2.4.5: Vaccination

Question 1

what can vaccinations contain

Answer 1

Dead/inactive pathogen if virus
attenuated (weakened) pathogen
antibodies
antigens
live pathogen
toxoids (harmless toxin)

Question 2

How are vaccines delivered into the body

Answer 2

oral or via injection into muscle/vein

Question 3

what two factors determine if a vaccination is successful or not

Answer 3

1- antigen should be highly immunogenic -> trigger strong immune response producing a high concentration of antibodies
2- only one antigenic type of the pathogen

Question 4

Why are booster vaccines necessary

Answer 4

produces a secondary immune response, required when memory cells are short lived

Question 5

Describe what herd immunity is

Answer 5

significant majority of the population is vaccinated - interrupts transmission of the pathogen in the population

Question 6

who is herd immunity beneficial for

Answer 6

immunocompromised people
very old people
very ill people

Question 7

List some factors as to why people might not take vaccines

Answer 7

religious arguments
mistrust of pharmaceutical companies
political views
fear of side effects
natural remedies

Question 8

describe what ring immunity is

Answer 8

those who are in contact with the infected person are vaccinated