The Secrets Behind Vaccines

I studied Microbiology in school and I listened well at some point in my study to understand some things, so I want to talk to you briefly about vaccines. 

Question: What are the active ingredients of vaccines?

Answer: Microorganisms.

The same Microorganism that causes a particular sickness is what is used to manufacture the vaccine for that sickness.

In my class I can recollect that there are two types of vaccines.

1. Killed Vaccines : here, the microorganism has been killed. 

2. Live attenuated vaccines : here, the microorganism is alive but it has been made unable to cause sickness.

How does it work?

The microorganism (now called vaccine) is introduced into the body (either orally or via injection). 

As soon as the foreign microorganism enters the body, the body's immune system (the White Blood cells) attack the microorganism, reading it and understanding what needs to be done to arrest it. 

What simply happens is that the body generates the specific antibody against that foreign microorganism. The generated antibody remains in the person for life. 

This is what happens when we take our children for immunization. Microorganisms are being introduced to them so that their body's natural immune system can generate the antibody for the common sicknesses that they are likely to come in contact with as they grow up. 

There are a certain part of the white blood cells that are called the Beta-cells. Beta-cells are also called "Memory cells". What these cells do is that they are responsible for recognizing previously experienced foreign invaders (harmful Microorganisms) thereby reducing the antibody production time in expelling/containing the foreign invader. That is, the memory cells can identify microorganisms which have been previously addressed by the body's immune system such that the reaction of the immune system upon this second exposure will be faster than the first time.

Let me explain that better. 

If the first day you were exposed to malaria parasite it took 2 hours before your body's immune system was able to generate the specific antibody for it, upon the next exposure, due to the fact that the Beta-cells (Memory cells) have a memory of the parasite, it won't take up to 2 hours for the specific antibody to be produced and deployed again, it might take just a few minutes. Interesting, isn't it?

So when our children are being given immunization, what the doctors (immunizers/vaccinators) are doing is that they are introducing microorganisms at a dose that can't cause harm in the body just to make the body's immune system produce specific antibodies for the disease that they are being vaccinated against.

For example, the Polio Vaccine is made from Killed Polio Virus. 

Now, before the Whitemen came, how did our forefathers achieve this? 

Simple! by different kinds of herbs, baths and incisions (acupuncture, known locally as gbẹ́rẹ́). 

During this process, the young baby takes in little doses of microorganisms that build its immune system. 

This is why it is believed that children who grew up in the village are usually immunologically stronger than ones who live in cities. The rationale behind is that children who live in villages play in sand, put things in their mouth, bath with stream water, drink stream water and use herbs both for drinking and bathing. 

The microorganisms from these activities are what build the immune system.

This is the simple science that is recreated in western vaccination system.

I felt the need to make this post because I know that the recent news of the discovery of a vaccine appears like some rocket science that only those who live in the Whiteman's land can achieve or a series of process so complicated that it takes a genius and western scientific equipments to achieve but in reality, it is as simple as it is stated up there. That's the simple science behind it. 

You can now decide to use the Western scientific procedure which is just unnecessarily complex to confuse outsiders or you use the simple direct indigenous process.

Now, if we are asked to boycott Western Vaccines and Develop our own Vaccines by improving on our own indigenous methods and knowledge, several Nigerians who condemn Nigerian politicians will still raise their voice to question "what if..." 

In those people's minds, if it is coming from Abroad, it is PERFECT, so let's trust the White man and shun the local native doctors. 

How then will our economy grow with such kind of mindset?

By the way, Lead City University Ibadan taught me well.

Ayobami Ogedengbe