Vaccinations
What Are Vaccinations?
Vaccination is a method of teaching your immune system to recognize and prepare to encounter disease-causing pathogens like viruses and bacteria. Vaccines are injectables that contain a safe version of a specific pathogen. It could be a weakened pathogen, a protein from the pathogen, or a toxin that the pathogen makes.
When your immune system encounters the vaccine, it creates proteins called antibodies against that specific pathogen. If you come into contact with the active version of the disease, your immune system is ready to fight the infection.
Most vaccines contain two doses: an initial injection and a later vaccine update. At Wasatch Family and Women’s Wellness, Cameryn helps you stay up to date on your vaccinations and their updates.
Which Vaccinations Do I Need?
There are many vaccines available against diseases that are contagious and harmful. Some of them are nearly eradicated from the population thanks to their long-standing vaccines.
Many vaccines are available on a set schedule for infants and children, so there’s a high chance you already have many of them. If you don’t, you can still get many of the vaccines later on.
- Hepatitis A
- Hepatitis B
- Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR)
- Polio
- Varicella (chickenpox)
- Rotavirus
- Meningococcal
- Tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough (Tdap)
- Pneumonia
- Human papillomavirus (HPV)
- COVID-19
Unlike these vaccines, which need initial injections and boosters, you need to get the flu vaccine every year. That is because the active strains of influenza change every year, and so does the vaccine against them.
Are Vaccinations Safe?
You may have questions about whether or not vaccines are safe, especially after learning that they contain some of the pathogen itself. All vaccines go through numerous rounds of testing — before they become widely available — that prove their safety.
It’s possible to get side effects or even mild illness shortly after vaccination, but any illness that occurs from the vaccine is far less severe than the disease itself from an active pathogen.
When enough people get a vaccine, a phenomenon called herd immunity happens. Herd immunity protects the entire population against a disease, including those who cannot safely get vaccinations.
If you’re interested in learning more about vaccinations and when to get them, call Wasatch Family and Women’s Wellness or schedule an appointment online today.
Next Steps
