Tim Friede, a US truck mechanic turned self-taught snake expert, has what has been described as โsuper immunityโ to snake venom: he has been bitten more than 200 times over nearly two decades by some of the worldโs most poisonous snakes.
Globally, snake bites kill more than 100,000 people and cause 300,000 permanent disabilities every year. Friede has teamed up with scientists to use his blood to help develop a broad antivenom that could save the lives of people living in remote rural locations around the world.
How did he develop immunity to snake venom that should kill a human in minutes?
Not only has he been bitten often, he has also exposed himself repeatedly to toxins, injecting himself with small amounts of diluted venom more than 700 times.
Vaccines work on the same principle: a small amount of the offending virus or bacteria is introduced to the system โ not enough to kill or make a person sick, just enough that the body recognises an enemy and begins to produce protective antibodies.
Failing to get the vaccine means the immune system will not get the prompt to make antibodies to protect against infection.