A vaccination is a treatment which makes the body stronger against a particular infection.
The body fights infection using the immune system, which is made up of millions of cells including T cells and B cells. An important feature of the immune system is that it is much stronger when fighting a disease which it has already fought against before. It has a memory.
Vaccination involves showing the immune system something which looks very similar to a particular virus or bacteria, which helps the immune system be stronger when it is fighting against the real infection.
What is the immune system?
The human immune system is a complex network of cells and organs that evolved to fight off infectious microbes. Much of the immune system’s work is carried
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The antigens in a vaccine are recognized by lymphocytes and lead to development of memory cells.
Vaccines teach the immune system by mimicking a natural infection.
After successful immunization with a vaccine, a person is exposed to the actual pathogen, the memory cells enable the immune system to mount a rapid, sustained immune response. This greatly reducing the complications associated with a natural infection.
For example, the yellow fever vaccine, first widely used in 1938, contains a weakened form of the virus that doesn’t cause disease or reproduce very well. Human macrophages can’t tell that the vaccine viruses are weakened, so they attack the viruses as if they were dangerous. In the lymph nodes, the macrophages present yellow fever antigen to T cells and B cells.
A response from yellow fever specific T cells is then activated. The B cells produce yellow fever antibodies. The weakened viruses in the vaccine are quickly eliminated by our immune system. The mock infection is cleared, and humans are left with a supply of memory T and B cells for future protection against yellow
The body’s protection against viruses, bacteria and other types of invasions is our immune system (Tortora, 2014).
When antigens from the Vaccination are injected into the body, the third line of defence neutralises the antigens by reproducing antibodies and Lymphocytes. Due to the weakened organisms being injected chance of infection is significantly decreased, therefore making it possible for the body to destroy disease causing antigens without the host becoming infected. When the Lymphocytes destroy the antigens, the body records the process in memory cells as a way of easily and effectively neutralizing the same threat in the future (BBC, 2018). Often with vaccinations there are two different components that make up the vaccination process. The first is the initial vaccination where in-active pathogens are injected into the bodies in order to build up resistance to the antigen via memory cells. The next step is the booster, the pertussis vaccine for example is a vaccine that requires a booster every two years in order to maintain immunity to that particular illness. Once the booster is administered, memory cells start reproducing antibodies at a rapid rate which effectively eliminate any antigens. When arguing that Parents should vaccinate their children, it is essential that potential risks are acknowledged. Whilst vaccines are essential for the majority ,
Vaccines are designed to put foreign antigens into the body so the body will produce antibodies to fight it off. When an antigen is
When we get vaccinated our immune system activate B cells that multiple and make antibodies, other B cells become B memory cell, which make antibody whenever the microorganism we are vaccinated against infects our body. Booster shot are given because the first vaccination does not activate a significant amount of B Cells. Booster shots produce more B Cells. When more B Cells are activated more antibodies are made, which result in better protection from microorganisms we are vaccinated against (www.wedmd.com).
- Vaccinations work with the body’s natural immune system in order to prevent future diseases and illnesses.
Today, people do not really know how a vaccine works. For many illnesses, a person becomes immune once their body has fought off the infection. This is because the body can now fight the infection without suffering from
In order to understand the importance of a life-saving vaccine, it is essential to learn how they work. Amy Boulanger discusses the process in “What Do You Want to Know About Vaccinations?”. A vaccine injected into one’s body contains a weakened germ, which is responsible for causing that specific virus. By injecting that vaccine, the body is now able to recognize a new virus. It then activates and begins making antibodies. The body also “remembers” that virus. Through this process, immunity to the potentially deadly virus or disease will be quicker, therefore keeping vaccinated people protected from harm (Boulanger) .
The first thing it does is recognize that the disease germs do not belong in their body, they are “foreign invaders.” It then responds by producing proteins called antibodies, which help destroy these germs. Unfortunately, these antibodies can’t act quickly enough to stop you from getting sick. But by eliminating the germs, they help the child get well (“How Vaccines Work”). The immune system remembers the germs that made the child sick, and if they ever try to infect them again, even after many years, their immune system will come to their defense again. But now they are able to stop the invading germs before they can make them sick. This is immunity. It is what keeps you from getting sick from diseases like measles or chickenpox a second time, no matter how often you are exposed to them (“How Vaccines Work”). In other words, the first time you are exposed to a disease, your immune system won’t stop you from getting sick, but it will help you recover and make you immune to that disease if you are ever exposed to it again. Most vaccinations will provide lifelong protection against the disease (“How Vaccines Work”).
A vaccine is a substance that is used to build the production of antibodies in order to provide immunity against specific types of diseases. A vaccine does its “magic” by first being inserted into the body; then, a form of the disease in the vaccine is fought in order for the antibodies to build up the immunity to the particular disease, without the individual contracting the disease itself. Memory cells in the body remember the disease. Therefore, if it comes into
Vaccinations include a profound specificity to how they safeguard the well-being of the patients being given the medicine. First, the antibody cells receive stimulation with the a partial cut of the disease. Antibodies, a protein in the immune system, are responsible for the removal of the infectious disease
Ackerman: That’s a great question to start us off… Vaccines help the body prepare to fight against strong and contagious viruses and diseases. A vaccine contains a small amount of the germ that gives you the disease, but the germs in it are either already dead or weakened to the point of being harmless. The germ tricks your body into thinking that you have the disease or virus, so your immune system then creates antibodies, which are made to attack any bad cell in your body. Your body then remembers how to fight against this virus for a long time, which protects you from getting ill because of it.
Vaccines cause the immune system to produce disease-fighting antibodies without causing the disease itself. When you receive the vaccination you are protecting yourself from ever catching the disease or virus. Measles, mumps, and whooping cough are examples of diseases that
A vaccine works by tricking the body’s immune system into creating antibodies that fight an innocuous form of the virus. The antibodies then remain in the body, and if the person encounters the real virus, they are protected against it. The history of vaccines actually goes as far back as 200BC India or China, when it was discovered that some diseases do not infect those who have already been infected by it. This discovery led people to infect themselves with inoculated matter, thus protecting them from the disease. The first vaccine dates back to 1796 when Edward Jenner developed the smallpox vaccine using a weakend version of the cowpox disease. The concept of vaccinations through inoculation is considered by many to be one of the great science revelations of the 20th century.
Whilst this is occurring, memory B cells figure out the shape of the antigen and remember it. This allows the B cells to produce antibodies much faster if the pathogen reinfects the person. The problem with the human immune system is that it takes approximately three weeks to reach peak antibody concentration and remove all of the pathogens in the body. Many pathogenic diseases (tetanus, polio, meningococcal etc) will kill the individual before the 3rd line of defence has the chance to destroy them. Vaccination involves injecting antigens (in the form of attenuated pathogens or pathogen parts) into the body. This causes the same immune response that would occur if the individual was infected with the actual disease; however, because the pathogens have been weakened (or killed) and had their reproductive ability inhibited, they cannot kill. This means that If the individual is infected by the pathogen in the future, he/she is extremely unlikely to get the disease (RNA based viruses such as Influenza are exempt from this due to their antigenic shift/drift ability). The use of repeated vaccination (eg. vaccination for a particular disease at two, four and six years of age) enhances the immune system even more.
Our immune system is the second most complex system in our body. It is made up of organs, cells and proteins that work together to protect our bodies from harmful bacteria, viruses or other microorganisms that can cause diseases. Usually we don’t notice our immune system defending us against pathogens, but if the pathogen (harmful microorganism) is aggressive or if our body hasn’t ever come into contact with it, we can get sick. The jobs of our immune system are to recognise pathogens, as well as neutralise and remove them from our body. Our immune system also has to fight our own cells if they have changed due to an illness, for example, cancer. (1)