Before vaccines, many people died of diseases like polio and measles. There is no better way to protect your children and your community from many diseases than getting vaccinated.
Vaccines Prevent Disease
The body’s immune system fights bacteria and viruses – what most of us think of as “germs” – to keep us from getting sick. When germs enter the body, the immune system produces specialized antibodies designed to fight off that particular germ. The immune system remembers certain germs for years and can immediately produce antibodies to kill that germ whenever it enters the body. This long-lasting protection against a bacteria or virus is called immunity.
Vaccines keep individuals healthy by helping the body produce immunity to some dangerous diseases. Vaccines introduce a weakened or inactive form of a bacteria or virus into the body so the immune system can produce antibodies against the disease. If the actual bacteria or virus is encountered in the future, the immune system will remember to produce antibodies, preventing the disease.
Some vaccines require "boosters", or additional doses of the vaccine, to boost the immune system's ability to fight the disease. For instance, adults need tetanus booster shots every 10 years. Others require a series of doses in order for the body to develop full immunity. DTaP is a series of five shots for children.
Vaccines also keep communities healthy by protecting those who aren’t immune to a certain disease. For instance, babies cannot get the measles vaccine until they are a year old. If they are exposed to someone with measles, they can get the disease, which can be deadly. However, if everyone they encounter has been immunized for measles, they can’t contract the disease.
Getting vaccinated is not solely a personal choice that affects just individuals. Not only do unvaccinated people have a higher risk of getting sick, but they pose a health risk to others. For example, in 2008 in San Diego, 12 children came down with measles. Nine of those children hadn’t been vaccinated because their parents objected to the vaccine, but three were infected because they were too young to receive the measles vaccine.
Even though the infection rates of many diseases, like polio, are at an all-time low, the germs that cause polio still exist. Not getting vaccinated can reintroduce diseases into a community.
Vaccine Safety and Risks
Vaccines are developed and monitored under the strictest conditions for safety. And because vaccines contain weakened or inactive disease, you can’t get a disease from being vaccinated.
Some people believe that children can get autism from the mercury in vaccines. Since 2001, all vaccines, with the exception of some flu shots, are mercury-free, and autism rates still continue to rise. Furthermore, there is no scientific evidence that children can get autism from vaccines.
Vaccines do have some side effects. These may include pain at the injection site, fever, rash, and, infrequently, allergic reactions. In general, the benefits of getting vaccinated far outweigh the risks of any side effects.
Rarely, an immune system may not create antibodies to a disease from a vaccination. In these cases, someone may catch the disease even after getting the vaccine.
There are some people who shouldn’t be vaccinated. Children with compromised immune systems (including some kids with cancer), people who have previously had an allergic reaction to a vaccine, pregnant women, and very young children shouldn’t receive certain vaccinations. It’s important to talk to your doctor about your particular risks related to vaccines.
Vaccines have greatly reduced diseases that cause sickness and death. Continued vigilance with vaccination is a community responsibility, and is important for ongoing disease prevention. Contact your primary care physician if you have questions about a particular vaccine for yourself or your child.
Related Reading
Readers who found this article informative may be interested in reading Should You Get the Flu Shot? and Flu Shot Guidelines for Kids.
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