TRIBUNNEWS.COM, JAKARTA – The discovery of vaccines in the past took a long and long time. Current technology makes finding vaccines relatively easier and faster. It is hoped that technological advances will not only make vaccines safer, but also more efficient.
This was conveyed by Prof. I Gusti Ngurah Mahardika, Virologist and Molecular Biology Expert at Udayana University, at the Press Conference ‘Procedures for Finding Vaccines’ held by the Media Center Committee for Handling COVID-19 and National Economic Recovery (KPCPEN) virtually, Monday (02/11/2020).
“In the past, vaccines were usually obtained by developing pure viral agents or seeds, after which they were reproduced and prepared to become vaccines. Now, it is possible to do it very quickly, no need for a disease agent, no need for a virus anymore, because it can be synthesized. So it can be made very fast. In the past, it took a long time to find just the seeds, ”he explained.
Exemplified professor virologist and molecular biology from Udayana University, several zoonotic diseases-which are transmitted from animals to humans-can be cured by vaccines, such as rabies and bird flu.
“The most classic example is rabies. The rabies vaccine is given to animals as well as in humans. In animals, the vaccine is given before getting rabies, while in humans the vaccine is given to people who are at risk of getting rabies or we call it pre-exposure. And vaccines are also given to those in the condition post-exposure because it was bitten by an animal that has been infected with rabies, “he explained while giving an example of H5N1 bird flu is another disease that can also be cured through vaccines.
“But for bird flu, only the animal vaccine is given. There are also other influenza where humans also get vaccines. Rabies and bird flu show that vaccines are the best way to overcome and overcome outbreaks of one disease, “he explained.
The member of the Red and White vaccine development team added, although the process of finding a vaccine must be done quickly and immediately, vaccine safety is an important thing that must be the concern of all parties.
“Apart from guaranteeing access to cheap vaccines, and equitable for the whole society. The regulatory process must be fast and the question of vaccine safety is absolutely no compromise. Vaccines really have to be safe before use, “he said.
Besides the safety factor, another important thing according to Prof. I Gusti Ngurah Mahardika is a vaccine that will be made is a vaccine that is effective in addition to the purity aspect of the vaccine – which is not contaminated by bacteria or fungi and the vaccine content must be standardized.
Currently, the Indonesian government is currently conducting phase three test vaccine candidates. It is hoped that the COVID-19 vaccination program can be one way to get out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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