One way to protect a child’s health and the health of those around them is through immunization. Immunization shots, or vaccinations, are essential. The vaccines, if given through injection, may hurt a little, but the diseases they can prevent can hurt a lot more. They protect against things like measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis B, polio, diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (whooping cough).

Immunizations are important for adults as well as for children. The immune system helps the human body fight germs by producing antibodies to combat them. Once it does, the immune system remembers the germ and can fight it again. Some vaccines contain germs that have been killed or weakened. When given to a healthy person, the vaccine triggers the immune system to respond and build immunity. Other vaccines use genetic material called messenger RNA (mRNA) to instruct the body to build immunity against a virus and prepare it to fight off future infections. Unlike traditional vaccines, the mRNA vaccines do not contain live or weakened viruses, which makes them safer to use. Additionally, mRNA vaccines can be developed more quickly than traditional vaccines since they don’t require growing and culturing the virus.

Before vaccines, people became immune only by actually getting a disease and surviving it. Immunizations are an easier and less risky way to become immune. Vaccines are the best defense we have against serious, preventable, and sometimes deadly contagious diseases. Vaccines are some of the safest medical products available, but like any other medical product, there may be risks. Accurate information about the value of vaccines as well as their possible side effects helps people to make informed decisions about vaccination. For the most accurate, up-to-date information, it is important to consult a health care provider.