What are vaccines and how do they work?
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Microorganisms may enter the
body and cause illness before the immune system can destroy them.
Vaccinations provide
protection from microorganisms by creating antibodies before infection.
A vaccination contains a
usually safe form of a disease-causing microorganism.
Vaccination can never be
completely safe, since individuals have different degrees of side‑effects from
a vaccine.
To prevent epidemics of
infectious diseases, it is necessary to vaccinate a high percentage of a
population so that the infection cannot spread easily.
There is a conflict between a
person's right to decide about vaccination for themselves or their children, as
there is a benefit to society as a whole.
New vaccines against influenza
have to be developed regularly because the virus changes its antigens very
quickly.
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