How+Vaccines+Work

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Vaccine's are one of the most important elements of medical science and have been responsible for limiting the otherwise devastating effect of many viral and bacterial infections, following the ideal that "prevention is better than treatment". Influenza is one such virus that vaccines have been pivotal in controlling.

Vaccines are designed to elicit an immune response by the host, in order to create an immunity.
 * The basic principle is that when an antigen, or invading particle, appears in the body, the immune system detects it, and produces proteins called antibodies, which are created to target and destroy the antigens.
 * Once the antigens have been destroyed and are no longer a threat, certain cells which produced the antibodies will remain and act as 'memory cells, which are capable of detecting if the antigens enter the body again and destroy them quickly (National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, 2011).



Vaccines are particles that contain antigens, or parts of antigens. These antigens allow the body to develop an immunity to the virus.

However it is important that the antigens do not cause an infection. To ensure this the antigens are 'weakened' or inactivated.

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