Vaccination is what kind of immunity

Here is how a vaccination works:. Vaccines are given to prevent and eventually wipe out diseases. When a vaccine is given to a significant portion of the population, it protects those who receive the vaccine as well as those who cannot receive the vaccine. This concept is called "herd immunity. This herd immunity protects the unvaccinated population from contagious spread from person to person diseases for which there is a vaccine.

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Need larger text? Immunology Basics What is Immunity? Innate Immunity Innate immunity is the immune system that is present when you are born. Adaptive Immunity Adaptive immunity is protection that your body builds when it meets and remembers antigens, which is another name for germs and other foreign substances in the body.

There are two types of adaptive immunity: active and passive. Active Immunity - antibodies that develop in a person's own immune system after the body is exposed to an antigen through a disease or when you get an immunization i. Immunologic memory consists of B and T cells that can recognize a particular pathogen see "Adaptive immune system". Memory cells are crucial for two reasons. First, they allow our immune systems to respond quickly. Second, they are specific for the pathogen, so the immune response is ready the moment the pathogen is encountered see "Immunologic memory".

But, the reality is that like our hearts and lungs, our immune system is constantly working to keep us healthy. This effort is evidenced by the fact that our immune system generates grams of antibodies every single day!

Vaccines contribute to active immunity by providing us with a controlled way to create an immune response. When a vaccine is introduced, our immune system treats it like any other exposure.

Because vaccines are designed such that they do not cause illness, we gain the benefits of the exposure without the risks associated with fighting off a natural infection.

We gain the immunity that follows surviving a natural infection without having to pay the price of natural infection. However, passive immunity is short-lived because the antibodies are not continually replenished as they would be in an individual whose immune system is responding directly. Passive immunity can occur in a couple of ways:. Unborn and newly born babies are protected by antibodies from the maternal immune system.

These antibodies are shared in two ways: across the placenta and in breast milk. In certain situations, antibodies obtained from animals, from other people, or synthesized in a laboratory can be used to treat individuals at risk of infections. For example, infants born to women infected with hepatitis B are treated with antibody preparations in addition to being vaccinated in an effort to protect them from also becoming infected with hepatitis B. In another example, people bitten by some poisonous snakes may be treated with antivenom, a mixture of antibodies against the type of snake venom to which the person was exposed.

Community immunity occurs when people are protected by those around them. This type of protection is indirect in that it does not involve physical components of immunity, such as antibodies, but rather results when a pathogen is less likely to infect a susceptible person because of the high numbers of protected people around them.

However, for some in our communities, such as those too young to be immunized or those with weakened immunity due to illness or treatment, community immunity is the only way they can be protected. We generally talk about community immunity from two perspectives — that of the community, commonly referred to as herd immunity, and that of the individual, commonly known as cocooning:.

When scientists create vaccines, they consider: How your immune system responds to the germ Who needs to be vaccinated against the germ The best technology or approach to create the vaccine Based on a number of these factors, scientists decide which type of vaccine they will make. There are several types of vaccines, including: Inactivated vaccines Live-attenuated vaccines Messenger RNA mRNA vaccines Subunit, recombinant, polysaccharide, and conjugate vaccines Toxoid vaccines Viral vector vaccines Inactivated vaccines Inactivated vaccines use the killed version of the germ that causes a disease.

Inactivated vaccines are used to protect against: Hepatitis A Flu shot only Polio shot only Rabies Live-attenuated vaccines Live vaccines use a weakened or attenuated form of the germ that causes a disease. But live vaccines also have some limitations. These vaccines are used to protect against: Hib Haemophilus influenzae type b disease Hepatitis B HPV Human papillomavirus Whooping cough part of the DTaP combined vaccine Pneumococcal disease Meningococcal disease Shingles Toxoid vaccines Toxoid vaccines use a toxin harmful product made by the germ that causes a disease.

Toxoid vaccines are used to protect against: Diphtheria Tetanus Viral vector vaccines For decades, scientists studied viral vector vaccines. The future of vaccines Did you know that scientists are still working to create new types of vaccines? Here are 2 exciting examples: DNA vaccines are easy and inexpensive to make—and they produce strong, long-term immunity. Recombinant vector vaccines platform-based vaccines act like a natural infection, so they're especially good at teaching the immune system how to fight germs.

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