3.1.7 - Vaccination

What is a vaccination?

• Contains a dead or inactivated form of the pathogen which stimulates white blood cells to produce complementary antibodies to the pathogen.

• In the case of a second infection, memory cells can rapidly produce the correct antibodies and prevent illness

What is herd immunity?

If a sufficiently high proportion of a population are immune to the disease (especially through vaccination), the spread of this disease will be limited.

What are the advantages of vaccinations?

• They have eradicated many deadly diseases e.g. smallpox

• Many epidemics can be prevented by vaccinations

• Herd immunity protects those who cannot have vaccinations

What are the disadvantages of vaccinations?

• Not guaranteed to work - might not protect against multiple strains of a pathogen

• May be side effects or adverse