A Vaccine Glossary, to accompany a review of Deadly Choices

20240612

In reviewing "Deadly Choices" it is important to have a glossary.  I compiled this one using the CDC as a starting point.  I have bolded sentences about claims and subjects  I will address in my review.  Additional definitions that I took from other sources are in italics. I have omitted definitions that were not relevant. The links are in the CDC original.

====

Antibody   A protein found in the blood, produced in response to foreign substances (e.g., bacteria or viruses) invading the body. Antibodies protect the body from disease by binding to invading organisms and destroying them.

Antigen  Foreign substances (e.g., bacteria or viruses) in the body that are capable of causing disease. The presence of antigens in the body triggers an immune response, usually the production of antibodies.

Antitoxin   A solution of antibodies against a toxin. Antitoxin can be derived from either human (e.g., tetanus immune globulin) or animal (usually equine) sources (e.g., diphtheria and botulism antitoxin). Antitoxins are used to confer passive immunity and for treatment.

Attenuated vaccine: A vaccine in which a live virus is weakened (attenuated) through chemical or physical processes in order to produce an immune response without the severe effects of the disease. Attenuated vaccines currently licensed in the United States include measles, mumps, rubella, varicella, rotavirus, yellow fever, smallpox, and some formulations of influenza and typhoid vaccines.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD): A developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication, and behavioral challenges. ASD is usually diagnosed between 18 and 30 months of age. At this time, the cause of autism is not known although many experts believe it to be a genetically based disorder that occurs before birth.

B cells: Small white blood cells that help the body defend itself against infection. B cells are produced in bone marrow and can develop into plasma cells which produce antibodies. Also known as B lymphocytes.

Bacteria: Tiny one-celled organisms present throughout the environment that require a microscope to be seen. While not all bacteria are harmful, some cause disease. Examples of bacterial disease include diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, respiratory tract infections caused by Haemophilus influenzae and pneumococcus.

Community immunity: A situation in which a sufficient proportion of a population is immune to an infectious disease (through vaccination and/or prior illness) to make its spread from person to person unlikely. Even individuals not vaccinated (such as newborns and those with chronic illnesses) are offered some protection because the disease has little opportunity to spread within the community. Also known as herd immunity.

Efficacy rate:  A measure used to describe how effective a vaccine is at preventing disease.

Fully Vaccinated – a flexible concept depending on current CDC thinking.  Search the Internet to see how the definition changes.

Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib): A bacterium that can cause severe respiratory infections (including pneumonia), otitis, and diseases such as meningitis.

Hepatitis A: An acute viral disease of the liver transmitted through contaminated food or water.

Hepatitis B: A viral liver disease transmitted by infected blood or blood products, or through unprotected sex with someone who is infected.

Hepatitis C: A viral liver disease caused by the Hepatitis C virus (HCV), which is found in the blood of persons who have the disease. HCV is spread by contact with the blood and body fluids of an infected person.

Immunoglobulin: A protein found in the blood that fights infection. Also known as gamma globulin.

Immune system: The complex system in the body responsible for fighting disease. Its primary function is to identify foreign substances in the body (bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites) and develop a defense against them. This defense is known as the immune response. It involves production of protein molecules called antibodies to eliminate foreign organisms from the body.

Immunity: Protection against a disease. There are two types of immunity, passive and active. Immunity is indicated by the presence of antibodies or other components in the blood and can usually be determined with a laboratory test. See active and passive immunity.

Immunization: The process of being made immune or resistant to an infectious disease, typically by the administration of a vaccine. It implies that a vaccine will trigger an immune response.

Inactivated vaccine: A vaccine made from viruses and bacteria that have been killed through physical or chemical processes, or contain parts proteins of the infectious agents. These killed organisms cannot cause disease.

From Wikipedia: Inoculation is the act of implanting a pathogen or other microbe or virus into a person or other organism. It is a method of artificially inducing immunity against various infectious diseases.

Macrophage: A large white cell that helps the body defend itself against disease by surrounding and destroying foreign organisms such as (viruses and bacteria).

Measles: A contagious viral disease marked by the eruption of red circular spots on the skin. Also known as rubeola.   German measles is rubella.

Memory cell: A group of cells that help the body defend itself against disease by remembering prior exposure to specific organisms such as viruses and bacteria. Consequently, these cells are able to respond quickly when these organisms repeatedly threaten the body.

Passive immunity: Protection against disease through antibodies produced by another human being or animal. Passive immunity is effective, but protection is generally limited and diminishes over time (usually a few weeks or months). For example, maternal antibodies are passed to the infant prior to birth and protect the baby for the first 4–6 months of life.

[from the Internet]  The R number is a way of rating any disease's ability to spread.  R is the number of people that one infected person will pass on a virus to, on average.  Measles has an R number of 15 in populations without immunity.   That means, on average, one person will spread measles to 15 others.

[from the Internet]  Sterilizing immunity protects the individual and prevents transmission to new hosts, thereby contributing to protection at a population level.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS): The sudden and unexpected death of a healthy infant younger than 1 year of age. A diagnosis of SIDS is made when an autopsy cannot determine another cause of death. The cause of SIDS is unknown. Also known as crib death or cot death.

Thimerosal: A mercury-containing preservative used in some vaccines and other products since the 1930s. There is no convincing evidence of harm caused by the low concentrations of thimerosal in vaccines, except for minor reactions like redness and swelling at the injection site. However, in July 1999, the Public Health Service agencies, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and vaccine manufacturers agreed that thimerosal should be reduced or eliminated in vaccines as a precautionary measure. Today, except for some flu vaccines, all routinely recommended childhood vaccines manufactured for the U.S. market contain either no thimerosal or only trace amounts. Thimerosal-free influenza vaccines are available.

Titer: The detection of antibodies in blood through a laboratory test, the concentration of antibodies detected in such a test.

Vaccination: The physical act of administering any vaccine.

Vaccinia: A virus related to the smallpox and cowpox viruses, which is used in smallpox vaccine.

Vaccine:  A suspension of live (usually attenuated) or inactivated microorganisms (e.g., bacteria or viruses), fractions of the agent, or genetic material of the administered to induce immunity and prevent infectious diseases and their sequelae. Some vaccines contain highly defined antigens (e.g., the polysaccharide of Haemophilus influenzae type b or the surface antigen of hepatitis B); others have antigens that are complex or incompletely defined (e.g. Bordetella pertussis antigens or live attenuated viruses).  NOTE: By this, the CDC's own definition, mRNA products are not vaccines.

According to an archived version of the dictionary's website, Merriam-Webster formerly said a "vaccine" was "a preparation of killed microorganisms, living attenuated organisms, or living fully virulent organisms that is administered to produce or artificially increase immunity to a particular disease."  The new definition of "vaccine", published in May [2021], reads: "a preparation that is administered – as by injection – to stimulate the body's immune response against a specific infectious agent or disease."  By this changed definition mRNA shots are vaccines.

Virulence: The relative capacity of a pathogen to overcome body defenses and elicit symptoms.

Waning immunity: The loss of protective antibodies over time.  It is not just antibodies.  This from Wikipedia.  Humoral immunity is the aspect of immunity that is mediated by macromolecules – including secreted antibodies, complement proteins, and certain antimicrobial peptides – located in extracellular fluids. Humoral immunity is named so because it involves substances found in the humors, or body fluids. It contrasts with cell-mediated immunity. Humoral immunity is also referred to as antibody-mediated immunity. The study of the molecular and cellular components that form the immune system, including their function and interaction, is the central science of immunology  Cellular immunity, also known as cell-mediated immunity, is an immune response that does not rely on the production of antibodies. Rather, cell-mediated immunity is the activation of phagocytes, antigen-specific cytotoxic T-lymphocytes, and the release of various cytokines in response to an antigen.