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July 10, 2002
U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS
"Series Introduction: New Directions in Vaccine Research"
Journal of Clinical Investigation (www.jci.org) (06/01/02) Vol.
109, No. 12, P. 1517; Palese, Peter; Garcma-Sastre, Adolfo
The past 100 years bore witness to more than 20 vaccines that
have either significantly reduced or eliminated the incidence of
diseases like smallpox, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, measles,
mumps, rubella, poliomyelitis, and illnesses caused by
Haemophilus influenzae. Vaccine research should not be
considered finished, however, because most of those diseases are
still at large in the general population, while new illnesses,
such as HIV and potential bioterror weapons, pose a serious
threat to general well-being. For example, the influenza vaccine
must be administered yearly and by needle, while a longer-term
vaccine, administered nasally, could also provide concomitant
benefits to children and the elderly because of its help to the
immune system. In addition, AIDS represents a huge threat to the
world, especially in areas where it has become pandemic. Recent
studies suggest that alternative methods of developing vaccines
should be explored, such as the use of dendritic cells as targets
for vaccine delivery. Yet there is a gap between development in
the lab and benefits conferred to patients. Legal troubles and
government regulations prevent an easy flow of research to the
bedside, but the benefits of vaccines are myriad.
ALL INFORMATION, DATA, AND
MATERIAL CONTAINED, PRESENTED, OR PROVIDED HERE IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION
PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS REFLECTING THE KNOWLEDGE OR OPINIONS
OF THE PUBLISHER, AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED OR INTENDED AS PROVIDING MEDICAL OR
LEGAL ADVICE. THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO VACCINATE IS AN IMPORTANT AND
COMPLEX ISSUE AND SHOULD BE MADE BY YOU, AND YOU ALONE, IN CONSULTATION WITH
YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.