Vaccines are an important part of family and public health. They prevent the spread of contagious, dangerous and deadly diseases. Vaccines are available for measles, polio, mumps, chicken pox, whooping cough, diphtheria, HPV, COVID-19 and more, and are a key part of preventive health care.
By being vaccinated, you help prevent yourself from contracting a preventable disease. And when vaccination rates decline within a community, cases of preventable diseases go up for others. That’s why it’s important to follow your family physician’s guidance for when to get vaccinated and what to get vaccinated for.
Vaccine misinformation
Vaccines have a long track record of safety and effectiveness, but there remain misunderstandings and misinformation about vaccines. Your physician knows the most up-to-date vaccine recommendations and can answer questions about common side effects and misinformation.
Vaccines do not cause autism
Though multiple studies have been conducted, none have shown a link between autism and vaccines. The initial paper that started the rumor has since been discredited.
Vaccines are safe for infant immune systems
Infants’ immune systems can handle much more than what vaccines give them. They are exposed to hundreds of bacteria and viruses every day. Vaccines do not introduce any more germs beyond what their immune systems are capable of handling.
The contents of vaccines don’t contain harmful toxins
Vaccines are mostly water and don’t contain enough chemicals to be harmful in the dosage used in a vaccine. Additionally, the toxic form of mercury has never been used in vaccines.
Vaccines don’t cause diseases they are meant to prevent
Vaccines don’t contain full-strength, live viruses and so can’t infect you with a disease. Mild symptoms similar to a disease can occur, but this normal immune response is part of your body’s immunization process.
What are vaccines?
A vaccine (or immunization) is a way to build your body’s natural immunity to a disease before you get sick. This keeps you from getting and spreading the disease.
For some vaccines, a weakened form of the disease germ is injected into your body. This is usually done with a shot in the leg or arm. Your body detects the invading germs (antigens) and produces antibodies to fight them. Those antibodies then stay in your body for a long time. In many cases, they stay for the rest of your life. If you’re ever exposed to the disease again, your body will fight it off without you ever getting the disease.
Some illnesses, like strains of cold viruses, are fairly mild. But some, like COVID-19, smallpox or polio, can cause life-altering changes. They can even result in death. That’s why preventing your body from contracting these illnesses is very important.
How does immunity work?
Your body builds a defense system to fight foreign germs that could make you sick or hurt you. It’s called your immune system. To build up your immune system, your body must be exposed to different germs. When your body is exposed to a germ for the first time, it produces antibodies to fight it. But that takes time, and you usually get sick before the antibodies have built up. But once you have antibodies, they stay in your body. So, the next time you’re exposed to that germ, the antibodies will attack it, and you won’t get sick.
Path to improved health
Everyone needs vaccines. They are recommended for infants, children, teenagers, and adults. There are widely accepted immunization schedules available. They list what vaccines are needed, and at what age they should be given. Most vaccines are given to children. It’s recommended they receive 12 different vaccines by their 6th birthday. Some of these come in a series of shots. Some vaccines are combined so they can be given together with fewer shots.
The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) believes that immunization is essential to preventing the spread of contagious diseases. Vaccines are especially important for at-risk populations such as young children and older adults. The AAFP offers vaccination recommendations, immunization schedules, and information on disease-specific vaccines.
Being up to date on vaccines is especially important as children head back to school. During the 2021 school year, state-required vaccines among kindergarteners dropped from 95% to 94%. In the 2021-2022 year it fell again to 93%. Part of this was due to disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Is there anyone who can’t get vaccines?
Some people with certain immune system diseases should not receive some types of vaccines and should speak with their health care providers first. There is also a small number of people who don’t respond to a particular vaccine. Because these people can’t be vaccinated, it’s very important everyone else gets vaccinated. This helps preserve the “herd immunity” for the vast majority of people. This means that if most people are immune to a disease because of vaccinations, it will stop spreading.
Are there side effects to vaccines?
There can be side effects after you or your child get a vaccine. They are usually mild. They include redness or swelling at the injection site. Sometimes children develop a low-grade fever. These symptoms usually go away in a day or two. More serious side effects have been reported but are rare.
Typically, it takes years of development and testing before a vaccine is approved as safe and effective. However, in cases affecting a global, public health crisis or pandemic, it is possible to advance research, development, and production of a vaccine for emergency needs. Scientists and doctors at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) study the research before approving a vaccine. They also inspect places where the vaccines are produced to make sure all rules are being followed. After the vaccine is released to the public, the FDA continues to monitor its use. It makes sure there are no safety issues.
The benefits of their use far outweigh any risks of side effects.
What would happen if we stopped vaccinating children and adults?
If we stopped vaccinating, the diseases would start coming back. Aside from smallpox, all other diseases are still active in some part of the world. If we don’t stay vaccinated, the diseases will come back. There would be epidemics, just like there used to be.
This happened in Japan in the 1970s. They had a good vaccination program for pertussis (whooping cough). Around 80% of Japanese children received a vaccination. In 1974, there were 393 cases of whooping cough and no deaths. Then rumors began that the vaccine was unsafe and wasn’t needed. By 1976, the vaccination rate was 10%. In 1979, there was a pertussis epidemic, with more than 13,000 cases and 41 deaths. Soon after, vaccination rates improved, and the number of cases went back down.
Questions to ask your doctor
- Why does my child need to be vaccinated?
- What are the possible side effects of the vaccination?
- What do I do if my child experiences a side effect from the vaccine?
- What happens if my child doesn’t get all doses of the recommended vaccines? Will he or she be able to go to daycare or school?
- We missed a vaccination. Can my child still get it late?
- Are there new vaccines that aren’t on the immunization schedules for kids?
- What should I do if I don’t have health insurance, or my insurance doesn’t cover vaccinations?
- What vaccinations do I need as an adult?
- Why do some people insist they became sick after getting the flu vaccine?
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This article was contributed by familydoctor.org editorial staff.
Copyright © American Academy of Family Physicians
This information provides a general overview and may not apply to everyone. Talk to your family doctor to find out if this information applies to you and to get more information on this subject.
