What is the concept of 'herd immunity' in the context of a vaccination program?
Explanation
Herd immunity, or community immunity, is a crucial indirect benefit of vaccination. When a sufficiently high proportion of a population is immune to a disease (primarily through vaccination), the chain of transmission is disrupted. This makes it much less likely for a susceptible (unvaccinated) individual to come into contact with an infected person, thereby providing them with indirect protection.
Other questions
What is the primary mechanism by which corticosteroid drugs like prednisone exert their powerful anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive effects?
Which of the following immunosuppressive drugs is metabolized to mycophenolic acid and works by inhibiting the enzyme inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase, thereby blocking the de novo synthesis of guanosine monophosphate?
What is the primary mechanism of action for the immunosuppressive drugs cyclosporin A and tacrolimus?
How does the drug rapamycin (sirolimus) exert its immunosuppressive effects?
What is the primary mechanism of action for tofacitinib, a Jakinib approved for treating rheumatoid arthritis?
A monoclonal antibody therapeutic is named with the suffix '-zumab'. What does this suffix indicate about the antibody's origin?
How does the anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody rituximab primarily function in the treatment of certain autoimmune diseases and B-cell lymphomas?
What is the mechanism of action of etanercept, a biologic agent used to treat rheumatoid arthritis?
How does the humanized monoclonal antibody natalizumab function to treat multiple sclerosis and Crohn's disease?
What rare but serious opportunistic infection has been associated with natalizumab therapy, leading to its temporary withdrawal from the market?
What is the mechanism of abatacept, a fusion protein used to treat rheumatoid arthritis?
According to the 'immune surveillance' hypothesis, which phase of tumor growth involves the immune system recognizing and destroying potential tumor cells?
How can some tumors, such as colon and cervical cancers, evade immune recognition by T cells?
What are cancer-testis antigens, such as the MAGE antigens, which can serve as targets for tumor immunotherapy?
What technology involves introducing a novel receptor, known as a CAR, into a patient's T cells to target cancer cells?
What is the primary target of the monoclonal antibody trastuzumab (Herceptin), which is used to treat about one-quarter of breast cancer patients?
A clinical trial for a recombinant vaccine against human papilloma virus (HPV), designed to prevent cervical cancer, showed what level of effectiveness against the two key strains, HPV-16 and HPV-18?
What is the therapeutic approach known as checkpoint blockade in the context of cancer immunotherapy?
In the historical practice of variolation against smallpox, what was the approximate percentage of cases that resulted in fatal smallpox?
What is the primary immunological advantage of using a live-attenuated viral vaccine over a 'killed' viral vaccine?
What is the primary purpose of creating conjugate vaccines, such as the Haemophilus influenzae type b (HiB) vaccine?
What is the primary function of an adjuvant when included in a vaccine formulation?
How did treatment with the checkpoint blockade antibody ipilimumab affect the number of T cells recognizing the cancer-testis antigen NY-ESO-1 in melanoma patients?
What is the primary mechanism by which the cancer vaccine sipuleucel-T (Provenge) works?
In a study of metastatic prostate cancer, treatment with sipuleucel-T (Provenge) reduced the risk of death by what percentage compared to a placebo group?
What is the primary side-effect of ipilimumab, an anti-CTLA-4 checkpoint blockade antibody?
Pembrolizumab and nivolumab are checkpoint blockade antibodies used to treat metastatic melanoma. What is their molecular target?
In a trial for a long-peptide vaccine against HPV-16, what was the clinical outcome for the treated patients with vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia?
What is the key difference in the type of immune response generated by an inactivated ('killed') viral vaccine compared to a live-attenuated viral vaccine?
Which of the following describes the makeup of an immunotoxin?
What is the primary drawback of using peptide-based vaccines related to the human population's genetic diversity?
What is the mechanism of action of the drug fingolimod (FTY720)?
What is a major component of late failure of vascularized transplanted organs, characterized by concentric arteriosclerosis of graft blood vessels?
Which immunosuppressive drug is a fusion protein consisting of the Fc region of an immunoglobulin fused to the extracellular domain of CTLA-4?
What is the primary mechanism by which statin drugs might exert immunomodulatory effects, besides reducing cholesterol levels?
What is the term for the phenomenon where an infection is in progress and inflammatory mediators cause the activation of self-reactive 'bystander' lymphocytes that are not specific for the infectious agent?
In the context of the 'hygiene hypothesis,' what is proposed to be a consequence of a lack of infection during childhood?
What phenomenon describes how antibodies produced against a pathogen epitope can cross-react with a self molecule, potentially leading to autoimmunity?
A drug is used to treat heart arrhythmias, but in a small proportion of patients, it induces autoantibodies similar to those in SLE. What is this drug?
What is the primary function of the enzyme indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) at the maternal-fetal interface?
What is the primary cause of hyperacute graft rejection, which occurs within minutes of transplantation?
What is graft-versus-host disease (GVHD)?
What is the therapeutic benefit of the 'graft-versus-leukemia' effect in the context of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for leukemia?
What is the primary reason that rejection of an MHC-identical graft from a sibling can still occur without immunosuppression?
In the treatment of acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), what surface molecule on B cells has been successfully targeted by CAR T cells?
Which drug is a member of the nitrogen mustard family, was originally developed as a chemical weapon, and has highly toxic effects including hemorrhagic cystitis?
What is the primary role of regulatory T cells (Treg cells) in the context of transplant rejection?
What is the function of the drug glatiramer acetate (Copaxone), which is approved for treating multiple sclerosis?
What is the primary mechanism of action of the murine antibody muromomab (OKT3) in treating graft rejection?