A fertile topic to be sure. Tetanus is wicked. In addition to MMR, I also wonder if the Hep A and B vaccines offer more protection than the diseases? I should probably know the answer. My mumps titers are super high, that’s one reason I want to know so badly. Unfortunately with all the news of the FDA meeting soon and the CDC having just issued their priority recommendations, the MMR news will be overshadowed. (I don’t know if I really believe that a 94% effectiveness rate will hold up. I hope so.)
2 Likes
Well it’s not just any MMR, it’s specifically the current one released in 1979 (there were prior versions before that that do not seem to be protective against COVID), so it’s definitely not just getting vaccinated but a property of this specific vaccine. Not all vaccines function exactly the same way, so you’d likely have to research the mechanisms and specifics of this particular one to understand why it might confer broader immunity.
I’ve often wondered if repeated vaccinations could sometimes generalize beyond their very specific targets. For example, I’ve taken the flu vaccine every year since 1990. Even in years where it has a low match with the flu virus, I’ve not once gotten the flu since then. I wonder if all that training my immune system to fight various strains of the flu has further bolstered it against any flu. No idea.
2 Likes
There are multiple strains of the illness - that’s why you can get it more than once.
The vaccine protects against current strains.
They currently believe that having had covid makes the vaccine less effective.
Hep is chronic. It destroys your internal organs, so its a bit of a different scenario.
Covid may or may not end up leading to chronic conditions/permanent damage - for some people it does.
1 Like
I think it depends on which hep we’re talking about A,B, or C. (There’s also a D and an E but I know nothing about those.) With Hep A, there is an acute phase, that’s when it’s confirmed, in fact. Antibodies, with infection, persist to have lifelong immunity (Hep A). There is also an acute phase of Hep C, but I’m reading it means little since it bears no relation to the acuteness of the symptoms. Hep C can be chronic, but these days, it can also be cured with some very expensive medications. Hep B can be wicked.
1 Like
If nothing else, getting vaccinated is a whole lot safer than contracting it and hoping to recover unscathed…