General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forumslive love laugh
(13,140 posts)Beartracks
(12,821 posts)"For more than a century, certain vaccines have been providing us with a kind of clandestine bonus protection one that goes far beyond what was ever intended.
"Not only can these mysterious effects protect us in childhood, they can also reduce our risk of dying at every stage of our lives. Research in Guinea-Bissau found that people with scars from the smallpox vaccine were up to 80% more likely to still be alive around three years after the study began, while in Denmark, scientists discovered that those who had the tuberculosis vaccine in childhood were 42% less likely to die of natural causes until they were 45 years old. Its also true in dogs: an experiment in South Africa found that dogs that had been vaccinated against rabies had much higher survival rates, beyond what would be expected from their immunity to rabies alone.
"Other happy accidents include protecting us from pathogens which are entirely unrelated to their target, reducing the severity of allergies, fighting certain cancers, and helping to prevent Alzheimers disease. The tuberculosis vaccine is currently being trialled for its ability to guard against Covid-19, though the microorganisms behind the two diseases are entirely different one is caused by a bacterium, the other by a virus. And the two are separated by 3.4 billion years of evolution.
"Despite decades of research, these surreptitious effects still havent given up their secrets. But until we understand them, scientists are reluctant to use them to their advantage so the race is on to find out whats going on."
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One of the concerns cited later in the article is that as we eradicate diseases like smallpox and polio, we stop giving the vaccines and thus stop getting the long-term non-specific benefits, which ultimately INCREASES mortality in a population.
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live love laugh
(13,140 posts)Beartracks
(12,821 posts)Response to live love laugh (Reply #1)
mahina This message was self-deleted by its author.
Ms. Toad
(34,099 posts)The feel of the article is much like those articles that tease you up front with some astounding fact, you start reading the article and find nothing, but keep reading since it must be just around hte corner . . . and just around the corner never materializes.
Here's the TLDR version: Vaccines - good stuff happens beyond what we would expect from just prevention of a specific illness. Oh, and order matters. Finally, no one has ever done a follow up study once we've eradicated an illness and the vaccines stop.
Pretty much it. There's 10 minutes I won't get back again.
live love laugh
(13,140 posts)Karadeniz
(22,574 posts)Beartracks
(12,821 posts)FuzzyRabbit
(1,969 posts)tavernier
(12,406 posts)I wonder if it is still offering me any protection?
marybourg
(12,637 posts)Alzheimers?
I love BBC, but I take them with a large grain of salt.