Those antibodies then stay in your body for a long time. In many cases, they stay for the rest of your life. Some illnesses, like strains of cold viruses, are fairly mild. But some, like smallpox or polio, can cause life-altering changes. They can even result in death. Your body builds a defense system to fight foreign germs that could make you sick or hurt you. 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. 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. Some of these come in a series of shots. Some vaccines are combined so they can be given together with fewer shots.
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. These include young infants under 2 months and people with certain medical issues. This means that if most people are immune to a disease because of vaccinations, it will stop spreading. 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. Vaccine schedules recommended by agencies and organizations, such as the CDC, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Academy of Family Physicians cover about 14 different diseases. Vaccinations not only protect your child from deadly diseases, such as polio, tetanus, and diphtheria, but they also keep other children safe by eliminating or greatly decreasing dangerous diseases that used to spread from child to child.
A vaccine is a dead, or weakened version, or part of the germ that causes the disease in question. When children are exposed to a disease in vaccine form, their immune system, which is the body's germ-fighting machine, is able to build up antibodies that protect them from contracting the disease if and when they are exposed to the actual disease.
Over the years, vaccines have generated some controversy over safety, but no convincing evidence of harm has been found. And although children can have a reaction to any vaccine, the important thing to know is that the benefits of vaccinations far outweigh the possible side effects.
Many vaccines are given more than once, at different ages, and in combinations. Find out what vaccines you may need based on different risk factors. Top of Page. Vaccines can lower your chance of getting certain diseases. This lowers your chances of getting certain diseases and suffering from their complications.
For instance:. You have a busy life and too much responsibility to risk getting sick. If you can avoid getting sick, you will have more time for your family, friends and hobbies. Getting recommended vaccines can give you some peace of mind. Human serum albumin used in vaccines comes from screened blood donors.
The manufacturing process ensures there is no risk of transmitting any diseases. Human serum albumin is a substance from human blood. It's used to stabilise a chickenpox vaccine called Varilix and maintain its quality during storage. Recombinant albumin is produced by cells, such as yeast cells, that have had the gene for human albumin inserted into them.
The cells are then able to generate large quantities of human serum albumin without any need to extract it from human blood. Children and adults with a severe egg allergy can safely receive the MMR vaccine. The live nasal spray flu vaccine given to children has a very low egg protein content. It can be safely given to children with an egg allergy.
Children and adults who have previously had a very severe allergic reaction to eggs may be advised to have their flu vaccine in a hospital. There are 2 vaccines in the UK routine schedule that contain small amounts of egg protein:. Formaldehyde can be found naturally in our bloodstream at levels far higher than we would be exposed to in vaccines.
Although formaldehyde can be harmful in high concentrations, there are no health concerns about the small amounts found in vaccines. Formaldehyde is a chemical also used in the production of killed vaccines. It's used very early in the manufacturing process to kill or inactivate the toxins from bacteria or viruses.
Once the antigens are inactivated, the formaldehyde is diluted out. It's possible that trace amounts may remain in the final vaccine. If you know you're allergic to neomycin or any other antibiotic, speak to your doctor or practice nurse before having a vaccine. Antibiotics known to cause allergic reactions, such as penicillin, are generally not used in vaccines.
But tiny amounts of an antibiotic called neomycin, which is capable of triggering an allergic reaction, are found in:. Antibiotics are added to some vaccines to prevent the growth of bacteria during the production and storage of the vaccine. A full list of any vaccine's ingredients is available on the electronic medicines compendium emc website.
Read more about specific vaccine ingredients on the Oxford University Vaccine Knowledge Project website. Page last reviewed: 30 July Next review due: 30 July Why vaccination is safe and important. Video: vaccines - are they safe for my child? In this video, a GP reassures a parent about vaccinations for her child. Media last reviewed: 29 July Media review due: 29 July
0コメント