defending ourselves against infectious diseases Flashcards
what are the microorganisms that cause infectious disease
pathogens
what may bacteria do inside the body
bacteria may reproduce rapidly inside the body and produce poisons (toxins) that make us feel ill
what may viruses do inside the body
viruses may reproduce rapidly inside the body.viruses live and reproduce inside cells, causing damage
how do white blood cells help to defend against pathogens
NAME?
what leads to immunity from a pathogen
the immune system of the body produces specific antibodies to kill a particular pathogen
what greatly reduces the spread of a pathogen
if a large proportion of the population is immune to the pathogen
how can people be immunised against a disease
by introducing small quantities of dead or inactive forms of the pathogen into the body (vaccination)
how do vaccines work
vaccines stimulate the white blood cells to produce antibodies that destroy the pathogen. this makes the person immune to future infections by the microorganism, because the body can respond by rapidly making the correct antibody, in the same way as if the person had previously had the disease
what does the MMR vaccine protect against
the MMR vaccine is used to protect children against measles, mumps and rubella
for vaccinations argument
Vaccines stop individuals becoming ill. If enough people are vaccinated, vaccinations can also stop pathogens infecting whole populations. This is called herd immunity.The chance of falling seriously ill or dying from the disease may be far greater than the chance of experiencing a serious side-effect.using a vaccine may be much cheaper than treating a very ill person.
against vaccines argument
NAME?
what do some medicines such as painkillers do
they help to relieve the symptoms of infectious disease, but do not kill the pathogens
what are antibiotics and give an example
antibiotics, such as penicillin, are medicines that help to cure bacterial disease by killing infective bacteria inside the body
what is important about the use of antibiotics
it is important that specific bacteria should be treated by specific antibiotics
what can antibiotics not kill
viral pathogens