Immunity to a disease is achieved through the presence of antibodies to that disease in a person's system. There are 2 types of immunity: active and passive
What is active immunity?
When exposure to a disease organism triggers the immunesystem to produce antibodies to that disease
exposure to the disease organism can occur through infection with the actual disease or vaccination
active immunity is longlasting and sometimes lifelong, because the response produces memory cells
What is passive immunity?
When a person is given antibodies to a disease:
from mother to foetus through the placenta
from mother to baby in breastmilk
antibodyinjections called Ig (immunoglobulin) replacementtherapy
Passive immunity lasts only for a few weeks or months
What are the 3 types of vaccine?
live attenuated vaccine: made from a weaker version of the pathogen
inactive vaccine: contains an inactive or killedpathogen
subunit vaccine: contains only the antigen from the pathogen
Vaccines can also be made using inactivated toxins
