4.1.14 Principles of Vaccination

Question 1

What is a vaccine?

Answer 1

• Suspension of antigens intentionally put into body to induce artificial active immunity (trigger memory cells to be produced, causing long term immunity)
• Injected into vein or muscle or orally transmitted

Question 2

Why do we have to vaccinate citizens?

Answer 2

• Youth given vaccines to protect them from diseases
• UK babies vaccinated against polio and measles
• Countries may not have severe cases of disease but international travel requires people coming into the country to be vaccinated to prevent serious epidemics from occurring

Question 3

Pros of Vaccines :

Answer 3

• Highly effective, lifetime of protection and immunity
• Reduces chances of epidemics

Question 4

Cons of Vaccines :

Answer 4

• Poor responses, may be malnourished so can’t produce immune response
• Antigenic drift (small changes to shape of antigens)
• Antigenic shift (major change to antigens)
• Antigenic concealment (hiding antigens by living inside cells, coating bodies in host proteins)
• Cross breeding
• Unsure of long term safety to health

Question 5

Challenges of eradicating disease

Answer 5

• Complicated disease / pathogen
• Unstable political situations
• Lack of health facilities

Question 6

What is a live attenuated vaccine

Answer 6

• Weakened pathogen
• Vaccine produce a stronger and longer lasted response
• However unsuitable for people with weak immune systems
• MMR vaccines (measles, mumps, rubella)

Question 7

What is an inactivated vaccine

Answer 7

• Dead pathogens
• Cannot cause disease, suitable for people with weak immune systems
• Vaccines may not trigger a strong immune response hence might not be as long lasting as an attenuated vaccine
• Polio vaccine
• Allergic reactions can happen

Question 8

What was smallpox and how was it defeated?

Answer 8

• Viral
• Red spots and rashes on skin
• Vaccination reduced spread via ring immunity
• Live attenuated
• Massively reduced outbreak on global scale

Question 9

What is herd immunity?

Answer 9

• Large proportions of population vaccinated and so are immune to disease
• Pathogen cannot really spread in population
• Those who are not vaccinated are protected by lack of spread
• Important because people who cannot be vaccinated (children, those with allergies, weak immune systems) can be protected

Question 10

What is ring immunity?

Answer 10

• People near a vulnerable or infected person get vaccinated
• Prevents them from catching and transmitting disease