In 1954 there were 38476 cases of reported polio in the United States in the same year a mass trial of the polio vaccine began with over 1.3 million children participating in the trial (The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, 2016). Six years later the vaccine was licensed for use and then five years after that the reported cases had dropped to only 72 (Post-Polio Health International, 2008).
The first ever vaccination is often attributed to Edward Jenner in 1796 when he noticed that if someone had contracted cowpox they would not contract smallpox. He tested his hypothesis by inoculating eight year old James Phipps with cowpox. The boy was sick for a few days but eventually recovered from the disease at which point Jenner inoculated him …show more content…
A common example of this is in the influenza virus which can undergo either antigenic shift or antigenic drift which can cause the outer surface of the virus to appear differently to a host previously infected with the virus. This is why there is there is no single vaccine for the influenza virus but instead a new one is usually developed before each flu season that will provide immunity to the strains that scientists believe will be the most prevalent and or dangerous for that season. …show more content…
It causes a non-lethal but debilitating mosquito borne disease known as Ross River Fever – previously known as epidemic polyarthritis – joint pain is the most commonly attributed symptom of RRF but other symptoms include fever, rashes, swelling of the lymph nodes and a fatigue, muscle pain and headaches (Ross River Virus Transmission, Infection, and Disease: a Cross-Disciplinary Review, 2001).
It is thought that the virus is spread to mosquitos from native mammalian and marsupials like kangaroos and wallabies. During outbreaks of RRV such as the one that took place in 1996 it is also believed that mosquitos may acquire the virus from humans. Many people infected do not experience any symptoms, children are particularly immune to the symptoms. The severity of symptoms has also been shown to increase with age (Government of South Australia, 2016). The average incubation period for the virus in a human is between 7 and 9 days with symptoms usually appearing within the first two weeks and usually lasting for between 3 and 6 months but in some extreme cases can last for years (Ross River Virus Transmission, Infection, and Disease: a Cross-Disciplinary Review,
The first ever vaccination is often attributed to Edward Jenner in 1796 when he noticed that if someone had contracted cowpox they would not contract smallpox. He tested his hypothesis by inoculating eight year old James Phipps with cowpox. The boy was sick for a few days but eventually recovered from the disease at which point Jenner inoculated him …show more content…
A common example of this is in the influenza virus which can undergo either antigenic shift or antigenic drift which can cause the outer surface of the virus to appear differently to a host previously infected with the virus. This is why there is there is no single vaccine for the influenza virus but instead a new one is usually developed before each flu season that will provide immunity to the strains that scientists believe will be the most prevalent and or dangerous for that season. …show more content…
It causes a non-lethal but debilitating mosquito borne disease known as Ross River Fever – previously known as epidemic polyarthritis – joint pain is the most commonly attributed symptom of RRF but other symptoms include fever, rashes, swelling of the lymph nodes and a fatigue, muscle pain and headaches (Ross River Virus Transmission, Infection, and Disease: a Cross-Disciplinary Review, 2001).
It is thought that the virus is spread to mosquitos from native mammalian and marsupials like kangaroos and wallabies. During outbreaks of RRV such as the one that took place in 1996 it is also believed that mosquitos may acquire the virus from humans. Many people infected do not experience any symptoms, children are particularly immune to the symptoms. The severity of symptoms has also been shown to increase with age (Government of South Australia, 2016). The average incubation period for the virus in a human is between 7 and 9 days with symptoms usually appearing within the first two weeks and usually lasting for between 3 and 6 months but in some extreme cases can last for years (Ross River Virus Transmission, Infection, and Disease: a Cross-Disciplinary Review,