What is immunity? Immunity is the capability of multicellular organisms to resist harmful microorganisms. It involves both specific and nonspecific components that act as barriers and eliminators against pathogens. Ultimately, immunity helps to prevent diseases by enhancing the health of our bodies. Let’s take a closer look at immunity. In a nutshell, immunity is the ability of our bodies to fight off harmful microorganisms.
Immunity occurs when the cells in the body’s immune system encounter a harmful pathogen. Those cells mount an immune response to fight the pathogen and protect us from infection. Immunity can be acquired through infection with the disease or by immunisation with a pathogen that has already been killed or rendered harmless. The key to building immunity is to avoid being infected by harmful organisms as often as possible. In some cases, immunisation can even strengthen the immune system.
The percentage of population that needs to be immune to a disease varies. The more contagious a disease is, the greater the proportion of immune people is needed for effective infection. Measles, for example, is so contagious that 94% of the population must be immune to prevent its spread. Herd immunity can occur when enough people in the population have recovered from an infection and have protective antibodies that will prevent future infections. However, this is unlikely to happen for COVID-19 because experts are not sure that COVID-19 will have herd immunity.
Antibodies that recognize an antigen but cannot destroy it without the help of T cells. T cells kill infected cells and signal other immune cells to do their jobs. The T cells also activate a group of proteins known as complement that helps destroy bacteria and viruses. The immune system provides protection from disease by ensuring that all cells are working at optimal capacity. What is immunity? There are many different types of antibodies and types of immunity in the body.
Diplomatic immunity is one of the most common types of immunity. According to the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, diplomats are immune from civil and criminal proceedings for actions they perform in the course of their diplomatic duties. Certain public officials are also granted qualified immunity when it comes to their duties. The immunity granted to them applies in situations where the U.S. is not the jurisdiction. And for those who do have immunity from liability, it is usually the only option.
