A fictional disease can cause serious complications. A health service is considering an immunisation programme. Two comparable groups of 1000 people were followed for the same period. The immunised group received the vaccine.
| Outcome | Immunised group | Unimmunised group |
|---|---|---|
| People who developed the disease | 12 | 120 |
| People who developed serious complications | 2 | 24 |
Among every 1000 people who receive the vaccine, 80 experience short-lived effects such as a sore arm or fever, and 1 experiences a serious adverse reaction.
Discuss whether the health service should introduce the immunisation programme. Use the information in the table and your knowledge of the advantages and disadvantages of immunisation.
87 exam-style questions on Edexcel GCSE Biology 5.3 Immune system and medicines, covering 5.3.1 The specific immune system, 5.3.2 Response to immunisation, 5.3.3 Advantages and disadvantages of immunisation, 5.3.4 Antibiotics and bacterial infections, 5.3.5 Aseptic techniques in culturing, 5.3.6 Cross-sectional areas of cultures, 5.3.7 Stages of developing new medicines, and 5.3.8 Production of monoclonal antibodies. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.