Why immunize ourselves and/or our children?
Posted on August 25, 2014
Hi, this is Dr. Laurie from Health New England. This week we’ll be talking about how keeping ourselves and family up-to-date on immunizations impacts the health of our community. Here’s a great article that explains why it’s important to continue vaccinating now and in the future.
Sometimes we are confused by the messages in the media. First we are assured that, thanks to vaccines, some infectious diseases are almost gone from the U.S. But we are still instructed to immunize our children, ourselves as adults, and the elderly. I was glad that on a Friday night, my daughter’s tetanus vaccine was up to date after she stepped on a nail!
Some infectious diseases are becoming rare due to vaccinations.
It’s true that some infectious diseases (like polio) are becoming very rare in the U.S., but they still exist in other parts of the world. Of course, they are becoming rare largely because we have been vaccinating against them. But it is reasonable to ask whether it’s worthwhile to keep vaccinating.
It’s much like bailing out a boat with a slow leak. When we started bailing, the boat was filled with water. But we have been bailing fast and hard, and now it is almost dry. We could say, “Good. The boat is dry now, so we can throw away the bucket and relax.” But the leak hasn’t stopped. Before long we’d notice a little water seeping in, and soon it might be back up to the same level as when we started.
Keep immunizing until the disease is eliminated.
Unless we can “stop the leak” (eliminate the infectious disease), it is important to keep immunizing everyone. Even if there are only a few cases of disease today, if we take away the protection given by vaccination, more and more people will become infected and will spread disease to others. Soon we will undo the progress we have made over the years.
The diseases that vaccines prevent can be dangerous to your health, or even deadly. Vaccines reduce the risk of infection by working with the body’s natural defenses to help it safely develop immunity to disease.
When bacteria and viruses invade the body they attack and multiply. This invasion is called an infection, and the infection is what causes illness. The immune system then has to fight the infection. Once it fights off the infection, the body is left with a supply of cells that help recognize and fight that disease in the future.
Vaccines help develop immunity by imitating an infection, but this “imitation” infection does not cause illness. It does, however, cause the immune system to develop the same response as it does to a real infection so the body can recognize and fight the vaccine-preventable disease in the future. Sometimes, after getting a vaccine, the imitation infection can cause minor symptoms, such as fever. Such minor symptoms are normal and should be expected as the body builds immunity.
Tomorrow, I’ll share some facts about the positive impact of making the decision to vaccinate your children, and the potential negative impact of deciding not vaccinate.
Don’t forget to take my weekly quiz. There is a free reward if you take it, (my mini doctor first aid kit)!
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