Currently in our world, there are no vaccines for any parasite due to the odd nature of these strange organisms. This is the reason why parasites could potentially cause such a large threat to the human population of our world. Parasites are very complex organisms and unfortunately have the ability to mutate to evade our human immune systems. Due to this, any regular vaccine would be ineffective against a parasite as the parasite would just avoid the antibodies which our body creates to defend against the parasite. Amazingly though, a vaccine is currently underway for the world's most common parasitic infection, Malaria. Scientists have been trying for years to create a vaccine for this, and they are getting quite close. The current vaccine has a 60% success rate in keeping people safe from Malaria, and with more research and tweaking this vaccine should become more proficient.
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| A typical vaccine |
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The Vaccination Process for a Parasite
Many things must happen before a vaccine is created and released commercially to the public. First, you need to understand the cycle of the parasite that the vaccine is going to repel. Next, you have to discover how the proteins in the parasite react with the human body. After this, you must determine if the protein from the parasite can be purified and mass produced (if this isn't possible then there can be no vaccine). Next you need to create the adjuvant for the protein (to simulate the human immune system) and make sure that the formula can be transportable. The vaccine is then tested on animals to prevent any unnecessary damage to humans. If the test is successful, then "Phase 1" begins, in which very small groups of people receive the vaccine for testing. If this goes well, then more people receive the vaccine in the stage known as "Phase 2". If the vaccine seems promising, then "Phase 3" begins, and many people gain access to the vaccine and proper results are recorded of the success rate of the vaccine. If there turns out to be no problems with it, then the vaccine is mass produced and sent out commercially for use across the world. This is the process for most other types of vaccines, with the exception that most others use very small or "dead" portions of a virus, bacteria, or influenza instead of a protein. This cannot be done with parasites, as our immune system cannot initially fight against a parasite, and even just one parasite cell would be quite resistant against the immune system.
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How do Vaccines Work?
A vaccine is a less concentrated or "dead" dose of the illness which you are trying to be immune to. Although this may seem strange, the dose which you are given is so minuscule and harmless that your body can fight against it without trouble. When you are injected with the vaccine, your body quickly recognizes an unknown danger in your body and works hard to create "antiobodies" which will eradicate the disease. However, the disease is not forgotten. Some of the cells in your body which helped to fight against the disease are converted into "memory cells" which will circulate your body for the rest of your life and repel the disease if you ever come across it again. These memory cells react so quickly that you won't even feel any different to normal if you catch the disease that the cells fight against.
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How do you cure/repel a Parasite?
As there is no vaccine for any parasite yet, people can only do what they can to repel the parasite or it's vector. For instance, to avoid Malaria people can put up mosquito repellent nets to sleep under or use insect repellent in the day. There are also certain antibiotics which can destroy parasites, including...
Flagyl (Metronidazole): This drug can cure many infections caused by certain parasites including Giardiasis and Trichomaniasis.
Bactrim: Used to treat and prevent Pneumocystis Pneumonia, and can also be used to treat Malaria.
Artemisinin: This is the most rapidly acting drug against Malaria, however it has pretty bad side effects which are quite similar to the actual effects of Malaria.
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