Vaccinations might be ineffective if individuals have compromised immune systems, if pathogens undergo frequent mutations altering antigens, if immunity is short-lived, or if multiple pathogen strains exist.
Vaccinations may fail due to defective immune systems, pathogen mutation (antigenic variation), short-lived immunity, or the existence of pathogen varieties for which vaccines are not developed.
| Front | Why might vaccinations not eliminate a disease |
|---|---|
| Back | The vaccination fails to provide immunity as the person might have a defective immune system The pathogen may mutate too frequently, antigen change so the vaccine becomes ineffective. This is called antigenic variation. The immunity is short lived. There may be varieties of the pathogen which is impossible to develop a vaccine for all the varieties Certain pathogens may hide from the immune system |
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