Vaccinations

• Vaccinations allow protection against specific diseases, but the level of protection depends on the amount of people vaccinated.
• Vaccines contain substances containing disabled antigens of a particular disease, usually administered via injection.
• Vaccines stimulate the body to produce antibodies to provide immunity against that disease.
• Vaccines allow a dead or altered form of the disease causing pathogen to be introduced into the body, which contain a specific antigen.
• An antigen is a protein on the surface of a substance (often a pathogen) that triggers an immune response.
• The immune system, specifically the white blood cells, produces complementary antibodies which target and attach to the antigen.
• During the primary infection, the antibodies slowly increase, peak at around ten days and then gradually decrease.
• A second exposure to the same pathogen causes the white blood cells to respond quickly in order to produce lots of the relevant antibodies, which prevents infection.
• Herd immunity is when a significant proportion of the population is immune to a particular disease, which in turn protects those who are not immune.
• Antibiotics and painkillers are used to treat diseases.
• Antibiotic resistance is when bacteria change in a way that reduces the effectiveness of drugs, making them harder to treat infections.
• Bacterial growth in cultures is a method used to study bacteria.
• Bacterial calculations are used in the study of bacteria.
• The effect of antibiotics and antiseptics on bacteria is studied in a required practical activity.
• The discovery of new drugs involves the research and development of new drugs.
• Vaccinations involve the administration of substances containing disabled antigens of a particular disease, usually administered via injection.