Facts about Immunization

Normally, serious negative effects will be limited to possible infections of the scratches and bites; though these have been known to sometimes kill cats if untreated.

Immunization (or immunisation in British English) is the process of conferring increased resistance to an infectious disease by a means other than experiencing the natural infection.

Active immunization involves stimulating the individual's own immune system by the administration of an antigenic substance into a person then the recipient will develop antibodies.

Like active immunization, vaccination involves administration of antigenic material to produce immunity to a disease, which will prevent or ameliorate the effects of infection by a pathogen.

The term immunization often is used interchangeably with vaccination and inoculation, all of which use a viable infecting agent.

Passive immunization is where pre-made antibodies developed by one organism are given to another organism.

Medical researchers have developed diverse immunization processes for a vast number of diseases, beginning on a large scale about a century ago.

Immunization also can include providing the subject with protective antibodies developed by someone else or another organism (passive immunization).

Artificial passive immunization is normally given by injection and is used if there has been a recent outbreak of a particular disease or as an emergency treatment to poisons from insects, and so forth.