Immunization is the process of giving a vaccine to a person to protect them against disease. Immunity (protection) by immunization is similar to the immunity a person would get from disease, but instead of getting the disease you get a vaccine. This is what makes vaccines such powerful medicine.
Most vaccines are given by needle (injection) but some are given by mouth (orally) or sprayed into the nose (nasally). Immunizations are also called vaccinations, needles, shots or jabs.
HOW DO VACCINES WORK?
Last week we talked about Immunization/vaccine and it various forms such as:
- Needle (injection vaccine)
- Mouth (oral vaccine) or
- Sprayed/nose (nasally vaccine).
We also learned that Immunizations are also called vaccinations, needles, shots or jabs.
Today we shall be looking at how vaccines work?
How do vaccines work?
Vaccines contain the same germ that causes disease. But the germs in the vaccine have been killed or weakened so that they do not make you sick. Some vaccines contain only a part of the germ that causes disease.
When you get immunized, your body is tricked into thinking that it has been infected with the disease. It makes antibodies that kill the germs. These antibodies stay in your body for a long time and remember how to fight the germ. If the germs from the disease enter your body in the future, the antibodies destroy the germs before you can become sick. It is much safer to get a vaccine than the disease.
Most people are fully protected against the disease after getting immunized. In rare cases, people who are immunized can still get the disease because they only get partial protection from the vaccine. This is more common in people with medical conditions that affect the immune system. Although these people may still get the disease, they will most likely get a milder sickness and not suffer serious complications.
What is herd immunity (community immunity)?
When enough people in a community are immunized against a disease, the chance of an outbreak is greatly reduced. This type of community protection is known as ‘herd’ or ‘community’ immunity. To reach herd immunity against a disease, a community must have between 74 to 95 per cent of the people immunized depending upon the disease.
Immunizations, or vaccines as they’re also known, safely and effectively use a small amount of a weakened or killed virus or bacteria or bits of lab-made protein that imitate the virus in order to prevent infection by that same virus or bacteria.
When you get an immunization, you’re injected with a weakened form of (or a fragment of) a disease. This triggers your body’s immune response, causing it to either produce antibodies to that particular ailment or induce other processes that enhance immunity.
Then, if you’re ever again exposed to the actual disease-causing organism, your immune system is prepared to fight the infection. A vaccine will usually prevent the onset of a disease or else reduce its severity.
WHY SHOULD SOMEONE GET IMMUNIZED?
The goal of public health is to prevent disease. It’s much easier and more cost-effective to prevent a disease than to treat it. That’s exactly what immunizations aim to do.
Immunizations protect us from serious diseases and also prevent the spread of those diseases to others. Over the years immunizations have thwarted epidemics of once common infectious diseases such as measles, mumps, and whooping cough. And because of immunizations, we’ve seen the near eradication of others, such as polio and smallpox.
Some vaccines need to be given only once; others require updates or “boosters” to maintain successful immunization and continued protection against disease.
For any symptoms or heart to heart talk, ring me fast at Doren Specialist Hospital through our whatsapp:
Call: 0802 306 2100
Visit our website for a more details on vaccine & Immunization
Email: info@dorenspecialisthospital.com
Visit: www.dorenspecialisthospital.com
Always remember that …Doren Cares!