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Immunization

Similar term(s): vaccination.

Definition:

The process of protecting an individual against communicable diseases by administering a vaccine.

The vaccine generally contains weakened or killed infectious organisms or parts of their structure.

The objective is to cause the immune system to produce antibodies against the organism without causing the full-blown disease, in order to allow the immune system to prevent infection or illness when it subsequently encounters the infectious organism.

Source: GreenFacts, based on Teach online Glossary 

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