The injection of a killed, or attenuated, pathogen in order to induce immunity is termed _ .
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is vaccination.
Vaccination is the process of injecting a killed, attenuated, or inactivated pathogen, or a part of it, into the body to stimulate the immune system. This process is designed to induce immunity without causing the disease itself. When a vaccine is administered, the immune system recognizes the pathogen or its components as foreign and mounts an immune response. This results in the formation of antibodies and memory cells specific to that pathogen. In the event of a future encounter with the actual pathogen, the immune system can respond more rapidly and effectively, preventing illness or reducing its severity.
There are different types of vaccines, including:
- Killed or Inactivated Vaccines: These are made from pathogens that have been killed or inactivated so that they can no longer cause disease. An example is the polio vaccine.
- Attenuated (Live) Vaccines: These contain weakened forms of the pathogen that are capable of replicating in the body but do not cause disease in healthy individuals. The measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine is an example.
- Subunit, Recombinant, and Conjugate Vaccines: These contain pieces of the pathogen, such as proteins or sugars, rather than the entire pathogen. These are safer for people with weakened immune systems. Examples include the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine.
The goal of vaccination is to provide long-term protection against diseases that can be serious, debilitating, or even fatal. Vaccines have played a significant role in public health, leading to the eradication of diseases like smallpox and significantly reducing the incidence of others, such as polio and diphtheria. Vaccination programs not only protect individuals but also contribute to herd immunity, which helps prevent the spread of diseases in a population.