Vaccination: the “protective umbrella” for healthy growth

A sudden COVID-19 outbreak has brought about earth-shaking changes in our lives. In this battle against the epidemic, one of the most important links is vaccination. We have been vaccinated since birth. Vaccination is currently the most effective, simplest and most economical way to prevent various infectious diseases. It has provided a "protective umbrella" for the healthy growth of countless children. However, how much do you know about vaccines? Let's learn about this powerful "protective umbrella" together!

What is a vaccine

Everyone must be curious, why can we resist viral infection after vaccination? First, let's take a look at how viruses make us sick. After a certain virus in nature invades our body for the first time, we will not get sick immediately, but at this time, the virus will rapidly proliferate in our body and become more and more. However, our immune system needs a certain reaction time. Once the immune system cannot eliminate the rapidly proliferating virus in time, people will get sick. So what is a vaccine? Simply put, a vaccine is actually a processed virus. Scientists have made it retain the characteristics of the virus, but lose the ability to replicate infinitely. When the vaccine is injected into the human body, the immune system can sense the presence of the virus, respond under its stimulation, and then produce antibodies and memory cells. The so-called antibodies and memory cells are a substance produced by the human body that can fight viruses. When the real virus invades the human body, these antibodies and memory cells can efficiently kill the real virus because of their experience in dealing with previous viruses, thereby protecting us from the virus. Its role is like giving the immune system an unforgettable combat exercise.

Common vaccines

Vaccines are generally divided into two categories: preventive vaccines and therapeutic vaccines. As the name implies, preventive vaccines and therapeutic vaccines are used for disease prevention and treatment respectively. Preventive vaccine recipients are healthy individuals or newborns, while therapeutic vaccine recipients are patients. Perhaps few students still remember what vaccines we have received when we were young. Let's first learn about the common vaccines!

BCG is usually given within 24 hours of birth and is known as the "first shot after birth". BCG is a vaccine used to prevent tuberculosis in children, especially those severe types of tuberculosis, such as tuberculous meningitis. BCG vaccination is very beneficial to the healthy growth of children. BCG is a type of vaccine that is mandatory in the country and is free for newborns.

The first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine is also given within 24 hours of birth, and the second and third doses are given at 1 month and 6 months of age respectively. Once infected with the hepatitis B virus, the possibility of complete cure is still low, and it is often accompanied by sequelae. The hepatitis B vaccine is also a national Class I vaccine and is free for newborns.

The polio vaccine is given to children 2 months after birth, followed by one shot at 3 and 4 months of age, and a booster shot at 4 years of age. Poliomyelitis, commonly known as "infantile paralysis," is difficult to treat and can leave sequelae that are difficult to recover from. The state also requires mandatory vaccination and provides it free of charge.

In addition, there are DTP vaccines for pertussis, diphtheria, and tetanus, rabies vaccines for rabies, COVID-19 vaccines for COVID-19, and HPV vaccines for cervical cancer, which are all common preventive vaccines. With these "protective umbrellas" to protect us from wind and rain, we are healthy and happy today.

Scientific protection to overcome difficulties together

On the eve of the 2020 Spring Festival, an unprecedented new coronavirus outbreak broke out with Wuhan as its center. The Chinese government took a positive attitude and scientific prevention and control measures to bring the epidemic situation under stable control.

After day and night research by our scientists, in December 2020, China's inactivated COVID-19 vaccine was approved for marketing. For us young people, it is essential to get the COVID-19 vaccine on time. First of all, vaccination can greatly reduce our risk of being infected by the new coronavirus. Even if we are unfortunately infected, it can greatly reduce the symptoms and protect our bodies. Secondly, the vaccine developed by our country has undergone multiple rounds of clinical trials. While ensuring the effectiveness, the safety is also greatly guaranteed. Timely vaccination is not only responsible for your own safety, but also for the safety of others and the safety of society. I believe that one day, we will be able to take off our masks and defeat the epidemic!

Approaching the virus

A virus is a non-cellular organism that is tiny, simple in structure, contains only one type of nucleic acid (DNA or RNA), and must parasitize and replicate inside living cells.

When a virus enters a host cell (i.e., a cell invaded by the virus), it can use the substances and energy in the cell to complete its life activities and produce a new generation of viruses that are the same as itself according to the genetic information contained in its own nucleic acid. When the virus leaves the host cell, it becomes a chemical substance that has no life activities and cannot reproduce independently. An important application of viruses is to inactivate them (make them inactive) and make vaccines. In addition, it can also be used as a carrier of target genes in genetic engineering so that it can be spliced ​​into the chromosomes of target cells.