Explain the role of vaccines in the prevention of disease?!


Question: A description of the contents of a vaccine.
A description of how a vaccine protects the body from disease.
One specific reason certain vaccinations are required for students to attend public schools.


Answers: A description of the contents of a vaccine.
A description of how a vaccine protects the body from disease.
One specific reason certain vaccinations are required for students to attend public schools.

There are 4 main types of vaccines, and they each contain something different:

A live attenuated vaccine has viruses or bacteria that have been modified so as to not be able to cause disease. A killed vaccine has killed/inactivated bacteria or viruses. A toxoid vaccine will contain modified toxins produced by the organism in question that have been rendered harmless. And a component vaccine will contain parts of bacteria or viruses.

The vaccine protects the body from disease by evoking an immune response to the germ in question - it can induce neutralizing antibodies and protective T cells for example. This way, if you are ever exposed to that pathogen, your body will already have a sufficient amount of antibodies that already recognize the harmful microorganism and will be able to fight it off without a waiting time between getting infected, your immune system recognizing the pathogen, producing the appropriate antibodies, and eventually fighting off the infection.

Certain vaccinations are required for students to attend public schools is the control of disease and prevention of a pandemic - measles, for example.

vaccines prevent disease by conferring a protective, memory immune response to a previously uninfected person. vaccines come in many forms. here's an example:

Hemophillus influenzae is a bacteria that used to cause a lot of serious infections, especially in children. one of the infections that it caused was epiglotitis. your epiglotis is the little thing in the back of your throat that keeps food from getting into your airway. with an H. influenza infection, the epiglotis swells and that can cut off your airway, leading to asphyxiation and death. most of these infections are caused by the b strain of the bacteria.

the Hib vaccine is a conjugate vaccine. carbohydrates from the bacteria are attached to proteins that are known to illicit an immune response. the body responds by making antibodies against the carbs from the bacteria. when the person is re-exposed to the bacteria, the antibodies bind the bacteria and prevent infection.

the vaccine does not, however, prevent the person from carrying bacteria. so, if a child is carrying the bacteria into a school, a mass infection could occur if the students are not vaccinated. children are in close quarters in schools and are notorious for bad hygiene. vaccines prevent massive epidemics that used to kill people by the millions. in 1900, the leading causes of death were all infectious diseases. they aren't anymore, and that's because of vaccines, public health and hygiene.





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