(a) What is a vaccine ? How does a vaccine work ?
(b) Why are children given vaccination ?
(a) What is a vaccine ? How does a vaccine work ?
(b) Why are children given vaccination ?
a)-
A vaccine is a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease. It contains an agent resembling a disease-inducing microorganism– a bacterium, virus or toxin – that activates the body’s immune system. White blood cells – APCs, B cells, and T-cells – recognize, destroy and “remember” this version of the pathogen. That way, the immune system can quickly recognize and destroy this harmful microorganism later on. A vaccine is essentially a pathogen-imposter.
Today, there are five main types of vaccines. Live, attenuated vaccines fight viruses and contain a weakened version of the living virus (e.g., measles-mumps-rubella and varicella vaccine). Inactivated vaccines also fight viruses and contain the killed virus (e.g., polio vaccines). Toxoid vaccines prevent diseases caused by bacteria that produce toxins in the body and contain weakened toxins (e.g., diphtheria and tetanus vaccine). Subunit vaccines include only the essential antigens of the virus or bacteria (e.g. whooping cough vaccine). Conjugate vaccines fight a different type of bacteria which have antigens with an outer coating of sugar-like substances (polysaccharides) that “hide” the antigen from the child’s immature immune system; the vaccine connects (conjugates) the polysaccharides to antigens, so the immune system can react.
b)-Vaccination are given to infants in order to protect them from the diseases because infants are more unsafe to communicable diseases.
a)-
A vaccine is a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease. It contains an agent resembling a disease-inducing microorganism– a bacterium, virus or toxin – that activates the body’s immune system. White blood cells – APCs, B cells, and T-cells – recognize, destroy and “remember” this version of the pathogen. That way, the immune system can quickly recognize and destroy this harmful microorganism later on. A vaccine is essentially a pathogen-imposter.
Today, there are five main types of vaccines. Live, attenuated vaccines fight viruses and contain a weakened version of the living virus (e.g., measles-mumps-rubella and varicella vaccine). Inactivated vaccines also fight viruses and contain the killed virus (e.g., polio vaccines). Toxoid vaccines prevent diseases caused by bacteria that produce toxins in the body and contain weakened toxins (e.g., diphtheria and tetanus vaccine). Subunit vaccines include only the essential antigens of the virus or bacteria (e.g. whooping cough vaccine). Conjugate vaccines fight a different type of bacteria which have antigens with an outer coating of sugar-like substances (polysaccharides) that “hide” the antigen from the child’s immature immune system; the vaccine connects (conjugates) the polysaccharides to antigens, so the immune system can react.
b)-Vaccination are given to infants in order to protect them from the diseases because infants are more unsafe to communicable diseases.
