Vaccinations Against Amplified Viruses Joseph Carlin, Rihab Bayoussef, Dalena Dang, Christine Lattouf, Jen Masciovecchio, Eva Resto-Estrada UMass Boston, Freshman Success Community Pre-Medical A; Team Plan A Topic Questions:  Why are these new viruses more harmful compared to the previous form of the virus?  Why is it so difficult to control the new viruses?  Why are these new viruses affecting humans? Antiviral Resistance: Antiviral resistances occurs due to the selective pressure which is placed upon the virus to survive in its host with the attacks from medicine. With this resistance building up, it is more prominent that the virus will become “stronger” and use the new improved disease traits to better its fitness by infecting more host cells. Swine Flu Epidemic: The 2009 Swine Flu (H1N1) epidemic composed of a few different genes: the flu viruses normally found in pigs, plus avian and human genes. This new virus emerged by an antigenic shift, which is when various combinations of RNA segments result in a new subtype of virus. Many people in the United States had not been immune to this new virus, which caused the epidemic to spread throughout North America. Conclusion: Overall there are many misconceptions in the eyes of the public when it comes to vaccines, however vaccines save millions of lives each year. Vaccines are an integral part of public health. Each year the CDC comes out with a new flu vaccine that contains agents from the viruses that they believe will be the most prevalent that year. All over the world vaccines are being used to save the public from an epidemic. However although vaccines do save lives, viruses can mutate and therefore the vaccines that were being given to people become futile. Therefore with each virus mutation new vaccines must be created in order to protect people from these viruses. Further Questions:  How can we as scientists develop an anti-virals that will combat these emerging viruses and that will not succumb to viral resistance?  How can scientists develop methods to better predict in a matter that can exactly pinpoint which strains of the flu will be most prevalent?  Is there the potential to create vaccines for genetic diseases?  Given that there are viruses that have transferred from animals to humans (H1N1), are there any viruses that have evolved from humans to other species? Objective: The reason behind the topic was to find out the importance of becoming vaccinated which allows the exploration of how new “emerging” viruses are arriving as new alternated strands. Acknowledgements:  Dean Andrew Grosovsky  GSU Exchange Students  Genzyme/Sanofi for the generous donation  Megan E. Rokop for providing information  Pre-Med A for all their support Vaccines: Vaccinations are a mode of protection for a specific range of disease that can really make a person sick, disabled or, in some cases, dead. While some believe that vaccines provide the recipient with immunity, it sadly does not. Rather than immunity, it provides an immune response to which the immune system of the receiving individual will develop anti-bodies and “remembering” t-cells so that if the body ever comes across that pathogen contract said disease again, it will be able to fight off the disease much more quickly and effectively. How Does This Relate to Emerging Viruses?: Due to limited vaccinations, the number of diseases in which people have no had to have to deal with recently. Without vaccinations, in which provide an immune response, people have to use anti- viral, biotic and parasitic