Vaccination Flashcards
What happens when white blood cells make antibodies?
the white blood cells also make special memory cells that react VERY quickly if you are infected with the SAME pathogen to release lots of antibodies. This allows the immune system to remember the pathogen- it has memory. This is why you often don’t get the symptoms of an infection that you have already have.
What is a vaccine?
A vaccine is a solution that contains dead or damaged pathogens ( not diseases) that create an artificial immune response against the pathogen to give immunity against a pathogen.
Why doesnt a vaccination make us ill with the disease?
you are only injected with a small about which as been weakened but you can feel a little unwell for a couple of days.
What happens when your body becomes infected?
from day 0 the response is quite slow, it takes around 6 days to make enough antibodies to fight the pathogen. memory cells are being made at the same time.
when your body is re infected by the same pathogen lots more antibodies are produced much more quickly.
discuss memory cells.
memory cells are made which means you are now immune to future infections by the pathogen. This is because your body can produce a quicker response the second time it encounters the pathogen before it has the opportunity to make you feel poorly.
what do the pathogens do in the vaccine to your cells?
they stimulate/start off your white blood cells into making antibodies.
