The development of vaccines is one
of the most important breakthroughs in the history of medicine. Mere
decades ago, diseases like smallpox, polio and diphtheria spread
throughout the world with devastating results. People died, were
paralyzed, crippled and disfigured by diseases that today, are
preventable through vaccination. Several of these dreadful diseases are
practically eradicated in the developed world and elsewhere, good
progress is being made to reduce their spread. Indeed, successful
vaccine development has played a vital role in preventing the huge
burden of infectious diseases and their complications in developed
countries and in raising the living standards and life expectancy of
peoples in the developing world.
In the past, any number of infectious diseases could decimate a herd or
flock of domesticated animals. Today, vaccines that protect animals are
vital for raising livestock essential for world food production and our
quality of life. Some of the first vaccines were developed to protect
food-producing animals against disease. These veterinary vaccines also
protect people from diseases because many animal diseases are
transmissible to humans.
In the last ten years, new discoveries and ideas have led to
breakthroughs in the way we approach vaccine sciences. Today, Americans
are at the dawn of a new era in vaccine research. Genetic engineering
has allowed scientists to create new vaccines with greater potential
for protecting both humans and animals. Researchers are also hard at
work developing vaccines to control certain existing and emerging
infectious diseases, to protect populations against bio-terrorism, to
treat cancers, and to attack other illnesses, such as Alzheimer's
disease.
But what is a vaccine, really? What do vaccines do? What is the role of
animals in vaccine development? And what does the future hold?