The HPA also said that children who receive all the necessary doses would build up and keep high levels of immunity to the disease.

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Breast-feeding can certainly help provide immune protection against multiple illnesses, but not if a mother does not have immunity to a certain disease such as pertussis.

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The vaccine needs a 95% uptake to achieve the herd immunity needed to ensure the disease cannot take a hold in individuals who are not vaccinated.

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Innate immunity is the defence against infection that babies are born with, as opposed to adaptive immunity which is acquired as people develop antibodies through their exposure to disease-causing agents.

ECONOMIST: Genetics and infectious disease: The germ of an idea | The

Whereas adaptive immunity is thought to be a response to specific bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites, innate immunity has always been seen as the body's general response to all threats of disease.

ECONOMIST: Genetics and infectious disease: The germ of an idea | The

HSE, however, were resistant to plenty of disease-causing agents other than the H. simplex virus, suggesting that innate immunity could be specific, too.

ECONOMIST: Genetics and infectious disease: The germ of an idea | The