Utilizing the research of the Centers for Disease Control, Food and Drug Administration, and others this paper describes the processes involved with vaccines. The use of gene reassortment and extensive quality control tests are some of the key steps identified in egg-based vaccine production. Also mentioned is is the process of the immune system's reaction on the cellular level to the vaccine. The 1918 Spanish influenza epidemic, which killed millions people, is a reminder of how serious influenza can be without vaccines. Today, vaccines easily provide immunity to diseases that have plagued humans in the past. The process of immunization begins with determining the strains to be included in the vaccine and creating seed viruses for each. The seed virus is used to mass produce the vaccine that imitates the targeted disease. The vaccine virus is easily defeated, preparing the immune system to easily defeat the real virus when it encounters it later.
Vaccine Design.
Before the vaccine production can begin, the influenza strains must be selected. According to the Centers for Disease Control [CDC] the quadrivalent vaccine is made with two influenza A strains and two influenza B strains, (2014). For the Northern hemisphere, the World Health Organization announces the recommended strains for the upcoming flu season in February, just as the last flu season has peaked. In the United States the Food and Drug Administration [FDA] utilizes the World Health Organizations recommendations as well as its own data to make the final decision, (CDC, 2014). Once the FDA determines which viruses will be used seed viruses must be produced to create the final vaccine.
Creating the Seed Virus.
A seed virus is produced using the process of reassortment. The first step is to identify the subtypes of two of the virus's surface proteins--hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA), (Hood, 2006). The combination of the surface proteins determine the how easily it spreads and its lethality, (Hood, 2006).
