We tend to think of vaccines as a way to prevent illness or the spread of significant communicable disease; however, in the Spring 2017 edition of Genome, I found an interesting article where researchers are developing vaccines to treat cancer. When you think about how vaccines work in preventing disease it makes sense to try developing a way to use them to stimulate the body’s immune system to attack cancer cells which could hopefully result in a cure without many of the significant side effects found in current cancer treatments. If you’re interested in the full article, follow this link.
Generally vaccines are safe and effective at preventing certain illnesses; but, adverse reactions can and do occur. The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program was established to compensate individuals who were injured by certain covered vaccines. If you or someone you know may have been injured by a vaccine compensation may be available.