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How Antibiotics and Vaccines Work

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How Antibiotics and Vaccines Work

Antibiotics can fight bacterial infections, and vaccines can prevent infectious diseases. Disease-causing microorganisms are called pathogens.

Alexander Fleming

Alexander Fleming

  • Fleming was born in 1881 in Scotland.
  • Fleming studied the bacteria staphylococci at St. Mary's Hospital in London.
  • On September 3rd, 1928, Fleming noticed that the bacterial cultures he was working with had been contaminated with mould.
    • The bacteria wasn’t growing near the mould.
    • Fleming called this mould penicillin.
  • Fleming is credited with finding the first antibiotic medicine.
Antibiotics

Antibiotics

  • Antibiotics treat bacterial infections, not viral infections.
    • Antibiotics destroy bacteria and prevent bacteria from spreading.
  • Antibiotics may take a few days to start working.
  • A person must continue taking their antibiotics, even if they feel better.
    • Stopping antibiotics early could lead to antibiotic resistance.
    • Only take antibiotics when they are prescribed by a doctor.
Edward Jenner

Edward Jenner

  • Jenner was born in 1796 in England.
  • Jenner is credited with discovering the first vaccine.
  • Jenner inoculated James Phipps with cowpox pus.
    • Phipps caught cowpox.
    • However, Phipps was unaffected when he was later infected with smallpox.
  • As a result of Jenner's discovery, smallpox has been eradicated.
What are vaccinations?

What are vaccinations?

  • Vaccinations are a weakened version of a virus.
    • People take vaccines to protect them from viruses.
  • Being inoculated with a virus does not cause the disease in the person.
    • Inoculation causes the immune system to respond to the weakened virus antigens.
After vaccination

After vaccination

  • Once someone is vaccinated, their immune system produces an antibody attached to the specific virus antigens.
  • If someone is infected with the antigen again, their body remembers its immune system response.
    • The vaccine-boosted response is much quicker.
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