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[-] AwesomeLowlander@sh.itjust.works 22 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I don't understand one thing about the terminology. Aren't vaccines for prevention, and in this case it's more like a treatment, since the newborn is presumably already infected? Or am I misunderstanding the meaning of the term vaccine?

[-] kibiz0r@midwest.social 28 points 1 month ago

Vaccines can be prophylactic or therapeutic. In this case, it’s a post-exposure prophylactic, because it’s administered after exposure to a pathogen but before the disease.

[-] AwesomeLowlander@sh.itjust.works 9 points 1 month ago

What makes the vaccine more effective than actual exposure to the actual virus? I tried googling but couldn't find an eli5 version

[-] SnekZone 8 points 1 month ago

I think most therapeutic vaccines just actually give you the necessary antibodies to go up against the infection.

"Patients affected with chronic viral infections are administered with therapeutic vaccines, as their immune system is not able to produce enough efficient antibodies."

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this post was submitted on 23 Sep 2025
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