Question

It is generally observed that the children who had suffered from chickenpox in their childhood may not contract the same disease in their adulthood. Explain, giving reasons, the basics of such immunity in an individual. Name this kind of immunity.

Answer 1

People who have suffered from chickenpox in their childhood may not contract the disease again because of acquired immunity, which is characterised by memory.

Acquired immunity is pathogen-specific. At the first encounter with the microbe, the body produces a low-intensity primary response. On subsequent encounters with the same pathogen, a secondary response occurs, which is of high intensity. This is attributed to the fact that our body has memory of the pathogen from the first encounter, which had resulted in the production of antibodies against the pathogen.