August is National Immunization Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness about the importance of vaccines and why they matter for everyone’s health and safety. Let’s take a moment to address why immunizations matter and the benefits they provide while dispelling some of the misinformation about them.
Why Immunizations Matter
Immunizations are a safe and highly effective way to protect against certain diseases. Vaccines “teach” our immune system how to defend itself against foreign antibodies that can make us very sick.
When we receive a vaccine, it triggers our immune system and starts helping our body to combat and overcome specific microorganisms (germs). When your body is introduced to the vaccine, your immune system will identify and eliminate the germ. This also stops it from invading your body again in the future.
Vaccines include small amounts of either weakened or inactivated microorganisms, so it prepares your body to fight off that germ if it encounters it in the future. However, the vaccine itself is not capable of causing the illness. Each vaccine protects against serious diseases all throughout your life from infancy, childhood, and adulthood.
National Immunization Awareness Month highlights the importance of herd immunity. Herd immunity protects an entire community through widespread vaccination by defending all the individuals who have not contracted the disease. It is also effective for those who are recovering from the illness or those who have not yet been vaccinated.
Benefits of Immunizations
Vaccines train your immune system to produce antibodies. An antibody is a protein produced by the immune system to fight off foreign invaders (germs or viruses). Antibodies recognize and bind to these intruders, marking them for destruction by other cells of the immune system. They’re like tiny, specialized keys that fit only one specific lock (the germ).
When you get sick, your body automatically starts to fight off the unhealthy germs. When you receive your vaccines, your body starts to fight the germs before encountering that actual disease. They do this without causing the disease or posing a risk of serious complications.
Vaccines are essential in the fight against the likelihood of outbreaks and safeguarding vulnerable individuals. Not only are you protecting yourself from disease when you get vaccinated, you’re also helping to protect others.
Addressing Concerns
Vaccines get a bad rap as many people misunderstand how vaccines work. Learning the facts before making health decisions can support better health and well-being. Please take a moment to understand why these myths about vaccines are untrue and even dangerous.
Vaccines Do Not Cause Autism
Some people have expressed concerns about a possible link between autism and childhood vaccines. Extensive research has shown that there is absolutely no such connection. The CDC discovered that the number of antigens received from vaccines in the first two years of life was the same for children with autism and those without. Antigens are vaccine substances that trigger the body’s immune system to produce disease-fighting antibodies. The CDC and numerous other qualified researchers have conclusively demonstrated that vaccines do not cause autism.
Vaccines Don’t Alter Immune System Functions
Vaccines elicit an immune response, enabling them to neutralize dangerous viruses and provide protection against illness. Understanding that stimulating an immune response does not mean you are altering the immune system; it is just making it stronger.
Do Vaccines Contain Toxic Ingredients?
Some people have concerns about vaccines and other ingredients pharmaceutical companies use. Every vaccine component undergoes rigorous testing in multiple countries, under strict government and industry regulations, and by different groups of scientists. Vaccines go through extensive clinical trials and evaluations by panels of doctors to ensure their safety and effectiveness each year.
Some vaccines contain tiny amounts of preservatives such as formaldehyde, mercury, and aluminum, and extensive research has shown that these substances at those low quantities are not harmful to humans or animals. The level of formaldehyde in vaccines is actually lower than the naturally occurring levels in the human body as a by-product of metabolism.
For more information, the CDC has a full vaccine safety list.
Why National Immunization Awareness Month Matters
For your own health and the safety of those in your family and community, it’s very important to understand how vaccines really work. Being a victim of disinformation can result in becoming a victim of a horrible disease. It’s a matter of life and death for a significant portion of the population.
National Immunization Awareness Month is the perfect opportunity to take a moment to become informed by reliable sources like the qualified medical staff at East Adams Rural Healthcare. Be sure to schedule your immunizations with us as soon as possible. Vaccinations are available at the Ritzville hospital and our mobile clinic. Our staff can help you know which vaccinations you and your family need to get.Call (509) 659-1200 to schedule an appointment or take advantage of our easy online scheduling.
