Vaccination Flashcards
All 6 cards in this deck
What does a vaccine contain?
An inactive (dead or weakened) form of the pathogen, or its antigens.
How does immunisation make a person immune?
e.g. a measles vaccination
- The inactive pathogen carrying antigens is injected.
- The antigens trigger an immune response: lymphocytes produce antibodies.
- Memory lymphocytes remain, so a real infection gives a fast, large secondary response and the person does not become ill.
What is herd immunity?
When enough of a population is vaccinated that the pathogen cannot spread easily, so unvaccinated people are also protected.
Give two advantages of immunisation.
It prevents epidemics/can eradicate a disease, and it protects individuals (and vulnerable people) from serious illness through herd immunity.
Give two disadvantages of immunisation.
It does not always give immunity, and it can cause side effects such as swelling, or very rarely a severe reaction.
True or false? A vaccine can give you the disease it protects against.
False. The pathogen in the vaccine is inactive or weakened, so it cannot cause the disease.