Key Words in The Medical Field

In the health care field and being a fire fighter and first responder I am exposed to all types of hazardous atmospheres. Being in this health related profession I make sure I take every precaution I can take when it comes to my own health. As a part of maintaining my own health and the health of my family and those I provide care for I need to ensure that I am immunized.

Immunizations: This is when you have obtained immunity to a specific disease.

 To have active immunity is to be established with a certain agent to stimulate an immune response.

A passive immunity is accomplished by dispensing serum from immune people to a person that is not immune.

Vaccination: This is the dispensing of antigenic substance to produce immunity to a disease.

Pandemic: This is a disease that spreads throughout the entire world.

Universal vaccination: This is a vaccination given to people of all ages for protection from infectious diseases and hopefully does away with them.

Live attenuated vaccine: This is a vaccine that has a weakened strain of a live virus. This type vaccine is injected into a person to create immunity to the real virus.

Titer: This is also called an antibody and is a specific antibody that is in the serum. This is a result of an acquired infection or vaccine induced immunity.

Non-responder: This is a person who does not develop antibodies after given a vaccine.