PROS
(i) Animal testing contributes to life-saving cures and treatments. Animal research has contributed to many medical advances which we now take for granted. Antibiotics, anaesthetics, organ transplants and insulin for diabetes are just some of the breakthroughs that have depended on animal research. The polio vaccine alone has saved millions of lives. And Herceptin was not only developed and tested in mice, it actually comes from mice. This modern medicine can save the lives of women with breast cancer. There are laws that ensure careful consideration of animals.
(ii) Animals are appropriate research subjects because they are similar to human beings in many ways. Mammals like chimpanzees share 99% of their DNA with humans. All mammals, including humans, have descended from common ancestors, and all have the same set of organs like heart, kidneys and lungs that function in essentially the same way with the help of a bloodstream and a central nervous system. Since animals and humans are so biologically similar, they are susceptible to many of the same conditions and illnesses, including heart disease, cancer and diabetes.
(iii) Hence, initial testing should be done on animals like mice which are 98% genetically similar to humans, have an average lifespan of two years, reproduce at a high rate and are easily available. Similarly, rabbits are also one of the most commonly used animals in research and testing as they are small and docile, easily restrained and breed prodigiously. After getting successful results with these animals, clinical testing is then performed on larger animals.
(iv) It is foolish to think that a human life that can be put to good use, should be used directly for testing without any existing data on the side effects of the vaccine in question. It is also necessary to note that the animals that are used for testing, are bred specifically for the testing purpose, and do not threaten the continuation of any species, very similar to the breeding of poultry.
CONS (i) Testing on animals is cruel and inhumane. Animals themselves have no say in this matter and animal testing should be stopped at once as it has far too many damaging consequences on the animal itself. We also should not forget the fact that many vaccines which are synthesised for human use are made by testing on animals and at times these vaccines might be effective on animals but it may have no results on humans, rendering animal testing useless. (ii) However, these animals (mice and chimpanzees) actually have a different anatomic, metabolic, and cellular structure from humans, which makes them bad test subjects for human products.It is a known fact that animal tests are time-consuming and expensive, limiting the number of chemicals that can be tested.
(iii) Hence, initial testing should be executed on animals like mice which are 98% genetically similar to humans, have an average lifespan of two years, reproduce at a high rate and are easily available. Similarly, rabbits are also one of the most commonly used animals in research and testing as they are small and docile, easily restrained and breed prodigiously. After getting successful results with these animals, clinical testing is then performed on larger animals.
(iii) It is also important to note that animals that live in close proximity to one another face higher risks of infection than individual animals. Diseases and parasites can be passed between animals living too closely together, and this can dramatically decrease a group's numbers, jeopardizing the entire survey. There are less expensive alternatives to animal experimentation and needless to say there are less inhumane methods of going about things.
(iv) But we must keep this in mind that human testing cannot be eliminated from the final process of synthesising a vaccine. Human testing is a vital and critical part of the process and without it we might not know the effects of a said vaccine on the larger public.
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