VACCINATIONS AND IMMUNITY Flashcards
what is a vaccine
a substance used to stimulate the production of antibodies and provide immunity against one or several diseases
what is the covid-19 vaccine
there is no live virus in this vaccine so these vaccines contain spike proteins of the virus called antigens, which triggers the immune system to produce antibodies to fight the disease
aims of the vaccination programs in SA
- reduce illness and death from covid-19
- stops the transmission of covid-19
- protect the health system
side-effects of vaccine
- pain at site of injection
- feeling unwell
- tired
- feverish(#1 side effect for virus)
- headaches
why do you get side-effects from a vaccine
because its the bodies way of responding to the vaccine, however after being vaccinated one should still use general covid-19 protection measures
3 available vaccinations
- AstraZeneca’s covid-19 vaccine
- janssen’s covid-19 vaccine
- novavax’s covid-19 vaccine
herd immunity
herd immunity is when a large part of the popolation of an area is immune to a specific disease
why is herd immunity so effective
because if enough people are resistant to the cause of a disease like covid-19 it will have nowhere to go and while not every single individual may be immune, the group as a whole has protection
what does herd immunity protect
it protects at-risk populations like babies and those whose immune systems are weak and can’t get resistance on their own
immune system
is the bodies defense against infections
what hapens when the body senses foreign substances
the immune system works to recognise the antigens and get rid of them by means of phagocytosis or by producing antibodies
what are those foreign substances called
antigens
2-types of defense mechanisms
- non-specific
2. specific
