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Year 10 iGCSE - Biology

As we said before, once you are infected with the disease, you create memory cells, effectively becoming immune to the same disease.

Vaccines use this principle to make you immune.

Vaccination

Vaccinations make use of the body’s own defences. They kick - start your white blood cells into making antibodies.

This makes you immune without having to catch the pathogen first.

Living in the UK you have been immunised against polio, pneumonia, meningitis, Measles, mumps, tetanus, tuberculosis and a host of other diseases.

A vaccine works by injecting a piece of the pathogen, the whole dead pathogen or a weakened version of the pathogen into the individuals body.

Next your white blood cells attack the pathogen and begin to create antibodies against it. Eventually you will create memory cells for that specific pathogen.

From there on, any future threats will be quickly stopped and killed.

Quick Questions

1. Define Vaccination

2. What is a vaccine made of?

3. Create a flow diagram of how a vaccine works.

So, why doesn't everyone get a vaccine?

Vaccines improve your health by protecting you from disease, however its important to know that people react differently to medical treatments.

Young people, old people, people with immune disorders and weak immune systems are cautioned when having a vaccine.

Since their immune system is compromised, there is a risk the virus could ‘reactivate’ and cause damage in the body.

When it comes to vaccinations its important to vaccinate the majority of the population.

This is called herd immunity. If 90% of the population is immune to a disease, the chances of spreading that disease through out the population is significantly less.

Quick Questions

1. Create a table comparing the Pros and Cons of getting a Vaccine

2. Define Herd immunity and explain why it is important

3. What are the risks involved in vaccinations

Short Answer Questions

1. Why do we need a new flu vaccine each year?


2. What is the role of antibodies in the body, and explain their role in vaccinations.


3. How does HIV affect the body?


4. Why is it difficult to produce a vaccine against HIV


5. An elderly relative or friend had been offered a ‘flu jab’ by their doctor. They are worries it may not be safe. What would you advise them to do. Explain your answer.


6. Create a pamphlet explain the benefits and risks involved in getting a vaccine.

Auto Immune Disease (AIDs) is a serious illness which kills millions of people every year. Although you can’t catch AIDs, you can catch Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), which causes AIDs.

The reason AIDs is so dangerous is because it attacks the immune system. This means all the cells responsible for fighting the disease are being attacked and killed.