Vaccines support our immune system’s
complex and robust defense mechanisms. There are many different kinds of vaccines. Typically, vaccines are made up of a partial, weakened, or dead version of a scientist-made germ, bacterium or virus. Preemptively exposing the body to these foreign invaders through a vaccine stimulates our immune system’s natural response to an infectious disease without having to actually live through the disease.
Exposure through a vaccine won’t make you sick, but it will prompt your immune system to “learn” about the virus and build critical defenses that will protect you from contracting the disease in the future. It is possible for you to get sick with a given disease even if you received the recommended vaccination. But if that happens, having received a vaccine will help make sure your symptoms are less severe and the road to recovery is shorter.
After receiving a vaccine, it is possible you may feel tired and worn down. Don’t worry! This is merely a sign your immune system is working as intended and responding appropriately to the vaccine – not that you have contracted the actual disease.
Antibodies
Once administered, vaccines don’t harm your body. Instead, they trigger the production of a vital protein known as an antibody. Antibodies allow the body to quickly identify a foreign invader and then help the immune system shield itself from that threat. The body creates antibodies after recognizing a virus – either through a vaccine or everyday exposure. The difference is that, with a vaccine, your body will have practiced its response to mitigate or prevent unwanted health consequences before you are exposed to the actual virus.
In other words, antibodies are the soldiers guarding your body, protecting it from possible threats.
How vaccines help
By readying the immune system for future health battles, vaccines protect individuals around the world from dangerous diseases.
- It’s estimated that vaccines save 2 to 3 million lives each year globally.
- Vaccines have led to remarkable drops in death and cases of measles, mumps, and polio, among other dangerous diseases.
- Vaccines also played a critical role in eliminating smallpox, which is “one of the most devastating diseases known to humanity” according to the World Health Organization.