VACCINE: THE ARTS, THE SCIENCE & THE COMMERCE

In the era of emerging anti-microbial drug resistance, vaccines have emerged as a mainstay in the prevention and management of many an infectious disease. From the ancient practice of Variolation to Jenner’s Small Pox Vaccine to the present day experimental Vaccines – including DNA vaccines, Plant based vaccines and vaccines against Drugs of abuse, vaccination has come a long way. Vaccinology has emerged as a multidisciplinary field encompassing the wide spread domains of Immunology, Microbiology, Pharmacology, Epidemiology, Chemistry, Economics, Sociology and Anthropology to name a few. From the lab to the market and from the market to the vaccinee, a vaccine makes its long and elaborate journey amid much protection and watchfulness. Excesses in time or temperature could spell doom and make the vaccine ineffective. But these are only lesser obstacles; the greater ones are those, which emerge out of the human idiosyncrasies including cultural and social issues like poverty, illiteracy, superstitions, religious taboos and a lack of awareness and over emphasis on curative instead of preventive medicine.