Myth vs. Fact
Most vaccines cannot cause the disease they are designed to prevent.
TRUE/FACT
The word "vaccine" comes from vacca, the Latin word for this farm animal.
cow
this vaccine contains a pathogen that has been killed so it cannot reproduce.
inactivated
a harmless variant of a pathogen that stimulates a host’s immune system to mount defenses against the pathogen
vaccine
TRUE/FALSE: Vaccine ingredients are not evaluated for safety.
False
Vaccines train the immune system to recognize and fight specific pathogens.
TRUE/FACT
Before developing the smallpox vaccine, Edward Jenner noticed that milkmaids who had caught this mild disease from rarely got smallpox.
Cowpox
This type of vaccine uses a weakened form of a living pathogen to create immunity.
live-attenuated
A substance that triggers the immune system to recognize a foreign invader and produce an immune response
antigen
This type of blood cell plays an important role in recognizing pathogens and helping the body fight infections.
White blood cells/leukocytes
The ingredients in vaccines are always dangerous because they contain chemicals.
Myth/FALSE
In 1980, the World Health Organization officially declared this infectious disease eradicated worldwide.
Smallpox
This type of vaccine uses an inactivated toxin to teach the immune system to respond to the pathogen.
toxoid
When a large enough percentage of a population is immune to a disease, making it harder for the disease to spread and protecting those who are not immune
Herd immunity
contains the same or a slightly modified version of the active components from the original vaccine; designed to restore fading immunity
booster/booster shot
mRNA vaccines change a person's DNA
Myth/FALSE
This scientist developed a vaccine for rabies and helped establish the process of weakening pathogens to create vaccines.
Louis Pasteur
This type of vaccine uses genetic instructions to teach cells how to make a harmless piece of a pathogen, triggering an immune response.
mRNA
The complete elimination of a disease worldwide so that there are no naturally occurring cases...
eradicated/eradication
Some people cannot receive certain vaccines because their immune systems may not respond safely. List 2 groups of people:
1) infants too young 2) people w/ weakened immune systems 3) pregnant women 4) severe allergies 5) certain medical conditions
Toxoid vaccines contain weakened pathogens and have special precautions for those with a weakened immune system.
MYTH/FALSE (live-attenuated)
Before Edward Jenner, an early form of inoculation involved taking scab or fluid material from patients with mild forms of this disease and blowing it into the noses or skin of healthy people. What was this method called?
A) intentional transmission
B) variolation
C) antigen admission
B) variolation
This vaccine contains only specific pieces of a pathogen, such as proteins or sugars, rather than the entire pathogen.
subunit/conjugate
the act of introducing a pathogen, microbe, virus, or antigen into a living organism...
inoculation
What 3 diseases does the MMR shot protect against?
measles, mumps, and rubella