Page 2 - 2- Lesson Notes- Principles of Treatment

g. Proper immunization- The precautions to be taken at school to reduce

the incidence of infectious diseases are - drinking clean water,

availability of proper food, proper ventilation and to stay away from an

infected person.
2. Specific method

It involves the prevention method directed against a particular disease.
It is done by immunisation which is the process of introducing a weakened

pathogen inside the body of the host to make his/her immune system to produce

antibodies against that particular disease so that the next time, even if the
disease strikes the host’s body with full vigour, the body is able to protect itself

with the help of these antibodies.

What is the Immune System?
• The immune system is a network of cells, tissues and organs that work together

in order to protect our body from diseases. The immune system is considered as
a defence system of our body.

• The immune system looks out and destroys the disease-causing germs in our

body with the help of special cells called white blood cells. These cells are present
in the blood and hence circulate throughout the body and monitor it.

• The germs or any foreign substance that enter our body are called Antigens. As
the immune system recognizes these antigens, it releases antibodies which lock

the antigens and then destroy them with the help of other cells.

• The ability of a body to resist a disease with the help of antibodies is called
Immunity.

A Specific Method to Strengthen the Immune System

• A specific method to strengthen the immune system and hence preventing
disease is vaccination.

• Whenever our body is affected by a disease, our immune system not only fights

against it but also remembers how to respond when the same disease-causing
microbes affect our body the next time.

• Antibody provoking agents are termed vaccines. They contain weakened or dead
pathogens. As they enter our body, our immune system learns to fight against

them and hence prevents us from actually getting infected when the actual
disease-causing microbes enter our body.

• Vaccines are available for enhancing our immune system against various

diseases such as polio, chicken pox, measles, plague, mumps etc.