Vaccination

    Cards (6)

    • Vaccination is the main technique for helping the immune system recognise and destroy pathogens. Immunising (making immune) a large proportion of the population will make it very hard for a pathogen to be spread.
    • Immune system recognition
      • White blood cells recognise that the antigens are foreign and produce antibodies against them.
    • Memory cells
      • Some of these white blood cells remain in the blood as memory cells. If the same pathogen invades the body again, the memory cells are able to:
      • Produce antibodies faster.
      • Produce more antibodies, meaning that the antibody concentration remains in the blood for longer.
    • Immunity
      • Next time the same pathogen infects the vaccinated person, it will be destroyed by the immune system before it can cause illness.
      • Vaccinating a large proportion of the community to protect everyone in the community is known as herd immunity.
      • Vaccinating the majority of people makes it hard for the pathogen to spread.
    • Inject a dead pathogen
      • A vaccination injects a dead or inactive form of a pathogen into the blood.
    • Herd Immunity
      If we immunise a large proportion (or percentage) of the population, this makes it very hard for a pathogen to be spread. This is called herd immunity.