How Vaccines Work

Simply put, vaccines make it harder for you to get sick. Most vaccines target a particular disease, but some are designed to offer protection from a variety of illnesses. This guide will help you better understand why vaccines are important and how they're able to reduce the likelihood you'll get sick.

Vaccinations are some of the most important tools available for preventing disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Not only do they protect individuals from developing a potentially serious disease, but they also protect the community by reducing the spread of infectious disease.

Most shots prevent you from coming down with a specific disease or illness. To do this, vaccines are created from the very same germs that cause the disease they are preventing. But the germs in the vaccines have either been killed or weakened before injection so that they won't they won't make you ill.

When the vaccines are introduced into your body, your immune system reacts to the vaccine in the same way that it would if it were being attacked by the disease itself: it produces antibodies. The antibodies then destroy the vaccine germs as they would the disease germs and remain in your body, creating immunity to that particular disease. If you are then exposed to that particular disease, the antibodies will protect you from it.

Immunizations are especially helpful for children, whose immune systems are more vulnerable and susceptible to disease. With immunizations, your child becomes protected from many infections and illness without having to suffer through them. Community awareness campaigns such as Every Child by Two urges parents to make sure their children are protected against some of the diseases of childhood before 2 years of age.