Immunization

Encyclopedia : I : IM : IMM : Immunization

A child being immunized against Polio.

For financial immunization, see Immunization (finance).

Immunization, or immunisation, is the process by which an individual is exposed to an agent that is designed to fortify his or her immune system against that agent. The material is known as an immunogen. Immunization is the same as inoculation and vaccination in that inoculation and vaccination use a viable infecting agent like immunization does. Immunization is just the general term for vaccination and such things as what you gain from these proccess.

When the human immune system is exposed to a disease once, it can develop the ability to quickly respond to a subsequent infection. Therefore, by exposing an individual to an immunogen in a controlled way, their body will then be able to protect itself from infection later on in life.

Vaccination/Vaccine (and Immunization, Inoculation. See also List of vaccine topics and Epidemiology)
Development: Models - Timeline - Toxoid - Trial
Administration: ACIP - GAVI - VAERS - Vaccination schedule - VSD
Specific vaccines: Anthrax - BCG - Cancer - DPT - Flu - HIV - HPV - MMR - Pneumonia - Polio - Smallpox
Controversy: A-CHAMP - Anti-vaccinationists - NCVIA - Pox party - Safe Minds - Simpsonwood - Thimerosal controversy - Vaccine injury

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.