Immune Response: A Simple Overview

1. Each pathogen that the body is exposed to includes a unique molecule called an "antigen".
   
   
2. The first time the immune system identifies a new antigen, it must learn how to neutralise it.
   
   
3. The immune system produces immunoglobulins (antibodies) to destroy the associated pathogen.
   
   
4. There are 5 different classes/isotypes of antibody; IgA, IgG, IgM, IgE and IgD.
   
   
• The initial response is the IgM antibody which is a "natural antibody" and can bind to specific antigens, even in the absence of prior immunisation.
  
  
• IgA antibodies contribute ~15% of immunoglobulins in the blood but are also present in the respiratory and digestive systems and provide protection against infection those areas of the body. IgA's play a crucial role in protecting mucosal surfaces against antigens by neutralising respiratory viruses or impeding their attachment to epithelial cells.
  
  
• Most important are IgG antibodies which contribute ~75% of antibodies in the blood. The body retains a "catalog" of all IgG antibodies that it has ever made; these can then be rapidly reproduced if a known antigen is detected.
  
  
5. Vaccines are designed to add an entry to the IgG "catalog" without needing to risk illness from exposure to antigens in their natural form. This is only necessary when a pathogen is especially deadly. It is both safer, and more effective for the immune system to encounter most antigens naturally, and produce the respective IgG memory by itself.
   
   
6. Covid mRNA vaccines work by "recoding" the human bodies cells to produce the antigen for the SARS-CoV-2 pathogen, rather than by introducing the pathogen itself. This is the first time vaccines using this approach have been used. Typically vaccines work by introducing a weakened version of a pathogen to the body, so the immune system can learn the antigen and produce the respective antibodies.
   
   
7. Once the self-produced antigen is detected, the immune system begins to produce antibodies to destroy it like usual.
   
   
8. The mRNA vaccine only stimulates IgG antibody production, but not IgA. This means the Covid pathogen is not destroyed in the respiratory system by IgA antibodies and can still be transmitted post vaccine. Where natural infection has occurred, IgA antibodies are present and transmission is reduced.
   
   
9. In the event of future infections of SARS-CoV-2, the immune system can generate the IgG antibodies from it's "catalog" immediately to destroy the pathogen.
   
   
10. In respect of the vaccines, the combined records from EudraVigilance, VAERS and MHRA Yellow Card attribute 24,923 deaths to the vaccines. Additionally there are 3,199,459 adverse events recorded. The adverse events are not all as minor as headaches, fever or a sore throat, some are as serious as:
    
    
• Heart Attacks
  
  
• Strokes
  
  
• Anaphylaxis
  
  
• Blindness
  
  
• Spontaneous Abortion
  
  
• Facial Paralysis
  
  
• Guillain Barre Syndrome
  
  
• Thrombosis
  
  
• Embolism
  
  
• Seizures
  
  
• Paralysis
  
  
• Vertigo/Tinnitus
  
  
• Reproductive/Breast