BIOLOGY OF DISEASE: Report on Vaccination and Immune System

This report, titled "Biology of Disease," delves into the critical role of vaccination in safeguarding against infectious diseases. It begins by outlining the structure and function of the human immune system, detailing the various cells involved, such as T cells, B cells, natural killer cells, and granulocytes, and the organs that support immunity, including the thymus, bone marrow, lymph nodes, and spleen. The report then focuses on vaccination, explaining its mechanism of action in activating the immune system to develop adaptive immunity against pathogens. It covers different types of vaccines, including live, attenuated, subunit, conjugate, and toxoid vaccines, and emphasizes the importance of lifestyle in maintaining overall health. The report concludes by reinforcing the government's role in mandating vaccinations to protect citizens, especially children, from preventable diseases, referencing several scientific publications to support its claims.

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BIOLOGY OF DISEASE
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Introduction
The government of Australian is mandated to withdraw any benefits to the members of a
family should it be to the consent of the government that the family does not vaccinate its
children against any infectious diseases that may be deemed harmful to the children. This is done
to ensure the citizens of the country are protected against diseases. The aim of this report is to
communicate to the families of the importance of vaccination and how it works.
The immune system
The human immune system is made up of numerous cells which depend on each other in
ensuring a collective responsibility in protecting the body against infections from bacteria,
viruses, fungi, parasites or from the growth of any tumor cells. These cells are specialized and
perform specific functions or roles in achieving the immunity of the human body. While some
cells consume bacteria, others destroy parasites or tumor causing cells and still other kill the cells
which are infected by any forms of viruses (Q. Ashton Acton 2013, p. 239). In order to
effectively perform their roles, the cell relies on the T helper which activates signals in the form
of either lymphokines or cytokines or even more categorically interleukins in secretion forms.
The immune system is made of organs which interact with various types of cells which lead to a
self-sustaining immune system. The organs of the immune system include;
Thymus whose role is to release mature T cells. Prothymocytes which are premature T
cells migrate into the thymus from the bone marrow and mature in the process of thymic
education. During this process, T cells found to be of benefit to the immune system are retained
while the autoimmune ones are eliminated

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Bone barrow which is the source of all the cells found in the immune system (Tenney
2014, p. 369). The cells are formed through the process of hematopoiesis in which there is
differentiation of cells which are derived from the stem of the bone marrow into mature immune
system cells. Among the cells produced by the immune system include natural killer cells,
premature thymocytes, and granulocytes besides the red blood cells and platelets.
Lymph Nodes which are the filter of the lymphatic fluid. They are mainly composed of T
cells, dendritic cells B cells and macrophages. It is at the lymph nodes that antigens are filtered
out together with lymph fluid before the fluid flows back into the system.
Spleen is made up of B cells, natural killer (NK) cells, red blood cells, macrophages and T cells
and serves an immunologic filter of the blood (Q. Ashton Acton 2013, p. 486). The dendritic
cells and the macrophages are responsible for bringing antigens into the spleen through the
bloodstream. Among the cells of the immune system include;
Natural killer cells, abbreviated as NK cells and function to kill certain growths and
tumors directly. Such tumors include lymphomas, melanomas and other cells infected by viruses.
NK cells kill their target without a prior presence in the lymphoid organs. The effectiveness of
the NK cells is increased upon stimulation by secretions from CD4+ T cells.
T cells are divided into two phenotypically different groups; CD8+ T cells and CD4+ T
cells. CD4+ T cells mainly potentiate the responses of the immune system through the secretion
of specialized factors responsible for the activation of white blood cells to fight infections. CD8+
T cells are vital in directing the killing of parasites, viral-infected cells, and tumor cells (Parham
2014, p. 187).

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Granulocytes are a collection of leukocytes and are made of three different types of cells
basophils, neutrophils and eosinophils determined by their staining features with specific dyes.
Granulocytes are important in the elimination of parasites and bacteria from the body by
engulfing these antigens and destroying them by the use of the strong enzymes.
Dendritic cells trace their origin from the bone marrow. Dendritic cells serve as cells that
present antigens hence antigen presenting cells (Sompayrac 2011, p. 325). These cells are
believed to be trapping antigens and bringing them to the lymphoid organs in which immune
responses are initiated.
Vaccination
Vaccination is the process of administering an antigen in order to activate the immune system
of an individual so as to develop an adaptive immunity to a pathogen. Vaccines usually
ameliorate or prevent the attack of the body by infectious diseases and it serves as the most
effective and abundantly used method in the prevention of infectious diseases (Bertolli 2014, p.
568). Vaccines serve to prepare the body in readiness to repel a disease without necessarily
exposing the body to any disease symptoms. Some infectious diseases are too powerful for the
immune system and are therefore able to kill an individual. This is where vaccines help by
supplementing the immune system. There are various types of vaccines including;
 Live, attenuated vaccines which are composed of a live microbe that has been weakened
so that it is not able to cause diseases. These vaccines are treated to be the closest to
natural infection since they are alive (Sompayrac 2011, p. 896). The limitations of these
vaccines include the required refrigeration to remain potent and that being living
organisms they may mutate or change hence can turn to be a cause of infection.

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 Subunit vaccines which are made up of just the antigen as a stimulant of the immune
system. Subunit vaccines at times use epitopes and due to the absence of complex
molecules of the microbes, these vaccines reduce the chances of any complicated
reactions with the body.
 Conjugate vaccines are made by linking toxoids or antigens from a microbe to
polysaccharides that can be recognized by the immune system of an infant (Tenney 2014,
p. 569). Through this linkage, the immature immune system of the infant is made more
defensive through the coatings of the polysaccharide.
 Toxoid vaccines are used when the main cause of illness is bacteria as they inactivate
toxins from these bacteria by treating them using formalin.
Vaccines are very effective and have produced immunity of between 90-100% among
children. All vaccines are normally tested and approved before they can be used on human
beings. This ensures that all vaccines that are licensed meet the medical required standards of
safety and efficacy of use (Miller 2015, p. 254). It is for this reason that there is need to vaccinate
children so as to help them build their immunity. As a result of their weak immunity, they are
susceptible infections by various diseases which would otherwise be prevented by vaccination.
Importance of Lifestyle
Lifestyle refers to the style in which one has opted to live hence the approach and finesse that
one gives his life. It is important to have a properly balanced lifestyle as it enables an individual
to live in the present as well as enjoy the different components of his life. With a balanced
lifestyle, it becomes very easy to maintain an overall balance of life. In order to establish a

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balanced lifestyle, one needs to know the different elements that compose his life and thereby
strike a balance between those elements.
Conclusion
In this light, the government reserves the right to ensure all the children in a country undergo
any type of immunization that has been proved by the healthcare sector to be necessary for the
infants (Bertolli 2014, p. 410). The role of a government is to ensure the safety and well-being of
its citizens and this it can achieve by ensuring the young and infant population of the country is
adequately protected against infectious diseases.

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References
Bertolli, JM 2014, A case-control study of the effectiveness of BCG vaccine for preventing
clinical leprosy in Yangon, Myanmar, 3rd edn, UCLA, New York.
Miller, NZ 2015, Vaccines: Are They Really Safe and Effective?, 7th edn, New Atlantean Press,
Manchester.
Parham, P 2014, The Immune System, Fourth Edition, 3rd edn, Garland Science, New York.
Q. Ashton Acton, P 2013, Advances in Communicable Disease Control Research and
Application: 2013 Edition, 5th edn, ScholarlyEditions, New York.
Schindler, LW 2014, Understanding the Immune System, 5th edn, Understanding the Immune
System, London.
Sompayrac, LM 2011, How the Immune System Works, 4th edn, John Wiley & Sons, New York.
Tenney, L 2014, Lydia Woods Schindler, Woodland Publishing, London.