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Functioning and ingredients
drug and the vaccine are studied after they are
already being administered in the community What is group immunity?
and after they are already being implemented
in the clinical routine. In this phase possible The proportion of immune individuals in a
drug interactions that had not been noticed are population that can achieve the effect of group
studied, as well as adverse reactions and side immunity. That is, the number of people that
effects that went undetected until then. Phase 4 need to be vaccinated to make others who
studies are fundamental. If phase 3 studies are are not vaccinated protected. There are cases
done on a sample, something is always missed, of people who are not vaccinated by mere
and that is drug interactions. It is not possible choice, but there are other people that cannot
to test in phase 3 and test all the medicines that be vaccinated because they have serious
exist. The patient’s condition, if s/he had or has diseases such as immune deficiencies. If these
any illness, can influence their reaction to the people are not vaccinated, but the rest of the
vaccination. Phase 4 studies are also important population is, they are safe.
for financial reasons. Cost-effectiveness
studies are carried out and an attempt is made What is vaccine efficacy?
to see if this vaccine placed at community
level will have the expected responses if the Efficacy is related to the vaccine doses. It is
disease will really be eliminated. Safety is known that a person who has had measles will
tested at all stages of these clinical trials. never have measles again. So, if we had 94%
of those people, the other 6% would not need
As far as the pharmaceutical industry, most of to be vaccinated. The first dose of the vaccine
the vaccines were invented dozens of years for measles causes immunity in 95% of the
ago and therefore, patents are no longer valid. people, but the other 5% are missing, that’s
Therefore, the pharmaceutical companies that why two doses are necessary to grant immunity
invented them do not profit significantly from to most people. The group immunity process is
them anymore. Vaccines are not the most an indirect effect of the vaccine administration.
lucrative means of pharmaceutical industries.
How long after taking a vaccine is one
Who are the people who cannot get protected?
vaccinated for health reasons?
The protection is related to the vaccine efficacy.
There are categories such as There are vaccines that protect from the first
immunosuppressed (think of cancer patients, dose, but there are vaccines that need several
for example) who could develop complications. doses. In general, the maximum immunity
This is the category most at risk for which herd can be reached more or less two weeks after
immunity is critical. They are the people who vaccination. This is in the general population,
benefit from the “shield” formed around them but in the case of risk groups it can be different.
by those who have been immunised with the
vaccine. This is precisely why it is important Can drugs be 100% replaced with vaccines
to maintain high vaccination coverage. If the in the future?
pathogen does not circulate, even people who
are unable to get vaccinated are still protected. No. The principle of fabrication is the same,
So, vaccination is above all an altruistic gesture. but the vaccines aim to prevent the disease.
Therefore, they are administered before the
existence of the disease. The goal is not
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