How Do Vaccines Work?
When a person gets an infection, the body reacts by producing antibodies. These antibodies fight the disease and help the person recover from the illness. Antibodies stay in the body, even after the disease is gone, and protect the person from getting the same disease again. This is called immunity. Vaccines work in a similar way, by preparing your child’s immune system to fight a disease without actually giving your child the disease. When a child gets a vaccine, her or his body makes antibodies against the disease. These antibodies will fight the real disease if she or he is ever exposed to it.
A. Parents are constantly concerned about the health and safety of their children and they take many steps to protect them. These preventive measures range from child-proof door latches to child safety seats. In the same respect, vaccines work to safeguard children from illnesses and death caused by infectious diseases. Vaccines protect children by helping prepare their bodies to fight often serious, and potentially, deadly diseases.
When you get an infection, your body reacts by producing substances called antibodies. These antibodies fight the infection and help you get over the illness. They usually stay in your system, even after the infection has gone, and protect you from getting the same illness again. This is called immunity. Newborn babies are immune to many diseases because they have antibodies they received from their mothers. However, this immunity does not last. It disappears during the first year of life. Fortunately, we can keep children protected against many infections even after they lose their mothers’ antibodies. We do this by vaccinating them against infectious diseases. The germs that cause disease are made into vaccines. These vaccines can be given to children, usually as shots. Vaccines fool the body into thinking it is under attack by disease, and the body reacts by producing antibodies. These antibodies stay in the body. Then, if the child is exposed to the actual infection or disease, he
