The future of Vaccinations Reading Answers

Jul 4, 2025

The future of Vaccinations is an IELTS Reading Answer that contains 13 questions and needs to be completed within 20 minutes. The future of Vaccinations reading answers also helps you to prepare for your IELTS exam. The future of Vaccinations consists of questions like: Does the following statement agree with the passage? Complete the summary using the list of words, and choose the correct letter. Participants should go through the IELTS Reading passage to recognize synonyms, identify keywords, and answer the questions. Also, the future of Vaccinations Reading Answers provides essential information about the groundbreaking vaccine patch developed by Professor Mark Prausnitz promises to revolutionize immunization in developing countries. Candidates can use IELTS reading practice questions and answers to enhance their performance in the reading section.

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Topic:

Vaccinations have been featured in many a headline of late- mainly due to parents in first world countries opting out of immunizing their child. This is a luxury many caretakers around the world cannot claim. In fact, in developing countries, such as Haiti and The Dominican Republic, vaccination rates fall to 65% and 79% respectively; comparatively, China vaccinates 99% of its nearly 1.36 billion strong population. India only manages to inject 74% of its 1.25 billion people.

Still, those rates do not look so dire when held up against Tuberculosis vaccination rates. In many of the more well-off nations, TB is no longer even a worry, as widespread vaccination campaigns have nearly eliminated the threat of this disease; nevertheless, TB has lethal or debilitating consequences for more adults aged 15 to 59 years old than any disease in the world. Last year, while India and China were able to provide TB shots to 99.5% of their population, only 53% of those in Equatorial Guinea and 54% of those in Ethiopia attained the injection. The reason children in many countries are not offered the same safeguards against such illnesses as polio, diphtheria and hepatitis A and B, is, as with many basic survival tools, a question of funding. Injections not only require specific equipment, such as syringes and, of course, the vial itself, but also practitioners who are knowledgeable in the administration of the shots and a timetable indicating when to administer them. All of these resources must be paid for.

Twenty years ago, Mark Prausnitz, a professor of chemical and biochemical engineering at Georgia Tech, began laboring toward a more economical and efficient way of delivering medicine to those who are most in need. Today, through cooperation with the Center for Disease Control, his innovation is entering into its final phases of design and realization.

Prausnitz's has created a nickel-sized device, to all appearances a bandage, with 100 microscopic needles capable of puncturing the skin.

After the patch is applied, the needles dissolve almost immediately, allowing the vaccine to enter the body. Prausnitz further notes that the needles do not cause the same painful experience as normal needles; in fact, they feel more like a gentle scratch. The needles are so small that the naked eye cannot even make them out. The patch merely looks shiny to the casual observer.

The patch is manufactured in a very interesting manner. First, in a mold build by Prausnitz and his colleagues, a solution is poured that consists of the vaccine, sugar and polymers to hold it all together. Then, after about twelve hours, the solution in the mold has dried, and a sheet of microneedles can be pulled out. These can then be separated into the teardrop shape needed and attached to the underside of the patch.

Prausnitz and his team have chosen the measles vaccine for their trial run, as it already exists in vial form in many places and can be assimilated to his purposes easily. A considerable percentage of the population in the developing world do not live in close proximity to medical clinics, and must undergo quite the journey to reach a health professional. Doctors and nurses also cannot transport the vaccine long distances without a method of refrigeration. The patch needs no qualified personnel to handle it, nor does it require refrigeration, and so will be able to reach an enormous number of people who cannot, or simply do not, make the effort to seek it out as of now.

There is an additional advantage to the patch, besides the obvious ones already mentioned. Eliminating this specific need for syringes translates into a significantly lower number of these needles being used and discarded. Disposing of syringes is a very careful enterprise, as an untold number of dangerous illnesses can be transferred by even a small prick of an infected needle. The patches, then, would prevent an untold number of dangerous repercussions of the existence of dirty syringes, such as the transmission of hepatitis or HIV.

The next stage of testing the patch will be a small trial consisting of approximately 100 volunteers. These people will be treated with the flu vaccine, which is now also available not only as an injection, but also as via a nasal spray. Prausnitz target here is to try and encourage people to administer their own vaccines. In the trial, only professionals will apply the patches for added control on the experimental outcomes, but volunteers will be able to try out a placebo patch after watching the nurse.

After the hopefully successful trials, the following stage will focus on manufacturing efficiency and affordability, as Prausnitz wants to offer the patch system at a lower price point than needles. If all goes well, patches for much needed vaccines will be widely available internationally within two years.

Questions 28-31

Choose the correct letter.

28. Many parents around the world:

A. do not purchase luxury items

B. opt for a medical professional to administer vaccines to them

C. cannot choose to have or not to have their child vaccinations

D. claim to not comprehend the need for vaccines

Answer: C. cannot choose to have or not to have their child vaccinations

Supporting statement: "This is a luxury many caretakers around the world cannot claim."

Keywords: luxury, cannot claim, caretakers

Keyword Location: Paragraph 1, line 2

Explanation: The passage contrasts parents in first-world countries (who can opt out) with those in developing countries, indicating the latter have no choice in such matters due to limited access or availability.

29. The vaccine on the patch enters the bloodstream via

A. hundreds of tiny needles that have been dipped in a special solution

B. miniscule microneedles that are capable of liquefying themselves

C. a shiny underside composed of a nickel base

D. needle punctures comparable to those experienced today

Answer: B. miniscule microneedles that are capable of liquefying themselves

Supporting statement: "...with 100 microscopic needles... After the patch is applied, the needles dissolve almost immediately..."

Keywords: microscopic needles, dissolve, vaccine enters

Keyword Location: Paragraph 4, lines 2–3

Explanation: The microneedles dissolve upon application, which allows the vaccine to be absorbed into the skin—different from traditional injection methods.

30. The vaccine patch can be manufactured by

A. combining the vaccine with other ingredients and molding them into the right shape

B. creating a mold out of sugar and polymers that can be separated into certain shapes

C. pouring the vaccine into a special refrigeration unit and left to dry

D. mixing a special solution for 12 hours and pouring it onto a sheet

Answer: A. combining the vaccine with other ingredients and molding them into the right shape

Supporting statement: "a solution is poured that consists of the vaccine, sugar and polymers... after about twelve hours... a sheet of microneedles can be pulled out..."

Keywords: vaccine, sugar, polymers, mold

Keyword Location: Paragraph 5, lines 1–3

Explanation: The process involves combining ingredients in a mold and allowing them to solidify into microneedles.

31. Syringes must be disposed of correctly

A. or lower numbers of healthcare workers will get HIV or hepatitis

B. by discarding them in lower numbers in specific locations

C. before the patch can prevent illnesses and their repercussions

D. or people can accidentally get fatal illnesses from a single prick

Answer: D. or people can accidentally get fatal illnesses from a single prick

Supporting statement: "...an untold number of dangerous illnesses can be transferred by even a small prick of an infected needle."

Keywords: prick, infected needle, dangerous illnesses

Keyword Location: Paragraph 7, line 2

Explanation: The passage stresses the importance of proper syringe disposal due to the risk of disease transmission through accidental pricks.

Questions 32-36

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 3? Write

TRUE if the statement agrees with the information

FALSE if the statement contradicts the information

NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

32. Tuberculosis has been completely eliminated from developed countries.

Answer: FALSE

Supporting statement: "...in more well-off nations, TB is no longer even a worry..."

Keywords: no longer a worry, TB, well-off nations

Keyword Location: Paragraph 2, line 1

Explanation: While TB is nearly eliminated as a concern in developed countries, the passage does not claim total eradication.

33. The disease with the highest incidence of mortality is TB.

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement: "...TB has lethal or debilitating consequences for more adults aged 15 to 59 years old than any disease in the world."

Keywords: more adults, lethal consequences, any disease

Keyword Location: Paragraph 2, line 2

Explanation: TB is indicated as the deadliest or most impactful disease for adults in the stated age group.

34. Nearly two decades after the work began, Prausnitz has finally realized the final design template of the vaccine patch.

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement: "...his innovation is entering into its final phases of design and realization."

Keywords: final phases, design, realization

Keyword Location: Paragraph 3, line 3

Explanation: The patch is in its final design phase after about 20 years of work, indicating near completion.

35. The manufacturing process utilized to produce the patches, currently done by Prausnitz, takes roughly twelve hours.

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement: "Then, after about twelve hours, the solution in the mold has dried..."

Keywords: twelve hours, dried, mold

Keyword Location: Paragraph 5, line 2

Explanation: The passage explicitly states the drying period for patch formation is twelve hours.

36. One of Prausnitz's goals is to have the flu vaccine available eventually via a self-administered system, in addition to the existing methods via syringe and nose spray.

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement: "Prausnitz's target here is to try and encourage people to administer their own vaccines."

Keywords: self-administer, flu vaccine, encourage

Keyword Location: Paragraph 8, line 3

Explanation: The passage mentions his aim for people to eventually apply the patch themselves, expanding on current delivery methods.

Questions 37-40

Complete the summary using the list of words, A-K.

There are many reasons behind vaccines not being readily available to a 37……….

Answer: D. significant

Supporting statement: "...children in many countries are not offered the same safeguards... is... a question of funding."

Keywords: many children, safeguards, funding

Keyword Location: Paragraph 3, lines 1–3

Explanation: A large number of children are affected, so the correct word is "significant."

number of children; a main one being 38……………..

Answer: C. insufficient

Supporting statement: "...a question of funding... must be paid for."

Keywords: funding, resources

Keyword Location: Paragraph 3, lines 3–5

Explanation: The funding available is insufficient to cover all vaccination needs.

money. This money must go toward purchasing not only the needles and vials of vaccines, but also professional health care workers who are knowledgeable about when the shots must be given. Another reason, besides money, is that many people in third world countries do not live 39…………….

Answer: A. near

Supporting statement: "A considerable percentage of the population... do not live in close proximity to medical clinics..."

Keywords: not in close proximity

Keyword Location: Paragraph 6, line 1

Explanation: The summary refers to not living near medical facilities.

a health facility. Plus, the vaccines, in vial form, must be stored in a place with 40…………..

Answer: K. regulated

Supporting statement: "Doctors... cannot transport the vaccine... without a method of refrigeration."

Keywords: refrigeration, storage

Keyword Location: Paragraph 6, lines 3–4

Explanation: Vaccines need regulated (controlled) temperatures, especially when transported.

temperatures, and this is often impossible over long distances, given the limited resources at hand.