Читать книгу Vaccines For Dummies - Sharon Perkins - Страница 9

Vaccines hold up a “Wanted” photo of the bad guy — the pathogen or germ. Each vaccine is a little different, but they all show our immune system something super recognizable about the pathogen. That way, if we are ever exposed to this pathogen, our immune systems will respond to it.

The “Wanted” photo can be some bit from the outside of the pathogen, like a specific protein or sugar. These bits act as a way to identify the pathogen, similar to the way a tattoo or birthmark helps you identify a person. The vaccine version may attach this “Wanted” photo to a warning, like a blinking red light, such as a protein that will create a stronger immune response.

Other vaccines may be the equivalent of a head-to-foot photo; some vaccines use the whole pathogen (in a killed vaccine, explained more in Chapter 5) or in a live, but safe, similar version. Chapter 7 discusses the ingredients that typically make up vaccines.

Vaccines let you bypass the delay it would take to develop natural immunity if you were first exposed to the pathogen without this head start. Normally, it can take a couple of weeks for your immune system to figure out how to fight a new disease; with a vaccine, your body is ready and able to fight from the first time you see the actual pathogen.

Find out more about the basics of how a vaccine works in the following sections.