The famous
American president, Abraham Lincoln once said, “I remember my mother’s prayers
and they always followed me. They have clung to me all my life”. Take a minute
to think about the most heart-warming gift you have ever received from your
mother…now note that thought.
Immunisation, as
defined by the World Health Organisation is the process whereby a person is
immune or resistant to an infectious disease. Passive immunity on the other
hand, is the transfer of active immunity in the form of antibodies, from one
individual to another. It can be naturally occurring or induced artificially.
Natural passive
immunity involves the transfer of antibodies from mother to child, this is
usually during the third trimester of pregnancy. Antibodies from the mother,
usually IgG crosses the placenta to the foetus. Also, the first breast milk
given to the baby by the mother (colostrum), contains amongst others
lymphocytes, antibodies like IgA, IgM and also IgG. These immune cells provide
the backbone for building the innate immune system by the child. In the first
year of life, the child’s immune system is literally underdeveloped, therefore
susceptible to infectious diseases. It has been noted that failure to acquire
serum concentration of IgG greater than 10mg/ml are at significantly higher
risk of septicemic, enteric and respiratory diseases. The antibodies provided to the child by the
mother helps to fight off these infectious diseases until the child’s immune
system is developed enough to fight off these diseases.
The first year
birthday in many cultures is usually hugely celebrated, well why not? The child
just survived the greatest threat to his young life, and this is in no small
part to the gift of passive immunity provided by the loving mother even before
his/her birth. Do you think that the gift you got as a child was remotely close
to the gift of life in passive immunity?Now to rephrase Abraham Lincoln,
“Although I do not remember my mother’s antibodies, but they have followed me.
They have clung to me all my life especially during the first year of my life.
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