10.1.7

Vaccination & Immunity

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Vaccination

Vaccination is the main technique for helping the immune system recognise and destroy pathogens. Immunising (making immune) a large proportion of the population will make it very hard for a pathogen to be spread. The process of vaccination is:

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Inject a dead pathogen

  • A vaccination injects a dead or inactive form of a pathogen into the blood.
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Immune system recognition

  • White blood cells recognise that the antigens are foreign and produce antibodies against them.
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Memory cells

  • Some of these white blood cells called memory lymphocytes remain in the blood as memory cells. If the same pathogen invades the body again, the memory lymphocytes can:
    • Produce antibodies faster.
    • Produce more antibodies. This means that the antibody concentration remains in the blood for longer.
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Immunity

  • Next time the same pathogen infects the vaccinated person, the immune system will destroy it before it can cause illness.

Jump to other topics

1Classification of Living Organisms

2Organisation of the Organism

3Movement Into & Out of Cells

4Biological Molecules

5Enzymes

6Plant Nutrition

7Human Nutrition

8Transport in Plants

9Transport in Animals

10Diseases & Immunity

11Gas Exchange in Humans

12Respiration

13Excretion in Humans

14Coordination & Response

15Drugs

16Reproduction

17Inheritance

18Variation & Selection

19Organisms & Their Environment

20Human Influence on Ecosystems

21Biotechnology & Genetic Modification

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