Vaccination

How do they work?

Once there is an infection in the body, the primary response of the body is to fight it. If it looses, it results in a diseased condition. If it wins, it develops a immunity or resistance. This victory is remembered. This memory is retained by special cells called as macrophages. Whenever there is an infection by the same bug, the memory is immediately recollected resulting in a much better and more efficient management of the situation. These cells remember the foreign molecules by plain structure, just the way we remember faces. This memory can last for years.

Vaccinations work on the same principle. In case of vaccination, the memory (protective immunity) is created by exposing the body to the bug without the danger of infection of the disease. Do you remember the face of a dead man? Yes you do. The same way, dead bugs, or live but inactive bugs, or even a part of the bug's skeleton, is injected into the body for the macrophages to recognize it. This memory is then utilized to fight the real disease if it happens.

Links:

Here I include the following links which are extremely useful. Here are some of the information charts which have been developed and published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Immunization Program.

If you cannot get these links to work, these can be obtained from http://www2a.cdc.gov/nip

• Recommended Childhood and Adolescent Immunization Schedule
• Recommended Adult Immunization Schedule
• All about about Hepatitis B
• All about Dipththeria Tetanus and Pertusis vaccine
• All about Influenza vaccine
• All about Haemophilus Influenzae Type b vaccine
• All about Polio vaccine
• All about chicken pox vaccine
• Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine
• All about Measles, Mumps, and Rubella vaccine (MMR)

Note:

These documents are available here in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). To view or print them, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader (version 3.0 or higher) installed on your computer. If you do not have it, go to our resource page.

Compiled by: Indrajit Sinha; Last updated: 19.11.07© Medhospital Foundation

There is no generalization possible in medicine. The pages included in this website are purely educational and have been presented for information purpose only. Each section has been prepared with utmost care but should not be used as a substitute for your own physician's advice and care. Please see conditions for use.