyelitis, polio is an infectious disease caused by poliovirus. It can cause paralysis and is spread through dirty food and water and from infected people. The first vaccine against polio was developed by Dr Jonas Salk in 1955.

Dr Albert Sabin developed an oral polio vaccine which helped saved millions of lives around the world.

Chickenpox

Caused by the varicella-zoster virus, chickenpox causes itchy rashes with blisters. A highly contagious disease, it can easily spread to the unvaccinated or those who haven't caught the disease.

The vaccine against chickenpox was developed by Michiaki Takahashi. IN 1988, the vaccine was licensed for general use in Japan and Korea. The US licensed the same vaccine in 1995.

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Covid-19

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic saw pharma companies rushing to create a vaccine. Currently, there are 5-6 vaccines being administered around the world to prevent the infection of Covid-19.

The first vaccine against Covid-19 was developed in Russia and called the Sputnik V. It was created by Moscow's Gamaleya Research Institute in collaboration with Russia's defence ministry. Pfizer-Biontech was the first mRNA vaccine in the world wherein the immune system is taught by the vaccine to create antibodies for the virus.

Did you know that vaccines have saved so many lives over the last two centuries? Let us know in the comments below, and don't forget to get vaccinated against Covid-19. For more in the latest happenings from the world of science and technology, continue reading Indiatimes.com.