Immunization is the process or procedure by which a subject
(person, animal, or plant) is rendered immune, or resistant to a specific disease. This term is
often used interchangeably with vaccination
or inoculation, although the
act of inoculation does not always result in immunity.
Natural exposure occurs when we come in contact with the
agent and become infected by it;(1) for example, by catching
varicella (chicken pox) from a classmate. Artificial exposure (2)
means that we receive parts of the infectious agent, or inactivated versions, in an injection, by
mouth, or by other methods, for the purpose of becoming immune to the disease the agent causes. In
the future, vaccines may also be given by nasal spray or an aerosol that is received by simply
breathing. Additional methods, including needle-less injection systems, are in development.
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Footnotes |
1. Spraycar M (editor). Stedman�s
Medical Dictionary. 26th edition. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins, 1995.
2. Spraycar M (editor). Stedman�s
Medical Dictionary. 26th edition. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins, 1995.
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