Immunization Quiz
Vaccines have made certain childhood diseases rare in this country. Find out more about vaccines by taking this quiz.
1. The first vaccine developed was against smallpox.
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The first vaccine was developed in 1796, by a British doctor, Edward Jenner. The word vaccine comes from a Latin word relating to cows. That's because the first vaccine was based on cowpox, a mild disease of cattle and people, but it also protected against the much more deadly smallpox virus.
2. To offer the widest protection against a particular disease such as measles or diphtheria, at least 90 percent of children should be immunized.
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If 90 percent of children are immunized, the disease cannot spread far even if someone not vaccinated contracts it. This is sometimes called "herd immunity," in which unvaccinated people are protected by the great number of others immune to the illness.
3. Vaccines work by teaching your immune system to know what the real infection looks like.
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Before vaccines, the only way to become immune to a disease was to actually get it and survive it. Vaccines provide an easier and less risky way to become immune. A vaccine trains the immune system by appearing like a natural infection. A vaccine is made from a weakened live, or killed microorganism (a bacterium or virus, for example), or parts of the microbe. The weakened or killed form can't cause the illness, but it triggers a response from your immune system. Your immune system produces antibodies against the weakened or killed microbe. Those antibodies will remember the microbe should you be exposed to it in the future and protect you against infection. A vaccine with a weakened form of viruses is the combination vaccine against measles, mumps, and rubella. Vaccines against polio and influenza contain killed forms of the viruses that cause those diseases. Diseases for which vaccines are available include anthrax, bacterial meningitis, chickenpox, cholera, diphtheria, haemophilus influenza type B, hepatitis A and B, influenza, measles, mumps, pertussis, pneumococcal pneumonia, polio, rabies, rubella, tetanus, and yellow fever.
4. Some vaccines against bacterial infections contain inactivated toxins that those bacteria produce.
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Vaccines that contain inactivated toxins include the shots for tetanus and diphtheria. Another type of vaccine uses substances called polysaccharides from the cell wall to produce immunity. The vaccines against pneumonia and meningitis are made from antigenic polysaccharides found in the cell walls of bacteria. These vaccines may protect against several different types of the same bacterium.
5. The yearly flu vaccine is recommended only for people 50 and older.
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The CDC recommends an annual flu shot for everyone 6 months and older. Some people are at higher risk for complications from the flu. These include: people who live in long-term care facilities; people with chronic heart or lung conditions; people who have diabetes, kidney disease, or weakened immune system; and women who will be pregnant during flu season.
6. Besides an annual flu shot, adults also need a booster for tetanus and diphtheria every 10 years.
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You may also need other immunizations, depending on your health and lifestyle. Check with your health care provider. Because of the increasing prevalence of whooping cough (pertussis) in adults, two booster vaccines are now available for adults that protect against pertussis, as well as diphtheria and tetanus.
7. One of the newest vaccines available protects women against cervical cancer.
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Two vaccines against the human papillomavirus (HPV) are available to protect against cervical cancer. The CDC recommends that girls 11 or 12 years old get three doses of the HPV vaccine. Older girls and young women who missed a dose of the vaccine can make it up through age 26. One of the vaccines, Gardasil, also protects against genital warts. Boys and young men ages 9 through 26 can get the Gardasil vaccine to protect against genital warts.
8. Fever and soreness at the site of the injection are two mild reactions that may occur after a vaccination.
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Most people who get vaccinated have no side effects from a vaccine, but mild reactions such as fever or soreness at the injection site can occur, the CDC says. On very rare occasions, someone may have an allergic reaction to a vaccine. Symptoms of an allergic reaction include difficulty breathing, wheezing, hives, weakness, and swelling in the throat. If any of these symptoms occur, seek immediate medical help. The CDC offers a list of possible side effects for each vaccine on its website.
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