A member asked:

Hello doctors, can vaccines be rendered useless like antibiotics if they are overused. e.g if a new strain of smallpox was?

A doctor has provided 1 answer
Dr. Philip Ewing answered

Specializes in Pediatrics

Not Exactly: it is not over-vaccination that causes vaccine resistance so much as mutation of the organism, whether a virus or bacteria. Antibiotic resistance occurs when resistant organisms pass genetic information to non-resistant organisms. This is more likely to happen after someone has been exposed to an antibiotic that was not appropriate for the condition, the wrong antibiotic, or the wrong duration.

Answered 9/28/2016

3.8k views

Thank

Related Questions

A member asked:

Why is the smallpox vaccine not available to the general public?

11 doctors weighed in across 4 answers

A member asked:

Do you still have to get the smallpox vaccine if you don't go overseas?

4 doctors weighed in across 2 answers

A member asked:

What is the connection between smallpox vaccine and hiv?

A doctor has provided 1 answer