By: Dr. Tameka Stephenson-Harris (DM pending, M.B.B.S, M.Sc. B.Sc. Hons.) Medical Doctor and Nutritionist
The stories of vaccines have been around since 1796 when Edward Jenner used material from Cowpox pustules to create protection against small pox. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), there are over 16 different types of vaccines that have been approved. A vaccine contains a substance that is part of a virus or bacteria that does not cause a disease, but trains your body to recognize the virus or bacteria. When you receive a vaccine, your body responds to it and develops a memory of the virus or bacteria. If you are exposed to this virus or bacteria after being vaccinated, your immune system’s memory will quickly react to kill the virus or bacteria and prevent you from developing the disease.
Vaccination is the administration of a vaccine that have been developed to help the immune system develop protection from a disease. Immunisation is a key component of primary healthcare and an undisputed human right that have saved millions of lives globally. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are vaccines available to protect against at least 20 diseases, some of which are eradicated through vaccination such as measles, polio, rubella etc. Immunity to a disease is achieved through the presence of antibodies to that disease in a person’s system. Antibodies are proteins produced by the body to neutralize or destroy toxins or disease-carrying organisms.
There are 2 types of immunity – innate and adaptive immunity. Adaptive immunity may be categorized as passive or active. Innate immunity is not specific to a particular pathogen (disease causing organism) unlike the adaptive immune response. It is the defence system which one is born with and it involves a barrier that keeps harmful materials from entering the body. On the other hand, adaptive immunity targets specific pathogens or foreign substances, this process however takes time to be developed. The process of adaptive immunity involves two major cell types, the B cells and the T cells. B cells produce antibodies against the invading pathogen in the blood stream and T cells destroy cells that have been affected.
Vaccines have been developed for diseases that have been highly contagious in order to preserve mankind
In the case of active immunity, this occurs when exposure to a disease organism triggers the immune system to produce antibodies to that disease. The exposure may occur through infection with the actual disease (resulting in natural immunity), or introduction of a killed or weakened form of the disease organism through vaccination (vaccine-induced immunity). In both cases, if an immune person comes into contact with that disease in the future, their immune system will recognize it and immediately produce the antibodies needed to fight it. Active immunity is long-lasting, and sometimes life-long.
Passive immunity is provided when a person is given antibodies to a disease rather than producing them through his or her own immune system. An example of this is in the case of a new-born who acquires passive immunity from its mother through the placenta. Persons can also get passive immunity through antibody-containing blood products such as immunoglobulin, which may be given when immediate protection from a specific disease if needed.
To read more, please purchase a copy of Buzzz Caribbean Lifestyle Magazine Vol 10 #10 in a store near you.
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By: Dr. Tameka Stephenson-Harris
(DM pending, M.B.B.S, M.Sc. B.Sc. Hons.)
Medical Doctor and Nutritionist
The stories of vaccines have been around since 1796 when Edward Jenner used material from Cowpox pustules to create protection against small pox. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), there are over 16 different types of vaccines that have been approved. A vaccine contains a substance that is part of a virus or bacteria that does not cause a disease, but trains your body to recognize the virus or bacteria. When you receive a vaccine, your body responds to it and develops a memory of the virus or bacteria. If you are exposed to this virus or bacteria after being vaccinated, your immune system’s memory will quickly react to kill the virus or bacteria and prevent you from developing the disease.
Vaccination is the administration of a vaccine that have been developed to help the immune system develop protection from a disease. Immunisation is a key component of primary health care and an undisputed human right that have saved millions of lives globally. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are vaccines available to protect against at least 20 diseases, some of which are eradicated through vaccination such as measles, polio, rubella etc. Immunity to a disease is achieved through the presence of antibodies to that disease in a person’s system. Antibodies are proteins produced by the body to neutralize or destroy toxins or disease-carrying organisms.
There are 2 types of immunity – innate and adaptive immunity. Adaptive immunity may be categorized as passive or active. Innate immunity is not specific to a particular pathogen (disease causing organism) unlike the adaptive immune response. It is the defence system which one is born with and it involves a barrier that keeps harmful materials from entering the body. On the other hand, adaptive immunity targets specific pathogens or foreign substances, this process however takes time to be developed. The process of adaptive immunity involves two major cell types, the B cells and the T cells. B cells produce antibodies against the invading pathogen in the blood stream and T cells destroy cells that have been affected.
In the case of active immunity, this occurs when exposure to a disease organism triggers the immune system to produce antibodies to that disease. The exposure may occur through infection with the actual disease (resulting in natural immunity), or introduction of a killed or weakened form of the disease organism through vaccination (vaccine-induced immunity). In both cases, if an immune person comes into contact with that disease in the future, their immune system will recognize it and immediately produce the antibodies needed to fight it. Active immunity is long-lasting, and sometimes life-long.
Passive immunity is provided when a person is given antibodies to a disease rather than producing them through his or her own immune system. An example of this is in the case of a new-born who acquires passive immunity from its mother through the placenta. Persons can also get passive immunity through antibody-containing blood products such as immunoglobulin, which may be given when immediate protection from a specific disease if needed.
To read more, please purchase a copy of Buzzz Caribbean Lifestyle Magazine Vol 10 #10 in a store near you.
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