B2 Vaccinations Flashcards
What is the purpose of vaccinations?
Being immunised means you are protected against a disease (eg polio or measles)
To prevent epidemics of a disease.
How do vaccinations work?
By injecting dead, inactive or weakened pathogens into the body.
They carry antigens which trigger an immune response but are harmless.
The memory cells will recognise the pathogen in future, antibodies that help destroy it will be produced immediately.
What is an epidemic?
Big outbreaks of disease.
How can vaccinations help to prevent epidemics?
If a large percentage of the population is vaccinated, there are fewer people to pass on the disease to those who have not been infected.
What happens to the measles pathogen if you have already been vaccinated?
The pathogen is quickly recognised and attacked by antibodies so you don’t get ill.
Pros of vaccinations
Vaccines have helped control lots of communicable diseases that were once common in the uk
What diseases have been controlled by vaccinations in the uk? 7
Polio, measles, whooping cough, rubella, mumps,tetanus, smallpox.
How effective have vaccinations been in reducing the occurrence of smallpox and polio in the uk?
Smallpox no longer occurs
Polio infections have fallen by 99%
Cons of vaccinations 3
Don’t always work
Can have a bad reaction (swelling, fever or seizures), but bad reactions are rare
Expensive to make and carry out a vaccination program
Explain how white blood cells respond to vaccination (2 marks)
They produce antibodies (1 mark)
…that attack the antigens present on the cells within the vaccination (1 mark)
What happens if a significant number of the population aren’t vaccinated?
A disease can spread quickly, meaning a lot of people become unwell at the same time.
What happens if a significant number of the population aren’t vaccinated?
A disease can spread quickly, meaning a lot of people become unwell at the same time.
