vaccinations Flashcards
(11 cards)
immunity
-can generate a protective immunological response which prevents the pathogen from causing disease
-doesn’t mean you can’t have the pathogen in your system
-it doesn’t always stop transmission
natural active immunity
you can catch the pathogen and develop your own immunity
natural passive immunity
antibodies given through breast milk and placenta
artificial active immunity
vaccination
artificial passive immunity
given antibodies through an injection
vaccine
a dead or weakened pathogen in an injection or oral solution, the vaccine always contains the antigen, free or attached to pathogen
ideal aims of a vaccine
-to produce the same immune protection which usually follows natural infection but without causing disease
-to generate long lasting immunity
-to interrupt spread of infection
-no/minimal side effects
successful vaccination programmes
-economically available to all so everyone is vaccinated
-the means of producing, storing and transporting the vaccine must be available
how they work
-dead or weakened pathogen containing antigen is injected
-triggers primary immune response resulting in antibody production and memory cells
-unable to cause disease at all so provides immunity regardless
-vaccines may be taken orally or by injection
-booster vaccines may be given after several years to make sure memory cells are still being produced
immune response
-vaccine is taken up by antigen presenting cells
-activates both t and b cells ro produce memory cells
-antigen persists to recruit b memory cells and produces high affinity antibodies
herd immunity
-only applies to communicable diseases
-herd immunity provides indirect protection of unvaccinated as well as vaccinated individuals
-since vaccines reduce the chances of getting a disease, those who are not vaccinated also reduce the risk of catching the disease
-this may be the most important aspect of how they work
-for example, MMR given to infants protects pregnant women from rubella
