Does The Sims Team know how vaccines work? [Spoilers]
At some point during the StrangerVille story you have to create vaccines and vaccinate Sims to isolate the infection (?).
Well, that's not how vaccines work. I know a little bit about this because my sister is a doctor and she explained to me how vaccines work.
Vaccines are PROPHYLACTIC (i.e preventive). So far the only THERAPEUTIC vaccines in the world are the Cancer vaccines but they're being investigated. The use we have nowadays for vaccines is to teach our immune system how to fight off infections by injecting an agent that resembles a patogen (generally weakened or inactivated). Our body is able to create antibodies to fight off the agent and it's prepared in case the same patogen infects the body in the future. Vacciantion is so important the WHO has declared vaccine hesitancy one of the biggest threat to global health in 2019. It's essential we all get vaccinated and vaccinate our children.
Now, in StrangerVille it seems that what developers meant for our Sims to make wasn't a vaccine, but a ANTISERUM. A serum is naturally occuring substance in our blood made up of antibodies and tissue fluid. An antiserum is human or nonhuman blood serum with polyclonal antibodies (B-cells attack an antigen) intended to give passive immunity to various diseases, but more often than not it's used as an antitoxin or antivenom to treat envenomation (when a venenous animal injects venom to your blood through a bite).
It makes sense for the monstrous MOTHER PLANT to infect Sims through venomous/toxic spores in the air so the "cure" should be an antiserum to give passive immunity (ready-made antibodies) to Sims and fight off the disease.
We can talk all day about fantasy and supernatural elements in fiction, but the truth is that there should be a little bit of care when dealing with scientific topics. They could decide to change the rules of their universe (so vaccines function as antiserums, for some reason) but they have to explain these rules to us or the story won't be believable.
Well, that's not how vaccines work. I know a little bit about this because my sister is a doctor and she explained to me how vaccines work.
Vaccines are PROPHYLACTIC (i.e preventive). So far the only THERAPEUTIC vaccines in the world are the Cancer vaccines but they're being investigated. The use we have nowadays for vaccines is to teach our immune system how to fight off infections by injecting an agent that resembles a patogen (generally weakened or inactivated). Our body is able to create antibodies to fight off the agent and it's prepared in case the same patogen infects the body in the future. Vacciantion is so important the WHO has declared vaccine hesitancy one of the biggest threat to global health in 2019. It's essential we all get vaccinated and vaccinate our children.
Now, in StrangerVille it seems that what developers meant for our Sims to make wasn't a vaccine, but a ANTISERUM. A serum is naturally occuring substance in our blood made up of antibodies and tissue fluid. An antiserum is human or nonhuman blood serum with polyclonal antibodies (B-cells attack an antigen) intended to give passive immunity to various diseases, but more often than not it's used as an antitoxin or antivenom to treat envenomation (when a venenous animal injects venom to your blood through a bite).
It makes sense for the monstrous MOTHER PLANT to infect Sims through venomous/toxic spores in the air so the "cure" should be an antiserum to give passive immunity (ready-made antibodies) to Sims and fight off the disease.
We can talk all day about fantasy and supernatural elements in fiction, but the truth is that there should be a little bit of care when dealing with scientific topics. They could decide to change the rules of their universe (so vaccines function as antiserums, for some reason) but they have to explain these rules to us or the story won't be believable.
