Subtitle: Active Immunization
Active immunization is a process whereby a person’s immune system is stimulated to produce antibodies to a particular pathogen, such as a virus or bacteria, without the person actually getting the disease. This is done by giving the person a vaccine, which contains a small amount of a killed or weakened form of the pathogen. Through this process, the body learns to recognize the pathogen and is then able to mount an effective immune response, if the pathogen is encountered again.
Active immunization is considered the most important method of prevention for many infectious diseases, such as measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, and polio. Vaccines that are approved for use in the United States have been proven to be safe and effective, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that all children and adults receive the recommended vaccines to protect against these and other diseases.
Antibodies are proteins produced by the body in response to a foreign substance such as a virus or bacteria. Antibodies bind to the foreign substance and mark it for destruction by the body’s immune system. Vaccines cause the body to produce antibodies to the pathogen without actually causing the disease. This process of active immunization provides long-term protection against the pathogen, as the body remembers the pathogen and is better able to recognize and attack it if it is encountered again.