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The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine is a vaccine that widely recommended for women. There are generally two doses of this vaccine that young girls receive when they are around eleven years old. The vaccine is used to protect against HPV which can easily be transmitted during sex. This virus is unique because some people can get it and show major signs and symptoms while others can get it and not even know they have it. This vaccine not only prevents HPV, but it also helps protect against cancers caused by HPV, especially cervical cancer. If a vaccine can protect from life threatening diseases, why wouldn’t you get the vaccine?

There was a clinical trial conducted when the original HPV vaccine was created, Gardasil. It was tested on 20,000 females and 4,000 males to test its effectiveness. This clinical trial proved that the vaccine prevented any altering in the cells in the cervix that cause HPV 16 and 18. It did not prove that the vaccine protects against cervical cancer because it would be unethical to conduct a trial and allow participants to develop cervical cancer. The vaccine also proved to be effective against genital warts and other lesions. With these results, scientists were able to conclude that the HPV can only help protect against life threatening diseases.  

Many people do not want to vaccinate their children for HPV due to the recommended age. Most children are beginning middle school at this age and the last thing their parents think is that their child is having sex. I vividly remember being at the doctor’s office for my eleven-year-old checkup and my pediatrician asking my mom if she would like to vaccinate me for HPV. My mom was a little disturbed due to how young I was and me being her oldest child. Being the pro-vaxxer she is and listening to all the benefits it has, she immediately jumped on it. Even though it is a young age, parents should still vaccinate their child because it will not harm them, it can only help! Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancer deaths for women in our world today. Since this vaccine helps protect against cancers caused by HPV, if we can all get vaccinated we could reduce the number of deaths of cervical cancer! So, what’s stopping you now from getting this vaccine?  

I am someone who is very susceptible to the common cold. What happens when I have had a terrible cough for two weeks? I am annoyed, want it to go away, and ultimately convince myself that I have a bacterial sinus infection. I then go and get a prescription for a bacterial sinus infection when I am not even 100% sure it is one. Antibiotics were created to help stop bacterial infections. While they have most definitely been successful in a number of areas, we as a society have been misusing them. In fact, we have been prescribed antibiotics when they are not even needed. It is very easy in our culture to get an antibiotic prescribed to us. Since antibiotics only target the bacteria in our body, if we use these drugs for viral infections, like my example with the common cold, it will not help us, but will actually harm us. Misuse of antibiotics alters our normal gut microbiome and can make harmful organisms become resistant to certain drugs. I find this scary because the normal microbiota is supposed to protect us from infection. If organisms in the normal gut microbiota become resistant to antibiotics, we will no longer have such protection. So, my brilliant idea of getting a prescription to make my cold go away did not help but actually harmed me.

Superbugs are bacteria that cannot be killed by using antibiotics and therefore are resistant to antibiotics. These superbugs have the ability to multiply, cause infection in our bodies, and kill us. If we are able to treat these organisms, it will take stronger drugs and lots of doses. Since antibiotics are so readily available, new organisms in our body are constantly gaining resistance to certain drugs. If we lose the ability to use antibiotics, then what was once thought as a minor infection will all the sudden become life threatening. It’s crazy to think that this could actually happen and that it is of major concern in our world today. I also find it interesting that antibiotics, the drugs that were created to help us, are the ones harming us and have the ability to kill us. It is the antibiotics that are causing the emergence of antibiotic resistant organisms.

Animals also use antibiotics and similarly to humans, they have a normal gut microbiome. When animals misuse and overuse these drugs, they too can develop antibiotic resistance. Something very disturbing to think about is how when these animals are used to make meat, they can infect the food we eat due to the resistance in the organisms in their microbiota. Ew! We can infect ourselves from simply eating a hamburger. The term antibiotic free is found on food labels and it is a bit of a confusing term. For example, if a pack of chicken is labeled “antibiotic free” then it means that that particular animal was not given antibiotics. But animals do still have antibiotic resistant organisms, so we have to be careful. According to Medical News Today, antibiotic resistance is public health crisis. What I want to know is how come we are not well aware of this crisis? Since there have been approximately 3 million people die a year from antibiotic resistant infections, it would be wise for the general public to be more aware of this issue.  

Vaccines are generated to help protect individuals and the population as a whole from spreading diseases. In order to get the just on different vaccination strategies, I will be discussing the disease polio in today’s blog. Polio is a very scary disease which happens to destroy a person’s motor neurons ultimately resulting in paralysis. In order to cause disease, it has to enter the body orally because it replicates in the cells that line the throat and the intestines. It is transmitted fecal-orally and therefore only infects people. There are two types of vaccines to prevent this disease, oral polio vaccine (OPV) and inactivated polio vaccine (IPV). Luckily in our society, we have not had to worry about polio for a number of years.

The OPV is considered an attenuated vaccine and the IPV is an inactivated vaccine. Before diving into the two vaccines, I wanted to briefly discuss the difference between an attenuated vaccine and an inactivated one. An attenuated vaccine contains a weakened form of the bacterium or virus and an inactivated vaccine consists of the bacterium or virus, but it is no longer active. These vaccines both have their respective pros and cons. The OPV specifically provides for better mucosal immunity because once it is in your system, the virus can kill off the polio disease before it infects the cells in your throat and intestines. Another plus is that you don’t have to get a series of vaccinations since it replicates which I would prefer because I do not like shots! Probably a major con is that this attenuated vaccine can potentially cause disease, a vaccine-derived poliovirus. While this is rare, it is common enough for the United States to not provide the OPV anymore. IPV requires a number of doses, ouch! The IPV was created first and did help lower the number of people infected with polio. This is the vaccine used through the United States today, and it has luckily served the United States well.

The World Health Organization recently announced that two of the three stains of polio have been eradicated. Even though we don’t have it in our country, one strain of polio still does remain in two other countries today, Afghanistan and Pakistan. There is not a cure for polio, therefore we have to do our best to keep the disease out! Since children are most at risk, we need to continue to get vaccinated in the United States to keep the virus from emerging and killing millions of people. We have effectively gotten rid of two of the three strains already. If we can work together, we can become a polio-free world!

Even though it has been stated over and over again that vaccines are in fact beneficial, the anti-vaxxing movement is still on the move. Parents are thinking that they are protecting their children by not getting them vaccinated, they are actually harming them and others in the community. Diseases have almost been eradicated from the United States. But ever since Andrew Wakefield released his inaccurate proposal, people have continued to spread these fatal diseases like measles and mumps. The anti-vaxxing movement is of serious concern because members are misinforming others about this so-called “harm” of vaccinations.

I would say that the anti-vaxxing movement is a trend. It is all over Facebook group messages and other forms of social media, and people are going to do what others around them are doing. That is simply how humans work! However, we need to protect the entire population and the spread of infectious pathogens. The World Health Organization has declared that one of the top ten threats to global health in our world today is not getting vaccines. It is a serious problem, and it is only going to get worse! As the anti-vaccination movement continues throughout our country, I strongly recommend that we continue to encourage those around us to vaccinate their children. We need to do better and correct the incorrect information that anti-vaxxers are continuing to release on social media.

Vaccinations are used to prevent the spread of diseases and keeps people safe. Therefore, we need to utilize this incredible invention! Throughout the world today, we are seeing the spread of the Coronavirus. It is killing many people each and every day. Scientists are trying to develop a vaccine to help protect and prevent the spread. This virus is already spreading rapidly without a vaccine. If a vaccine becomes available, we need to act quickly and strongly encourage those around us to vaccinate. What anti-vaxxers need to realize is that it is not all about them. Infants and those who are immunocompromised are more susceptible to fatal diseases. It is important that we protect them! These anti-vaxxers are putting everyone at risk including their own children and the rest of the world.

Some of you all may be wondering, what exactly is the human microbiome? The microbiome is the family of bacteria and other organisms that are living in and on the human body. When I hear the word bacteria, I immediately think of something that could cause an infection and make us sick. Surprisingly, the majority of the bacteria in our bodies are harmless and actually protect us. It was first believed that the microbiome and humans had a commensal relationship- they benefited off of the expense of humans while we remained unharmed. Now, it is believed that humans and microbes have a mutualistic relationship where microbiota and humans are able to benefit off the expense of one another. We actually have thousands of bacteria living in and on our human bodies. A super fun fact I can share is that we have way more microbes compared to human cells in our bodies.

The human microbiota benefit and enhance our health in many different ways. They help aid in digestion and therefore the body relies on its gut microbiota to digest fiber and nutrients. It is important for us to eat healthy because eating certain foods helps enhance our gut microbiota ultimately resulting in good health. Microbiota also protect us from infection and produce vitamins to keep us healthy. But if the opportunity arises, microbes can cause disease. In order for microbes to infect, they must enter the right portal of entry. For example, most people have Staph aureus living in their noses and are not infected. However, if this bacterium happens to get into a certain cut or wound, there will be consequences. There are so many wild bacteria out there and our microbiota deserves a round of applause for keeping us so healthy.  

Genetic factors contribute to the composition of your microbiome. For example, the way you are born determines to whether you are healthy person or someone who is at risk of disease. When coming into the world, we are introduced to a series of microbes from our mothers via a natural birth. A baby who is delivered by a caesarian section will not be exposed to this microbiota. A microbiologist by the name of Maria Gloria Dominguez-Bello stated that children who were born via a caesarian section are at risk to have health issues including obesity, diabetes, and more. That is why a natural birth is preferred over a caesarian section because a baby needs to acquire microbes from the mother’s birth canal to keep them healthier in the long run. Breastfeeding is another important genetic factor because the breast milk is specifically feeding and enhancing the baby’s good microbiota. I find it crazy to think that just the way we are born and nurtured as a baby can either make or break us!  

Coronavirus. That’s the word on the street. What is Coronavirus? Are we going to die from it? Should we worry? I hear these questions on a day to day basis and still am not entirely sure what this virus entails. Coronavirus is a respiratory virus has never before been encountered! Something unique to the disease is that it was transmitted from an animal to a person, a zoonotic virus, but it is also able to spread from person to person. The outbreak was first identified to be in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China and it is continuing to spread to other countries including eleven confirmed cases in the United States.

The Coronavirus is believed to have originally come from a bat. Some common signs and symptoms of the virus are a fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Don’t these symptoms sound similar to influenza? The incubation period of this disease is about two to fourteen days. That means that people do can be spreading this disease for up to fourteen days without knowing it!  According to WHO, this disease is of international concern. Researchers currently do not know much about the virus and there has not yet been a vaccine to help prevent the disease.

Due to the severity of this disease, the United States has taken it into concern. They issued that no one should be traveling to China due to Coronavirus. Thank goodness a travel warning was issued because since there is little information known about the disease, we do not know what could happen. It’s better to be safe than sorry, right? Let’s prevent this novel virus in America by staying away from those who are sick and washing our hands on a daily basis.

Influenza is a viral infection that affects your respiratory system. In order to become infected, you have to breath in the virus from droplets in the air. The person beside you who just coughed may have just been coughing flu viruses into the environment. Yikes! The flu virus can also be transmitted indirectly through fomites. For example, you may have just touched a handle to open the door and then subconsciously rubbed your eyes. Little did you know that the person before you had just coughed the virus into his hand and grabbed the same door knob.

There are two types of influenza that cause disease in humans: Influenza A and Influenza B. Some typical signs and symptoms include a fever, achiness, sweating, and coughing. While most people are able to get over the flu virus, it is still a pretty serious disease. Children, older adults, and those who are hospitalized are at risk of further complications like pneumonia since they are not always able to get the vaccine. Therefore, I strongly recommend that everyone gets the flu vaccine every year! It cannot hurt you, it can only help! When creating the vaccine, scientists use flu viruses that are not active and therefore cannot harm your body. This vaccine helps develop an immune response in your body, so if you come in contact with the flu, it could potentially fight it off on its own.

When the flu vaccine is being created, researchers have to try and match the vaccine to the virus that is going to be circulating. Since the influenza virus is constantly changing, it is hard for them to predict what this year’s strain is going to be like. Therefore, the vaccine does not always match the virus. An example of this lies in this year’s flu vaccine. The vaccine proved to be pretty effective for influenza A, but the flu virus that is currently going around is influenza B. So, this year’s vaccine is not a very good match for Influenza B. According to the CDC, there have been between 12,000-30,000 deaths this year! It is very important for healthy individuals to get the flu vaccine. Not only will it protect them, but it will protect other people in the community who are immunocompromised. I can’t stress this enough- GET YOUR FLU SHOT!!

Ever since vaccinations were invented, they have served to build up the body’s immune system and protect against deathly diseases. Vaccinations have effectively proved that they do indeed help prevent cases of disease. In fact, they have saved millions of lives! However, when Andrew Wakefield presented his case finding that there was a link between the MMR vaccine and autism, parents started to reconsider the idea of vaccinating their children. Even though Wakefield’s research was later disproved, his proposal has greatly affected our society today. He has created a vaccine scare among parents throughout the world and vaccination rates have gone down significantly ever since 1998.

Andrew Wakefield’s study was done on twelve children of whom were all previously selected. First of all, that small of a sample size does not determine a cause and effect relationship, and for an experiment to be effective, he cannot select his participants. The children were at his son’s birthday party, and he actually paid them for their blood samples. It was also revealed that his research was secretly being funded by lawyers engaged with parents to make a case against the MMR vaccine. Other independent scientists were not able to verify his research which led to his research being retracted in the Lancet twelve years later. Wakefield’s motives are proven in his unethical research. He presented false data with one goal in mind, money.

Andrew Wakefield’s case series unfortunately caused a nationwide commotion that I am almost certain will never go away. Thanks to Wakefield, parents are now afraid to vaccinate their children because they fear that they will develop autism. There has been a significant decline in the number of children receiving the MMR vaccine as a result, and therefore, there are still outbreaks of the mumps, measles, and varicella viruses around our world today. According to research, these diseases can be prevented with the effective vaccine. If Wakefield had not presented his research, we would be close to having these diseases gone. But, with this irrational fear, measles, mumps, and varicella viruses are reoccurring in those who are not vaccinated putting others at risk of disease.

Hi! My name is Carly Rittenmeyer and I am a sophomore at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill (GO HEELS)). I am originally from Dallas, Texas and when I was thirteen years old, my family and I moved to Raleigh, North Carolina. I have two younger siblings- a younger sister named Lindsey and a younger brother named Jay. I also have the cutest dog named Bailey! Some things about me: I have a slight obsession with both chocolate and Diet Coke. Some of my hobbies include dancing, running, playing soccer, going to the beach, hanging out with friends, and going to fun restaurants! When I grow up, I want to be a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner. Right now I am a pre-nursing major and I hope to attend the UNC School of Nursing. I am excited for this semester and all it has to offer! 🙂