Fighting Disease Flashcards
What do vaccinations include?
They have dead/ inactive microorganisms which carry antigens
What does your body use to counteract antigens and why?
Antibodies attack antigens, so that the white blood cells can rapidly mass-produce antibodies to kill off the pathogen
What is an MMR vaccine for?
Measles, Mumps and Rubella
Why are booster injections needed?
The vaccinations wear off and more are needed to increase the amount of antibodies
What are the positives about vaccinations?
- They help control infectious diseases
- It can prevent epidemics
What are negatives about vaccinations?
- May not always work
- You could have a bad reaction to a vaccination
What do painkillers do?
They relieve pain by reducing the symptoms. THEY DO NOT TACKLE THE CAUSE
What do antibiotics do?
They kill the bacteria causing the problem but don’t destroy viruses
How do viruses reproduce?
They use your own body cells, which is why they are hard to get rid of, as you may just kill your own body’s cells
What can bacteria do to make them harder to get rid of?
They can mutate and become resistant to an antibiotic
What happens with resistant strains of bacteria?
They aren’t killed by the antibiotics and so reproduce, so the resistant strain increases and can become worse
How do you slow down the development of resistant strains?
Avoid over-using antibiotics as the bacteria will mutate and become resistant
How can you investigate antibiotics?
You can grow microorganisms in agar jelly
What did Semmelweis think was causing so many deaths in women after childbirth?
Doctors spreading diseases on unwashed hands
What did Semmelweis introduce to reduce deaths?
Doctors had to wash hands in an antiseptic solution
