B6 preventing and treating diseases Flashcards
how does vaccination prevent disease
small quantities of dead or inactive dead or inactive
forms of a pathogen into the body to stimulate the white blood cells to produce antibodies. If the same pathogen re-enters the body the white blood cells respond quickly to produce the correct antibodies, preventing infection.
what is herd immunity
when the majority of the population is vaccinated against serious diseases therefore they reduce coming into contact with specific pathogens
what are antibiotics
such as penicillin, are medicines that help to cure
bacterial disease by killing infective bacteria inside the body. It is
important that specific bacteria should be treated by specific
antibiotics.
what is MRSA
a strain of bacteria that is resistant to antibiotics
how can we reduce the rate that antibiotic resistant strains are developing
only prescribe antibiotic when they are really needed
doctors should not prescribe antibiotics for viral diseases and non serious infections
what do painkillers do
treat symptoms of disease but do not kill pathogens
what drugs are in constant demand to produce
new painkillers
antiviral drugs
antibiotics
why are antiviral drugs hard to produce
It is difficult to develop drugs that kill viruses without also damaging the body’s tissues
what were drugs traditionally extracted from
plants and microorganisms
what heart drug originates from foxgloves
digitalis
what is aspirin
a painkiller
where does aspirin originate from
willow
who discovered penicillin
alexander flemming
how are drugs produced
Most new drugs are synthesised by chemists in the pharmaceutical industry. However, the starting point may still be a chemical extracted from a plant.
how do we know if new drugs are safe
New medical drugs have to be tested and trialled before being used to check that they are safe and effective
