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How do vaccines work?
No matter how you look at it, vaccination is humanity's greatest achievement. It’s what helped defeat smallpox, nearly eradicate polio, and save rosy-cheeked babies from other life-threatening infections. In just over two centuries, our world has come a long way: from the tangible threat of death from childhood infections to the victory over several diseases and even the ability to prevent certain types of cancer. To date, more than 100 vaccines have been created for 40 diseases. Isn’t that wow?
Why is vaccination so important?
Vaccines remain one of the most effective ways to prevent infectious diseases in children and adults.
Every year, childhood vaccination prevents 4 million deaths worldwide.
Vaccines help defeat diseases. Thanks to mass immunization programs, we eradicated smallpox and reduced polio cases by 99%. However, due to declining vaccination rates, we still see outbreaks of diseases, including in Russia.
Vaccines help introduce the body and its immune system to disease-causing agents and train them so that in case of a real invasion, everyone knows what to do.
And most importantly: vaccination is safe!
The immune system protects us from diseases and infections. When a microbe (whether a bacterium or a virus) enters the body, it begins to multiply, attacking cells. This leads to the development of illness and symptoms. The immune system responds by producing special proteins—antibodies—that help us fight the infection and recover.
Active immunity means that a person’s body produces antibodies against a specific microbe. This happens after a past infection (so-called "natural immunity") or as a result of receiving a vaccine that stimulates an immune response ("artificial immunity"). Most vaccines induce active immunity.
Passive immunity, unlike active immunity, involves the transfer of ready-made antibodies from an external source. In this case, the person’s immune system does not actively participate in their production, so the effect is temporary. One example of passive immunization is administering hepatitis B immunoglobulin. It is used for newborns whose mothers have hepatitis B to temporarily protect the baby from contracting this dangerous virus.
For instance, a person who had measles in childhood is unlikely to get it again, even if they are in close contact with an infected individual. In other cases, maintaining long-term immunity requires booster doses—additional doses of a vaccine after the initial one.
Vaccines stimulate the immune system to produce antibodies as it would during an illness. However, unlike real bacteria and viruses, vaccines do not cause disease or related complications.
For diseases transmitted from person to person, the main goal of vaccination is achieving herd immunity. This is when enough people become resistant to a disease, slowing its spread within the population. To establish herd immunity, most people must be vaccinated. This helps protect those who cannot (or do not want to) get vaccinated for various reasons. So being mindful of yourself and others is everyone’s responsibility!
A vivid example of a successful vaccination program is smallpox. Before the smallpox vaccine was developed, millions of people died annually from this disease. After implementing an intensive vaccination program, smallpox was completely eradicated worldwide. Impressive, right?
Vaccines work! Yes, vaccination doesn’t provide a 100% guarantee that you won’t get sick but significantly reduces the risk of severe illness and related complications.
Vaccines do not contain toxic elements. Many are scared by claims about heavy metals and preservatives in vaccines. The truth is that their amounts and bioavailability are so minimal that they cannot cause harm. For example, human blood normally contains 5 ng/ml of aluminum. The aluminum compounds introduced with vaccines are insoluble, meaning their bioavailability is less than 0.002% (0.002 mg per dose of 2000 ng). Meanwhile, the minimum risk of toxic effects arises only if 2–10 mg/kg of soluble aluminum compounds are introduced. Nothing personal—just math!
It’s important to follow vaccination schedules. Some parents believe there are more benefits than drawbacks to delaying vaccinations—but that’s not true. The optimal vaccination schedule wasn’t created randomly; it has been thoroughly studied to minimize risks for specific diseases at specific ages. So vaccinate on schedule—and happiness will follow!
Side effects of vaccines
Ordinary ibuprofen can help deal with them—period.
BUT! These do not require postponing or refusing vaccination:
Current or recently recovered respiratory infection (e.g., cold).
Get vaccinated for your health!