British Sign Language Glossaries of Curriculum Terms

BSL Environmental Science Glossary - Vaccination definition

Definition: Vaccination is the process where a medical professional gives a person a vaccine, usually by injection or nasal spray. The vaccine contains a substance created by scientists who weaken or kill a specific virus or bacteria, like COVID-19 and make it safe. When it is vaccinated in a person, the person's immune system sees it as an intruder and creates antibodies to set upon and kill it. As it has been weakened, it is easy to defeat the virus in its inactivated form. So, if the person contracts the actual virus for real, like Covid, the body recognises it and attacks and kills it. Vaccinated people don't become severely ill with the virus, as a result, they may only get mild symptoms like a cold. Vaccination is important to reduce deaths and serious illness.