Drugs and Vaccines for Public Health Emergencies – A Comparative Law Analysis

Abstract

According to the Food and Drug Administration, vaccines are the most effective in defending against vaccine-preventable infectious diseases. Some of these vaccinepreventable diseases include: diphtheria, hepatitis A and B, Haemophilus influenza type b, human papillomavirus, influenza, Japanese encephalitis, measles, meningococcal, mumps, pertussis, polio, rabies, rotavirus, rubella, shingles, smallpox, tetanus, typhoid, tuberculosis, varicella, and yellow fever. With diseases such as polio eradicated from the United States by 1979 and smallpox eradicated globally by 1980, vaccines have proven their effectiveness through time. Vaccines work by inducing an immune response within the body when it comes into contact with the targeted disease. The vaccine specifically achieves this by inciting the body’s immune system to recognize antigens from the disease-causing bacteria or viruses and respond by sending antibodies to defend against the disease. Although there are five types of vaccines currently utilized, and each interacts with the body in a slightly different way, they all work by