Vaccines are cultured on cell lines of aborted foetuses. While bacteria can self-replicate, viruses are parasites and exist by repeatedly invading other cells. Most viruses are specific to the types of cells they live in, and so can only be developed as a vaccine by using these specific cells. Rubella can only live in human cells, and so the rubella part of the MMR vaccine used in Australia has been adapted to a human cell culture. This cell culture originally came from human foetal lung tissue of a foetus aborted at approximately 3 months gestation of a Caucasian female in about 1966. No new tissue has been added since the original samples were taken over 30 years ago and the cells, although uniform, no longer resemble the originals. No other foetal tissue is used to manufacture or research the rubella vaccine. The chicken pox (varicella) vaccine is also grown on a human cell line originally taken from a foetus many years ago and the varicella virus used in the vaccine strain originated in a young boy infected with chicken pox.
Posted on: Sun, 03 Nov 2013 21:06:20 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015