Vaccination has long been a fundamental aspect of public health management and disease prevention. One of the most common is the “DPT” immunization received in childhood to protect against diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus.

Another is “MMR” for measles, mumps and rubella. Some older folks may remember receiving the first vaccine for polio at their local high school gymnasium.

The fundamental goal of vaccines is to guard against diseases that can be dangerous or even deadly. Although the odds may be low for contracting some of these conditions, the potential consequences of going without this protection can be severe.

This topic, including vaccination pros and cons in general, is on top of everyone’s mind right now as distribution of vaccines for COVID-19 gets underway.

How Do Vaccines Work?

One way to gain immunity is to actually contract a disease, a risky proposition. Or we can let a vaccine do the work. In some cases, such as smallpox and polio, dangerous diseases have been nearly eradicated worldwide through successful immunization efforts. Avoiding the onset of disease also helps reduce costs in our healthcare system.

Vaccines protect not only ourselves, but those around us. Keep in mind that they are highly effective at preventing disease, but often not quite 100%. So it’s very important that as many people as possible receive them to minimize the potential spread of the disease.

Simply put, vaccines work with our immune system, which is our body’s natural defense mechanism. They are made up of ingredients that perform three basic functions; producing the vaccine, triggering the body’s immune response, and ensuring that the product is safe and effective. Some contain a small amount of weakened or dead virus or bacteria. Others use lab-created proteins that imitate the virus or bacteria.

The result is a triggering of your immune system to produce antibodies or other processes that enhance immunity. Your body is then primed to fight an infection in the future.

Are Vaccinations Safe?

A question that has come up in recent years involves the safety of vaccines. Due to the importance of these substances in supporting health and wellbeing, there is a longstanding and highly organized process behind their production and distribution.

The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) oversees extensive laboratory testing, which can take several years. Then phased clinical studies and testing in people take place, again often over a span of years.

Once approved and licensed, routine monitoring is conducted by the FDA, Centers for Disease Control (CDC), National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other federal agencies to identify and investigate any safety concerns that may arise over time.

How about side effects? Some mild effects like a low-grade fever or pain and redness at the injection site may occur. But they typically go away in a few days. Severe or long-lasting side effects are extremely rare.

Allergic reactions can happen, usually very soon after being vaccinated. Doctors’ offices are well equipped to deal with this situation. Even better, make sure to consult with your doctor beforehand regarding any potential allergy concerns.

Avoiding Misconceptions

Let’s take a look at some common myths and misunderstandings about vaccines:

Why do we need vaccines for rare diseases?

Simply put, many diseases are now rare precisely due to immunization programs. Ongoing vaccination will help keep them at bay. Moreover, when vaccination rates drop, infectious diseases can quickly return.

Can vaccines cause autism?

This concern may have arisen from an erroneous connection between the timing of initial autism symptoms in children and the administration of some childhood immunizations. The only study that purported to find a connection between vaccines and autism was found to be fraudulent. In contract, a 2019 study involving some 700,000 children over 10 years concluded that there was no connection.

Should I be concerned about thimerosal as an ingredient?

This is a preservative in use since the 1930s, with no harmful effects reported by the CDC. However, since 2001, no U.S. vaccines used with preschool children (except some flu vaccines) contain this substance.

A Word About Flu

Just about everyone should be familiar with the annual push for getting vaccinated against the flu. Flu can have serious effects for young children, older adults and people with chronic health conditions.

The CDC recommends the annual vaccination to reinforce the body’s capacity against the disease. In addition, the vaccine is reviewed each year and updated as necessary to deal with constantly changing flu viruses. When to get your flu vaccination should be addressed with a health professional.

As with other vaccines, mild side effects may be experienced with treatments available to deal with more serious allergic reactions.

Some people may still show signs of the flu after getting vaccinated. Causes can include: illness from a different respiratory virus; exposure shortly before vaccination or during the two weeks needed to develop immune protection; exposure to a very different virus from the one the vaccine is designed to protect against; and variations in how well each year’s vaccine works.

Due to the timing this year of flu season and the COVID-19 vaccine, it’s important to know that there is no evidence that being vaccinated against the flu can increase risk of getting sick from the coronavirus.

COVID-19 Vaccine Is on the Way

Here are some important things to know about the coronavirus vaccine, now that immunization is getting started.

• None of the vaccines being developed in the U.S. use the live virus.
• Since the disease can have a wide ranging effect and to minimize spread, it’s recommended that people become vaccinated.
• It will typically take a few weeks for the body to build immunity.
• These vaccines will not cause a person to test positive for the virus.
• Due to remaining uncertainties about long-term susceptibility to a recurrence, some people may be advised to get vaccinated even if they have already had the disease
• These mRNA-based vaccines will not affect or change a person’s DNA.

It has been reported that vaccines have saved more lives compared to any other medical intervention like antibiotics or surgery. The process has been carefully refined over the years and continues to see scientific advances. If you have questions about any vaccine, including those for COVID-19, talk to your doctor about your individual situation.

Sources for this blog included the Centers for Disease Control, Web MD and Kaiser Permanente.