The Family Clinic

Immunizations and Vaccines Immunizations , or vaccines as they're also known, safely and effectively use a small amount of a weakened or killed virus or bacteria or bits of lab-made protein that imitate the virus in order to prevent infection by that same virus or bacteria. When you get an  immunization , you're injected with a weakened form of (or a fragment of) a disease. This triggers your body's immune response, causing it to either produce antibodies to that particular ailment or induce other processes that enhance immunity. Then, if you're ever again exposed to the actual disease-causing organism, your immune system is prepared to fight the infection. A vaccine will usually prevent the onset of a disease or else reduce its severity. Why Should Someone Get Immunized? The goal of public health is to prevent disease. It's much easier and more cost-effective to  prevent  a disease than to treat it. That's exactly wh...

Malaria is a life-threatening mosquito-borne blood disease. The  Anopheles  mosquito transmits it to humans The parasites in mosquitos that spread malaria belong to the  Plasmodium  genus. Over  100 Trusted Source  types of  Plasmodium  parasite can infect a variety of species. Different types replicate at different rates, changing how quickly the symptoms escalate, and the severity of the disease. Five  types Trusted Source  of  Plasmodium  parasite can infect humans. These occur in different parts of the world. Some cause a more severe type of malaria than others. Once an infected mosquito bites a human, the parasites multiply in the host's liver before infecting and destroying red blood cells. In some places, early diagnosis can help treat and control malaria. However, some countries lack the resources to carry out effective screening. Currently, no vaccine is available for use in the United States, although ...

Share on Pinterest Typhoid is an infection caused by Salmonella typhimurium bacteria that is spread from human to human. Typhoid is an infection caused by the bacterium  Salmonella typhimurium (S. typhi) . The bacterium lives in the intestines and bloodstream of humans. It spreads between individuals by direct contact with the feces of an infected person. No animals carry this disease, so transmission is always human to human. If untreated, around  1 in 5 cases  of typhoid can be fatal. With treatment, fewer than 4 in 100 cases are fatal. S. typhi  enters through the mouth and spends 1 to 3 weeks in the intestine. After this, it makes its way through the intestinal wall and into the bloodstream. From the bloodstream, it spreads into other tissues and organs. The immune system of the host can do little to fight back because  S. typhi  can live within the host's cells, safe from the  immune system Trusted Source . Typhoid is diagnos...