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Vaccinations

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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 remain in the blood as memory cells. If the same pathogen invades the body again, the memory cells are able to:
    • Produce antibodies faster.
    • Produce more antibodies, meaning that the antibody concentration remains in the blood for longer.
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Immunity

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

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