The immune system consists of three mains groups. These are called the three lines of defence and these are what stop you from getting sick. The first and second line of defence are non-specific while the third line of defence is highly specific.
Our body’s first line of defence includes the skin which acts as a physical barrier. There are also the mucus membranes which are located in most of the bodies orifices and these block pathogens paths of entering the body then expels them. There are secretions such as tears and sweat which chemically work to break down pathogens.
The second line of defence can commonly be misconceived …show more content…
These will remember how to fight off the specific infection and be on the lookout so that if it does come back the body will be stronger and faster to take it down. Here is a little comparison, the first time the body comes in contact with a disease it can take a week or longer for the immune system to work through all 3 lines of defence whereas when the body meets it a second time it is able to fight it off up to 7 times faster. These vaccines sound like a miracle but what is it that we are actually injecting into our body to get these amazing results.
There are 4 main types of vaccine, these include:
A weakened live version. This vaccine is used for measles and chicken pox.
There is a killed version. This vaccine is used for polio.
There are toxoid vaccines made specifically for bacterial diseases which release toxins. These work by weakening the toxins so they cannot damage the body and this vaccine is used for diphtheria.
The last option is a subunit vaccine where the vaccine only contains a small part of the disease called the antigens and this vaccine is used for whooping cough.
People may still experience a small fever and some inflammation after a vaccine but remember that is the body working through its lines of defence not the disease.
How do we get these vaccines and how do we know which ones we …show more content…
This increases the percentage of children vaccinated. This is vital for the larger population to survive diseases as the more people vaccinated, the less times you will come in contact with the infection. The government helps to keep us safe from people who are infected through the Public Health Act (2010). This act requires local health units to be notified of any cases of infectious disease so the source of the infection can be identified and anyone contagious is able to be isolated while they can pass the disease onto others. This allows for the spread of contagious diseases to be controlled extremely