5.6 Vaccines

Question 1

What is passive immunity

Answer 1

Immunity you get when you receive antibodies from an outside source.
~ no direct contact with the antigen is required
~protection is immediate and short term as the antibodies given are broken down
~no memory cells are produced

Question 2

What is an example of passive immunity

Answer 2

Natural - when a baby becomes immune as it receives antibodies through the mothers breast milk and in the placenta
Artificial - anti-venom given to the victims of snake bites

Question 3

What is active immunity ?

Answer 3

Immunity you get when your immune system makes its own antibodies.
~ requires direct contact with the pathogen
~ protection is not immediate as it takes time to develop
~ memory cells are produced
~protection is long term as the antibody is produced in response to the complementary antigen being present in the body ( due to memory cells)

Question 4

What are the 2 types of active immunity ?

Answer 4

~ NATURAL active immunity - an individual becoming infected with a disease and the body producing its own antibodies
~ARTIFICIAL active immunity- inducing an immune response in an individual without them suffering the symptoms e.g. vaccination

Question 5

What is a vaccination and the purpose of it ?

Answer 5

A dose of antigens against a disease which produces an immune response in the body and produces memory cells which remain in the blood and allow a greater more immediate response to a future infection with the pathogen.
~ this results in a rapid production of antibodies and the new infection is rapidly overcome before it can cause any harm

Question 6

What is herd immunity ?

Answer 6

~when a sufficiently large proportion of the population has been vaccinated to make it difficult for the pathogen to spread within the population. Therefore the individuals who are not immune to the disease will be protected

Question 7

Ethical issues of using vaccines

Answer 7

~production of vaccines involves the use of animals
~side effects
~ how it is tested on the public
~to be fully effective all of the population should be vaccinated however some individuals may reject due to medical or religious reasons
~expensive