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  • Essay / The link between vaccines and allergies - 1882

    An allergy is an immune response to substances recognized as harmful. In most situations, genetic inheritance plays a role in the allergy a person develops. Children inherit their allergy from their parents. (Mills et al., 2007) On the contrary, some individuals develop certain allergies despite their parents. One proposed theory that will be explored in this article is whether or not the use of vaccines causes us to develop certain allergies. Before this theory can be proven right or wrong, we must first gain a deeper understanding of the immune system. particles that can be harmful or infectious to us. Through a series of steps called the immune response, the immune system attacks potentially harmful organisms and substances that invade our system. (Durani, Y., 2012) The main players in the immune system are leukocytes, lymphoid organs and lymphatic vessels. Leukocytes are white blood cells that recognize and destroy harmful invaders. The lymphoid organs (lymph nodes, bone marrow, thymus and spleen) produce and/or store leukocytes, and the lymphatic vessels are a network of tissues that allow leukocytes to circulate in the blood or in the different lymphoid organs. (Durani, Y., 2012) Leukocytes are divided into two different subunits: phagocytes and lymphocytes. Phagocytes destroy dangerous organisms. Although the most common type of phagocyte is the neutrophil (which destroys bacteria), many other cells are also known to be phagocytes. Lymphocytes help the body remember and recognize previous aggressors that may invade again. Lymphocytes a...... middle of paper ......lergies%2F..%255Clibrary%255Callergies%255Cinfo5.asp*Sgreccia, E. (January 10, 2014). Human cell strains in vaccine development. Retrieved from http://www.historyofvaccines.org/content/articles/human-cell-strains-vaccine-development* Taylor, S. L. (2001). Emerging issues with food allergens. Accessed March 2014 from http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/x7133m/x7133m03.htm*Types of food: proteins, carbohydrates, fats, alcohol. (nd). Retrieved from http://www.worldofmolecules.com/foods/*US Department of Health. (nd). Vaccine development. Retrieved from http://www.flu.gov/prevention-vaccination/vaccine-development/*Vaccines. (April 19, 2011). Retrieved from http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/vaccines/understanding/pages/howwork.aspx*Why do we have allergies? (nd). Accessed March 2014 from http://fightthecauseofallergy.org/page/why-do-we-have-allergies