A global vaccination campaign led by the World Health Organization in the ’70s eliminated the deadly smallpox virus. Likewise, here in the U.S., the crippling poliovirus has been eradicated thanks to the miracle of vaccines. This is why it’s so important to get vaccinated. Keeping your whole family up-to-date on vaccinations is critical to maintaining the health of the community and preventing the outbreak of diseases that still threaten us, such as measles, whooping cough and the flu.
Over the past few years, you might have heard arguments against vaccines. Most people agree that these arguments are unfounded, but there is still a lot of misinformation floating around on the internet. One thing is for sure: vaccines save lives.
Vaccines Help Prevent the Spread of Diseases
Vaccines can be scary. Even with advances in medical technology, the process of vaccination ultimately boils down to infecting the patient with a weak strain of an illness in order to protect them from that illness later on. That doesn’t sound terribly appealing, does it?
Here’s how it works: a weakened or dead strain of a pathogen, such as the poliovirus or mumps, is introduced into your system, causing your body to create antibodies to fight it. After that, your body immediately recognizes that pathogen and quickly and abundantly creates antibodies to fight it. So, if the full-strength version of that pathogen ever comes back, your immune system will be ready for it.
It sounds scary, but it is actually miraculous, and it has saved countless lives. Diseases like polio, measles and tetanus have been largely eliminated or reduced in the United States.
So, what’s the issue? If those diseases are gone, there’s no need to vaccinate against them anymore, right?
Wrong. Unfortunately, even though many of those diseases have been functionally eliminated, if everyone stopped getting the vaccines, even one person getting sick from measles or whooping cough could cause an epidemic.
Plus, some individuals have health issues that conflict with certain vaccines. This makes it even more important for everyone else to stay current with vaccinations. By doing so, they will help protect individuals whose doctors advise them not to vaccinate. If you have concerns about possible side
Vaccines do more than just protect each person from illness. They actually act as a barrier against disease, protecting the entire community. If one person who was not vaccinated gets sick, but everyone else in the community is vaccinated, the disease will have nowhere to spread, stopping it dead in its tracks.
However, if people stopped getting that vaccine and one person got sick, the illness would quickly spread through the community and beyond. That is why it is important to continue to vaccinate.
People with compromised or sensitive immune systems, such as small children and adults over the age of 65, are especially vulnerable to illness and should take special care to stay vaccinated. There are certain vaccinations that older adults specifically should get, such as shingles and pneumonia.
If you are still concerned about vaccinations, talk to your doctor. They have the knowledge and expertise to help you understand what vaccinations you need and why they are important. If you don’t have a primary care physician, contact the Pinellas County Health Department for information about their immunization program.